New administration program prepares professionals
By Christy Rowden
The Alliance for AG Higher Education, recognizing the need for strategic investment in the current and future leadership of AG colleges, has proactively launched a graduate studies emphasis in higher education administration in cooperation with Evangel University’s Master of Organizational Leadership (MOL).
Alliance Vice President for Institutional Relations David Moore had the vision for the new program and developed the coursework. He and Jeff Hittenberger, former director of graduate studies at Evangel, worked together to fit classes into Evangel’s MOL program. Moore and Hittenberger team-taught the first of four courses offered over a two-year period of time. The first program courses will be taught at the Evangel campus in Springfield, Missouri. It is envisioned that future courses will be hosted on other AG college campuses.
The need for a program in higher education administration is paramount because, prior to this summer, only two Christian colleges and no Pentecostal schools offered such a graduate program.
According to Moore, “This initiative will be of immense value to our Fellowship in the years to come, as graduates who understand the unique challenges of Christian higher education are equipped to guide our schools into the future.”
The objective is to prepare a rising generation of leaders to effectively lead Christian and Pentecostal institutions of higher education, especially those endorsed by the Assemblies of God. Students will acquire understandings and proficiencies through four courses that will cover, in part, the following areas of campus administration: organization and planning, finance, student development, accreditation, enrollment management, historical development and spiritual formation.
On July 20-24, 2009, a diverse group of students, some currently in leadership at colleges and others aspiring to be in the future, gathered on the campus of Evangel University for several days of intensive instruction and discussion about the following topics related to the history and Philosophy of Higher Education:
- The development of higher education in the United States
- The origins of Christian higher education
- The Bible college movement
- The history and development of Assemblies of God higher education, including the historical background of each current Assemblies of God institution of higher education
- How Bible schools have transitioned to liberal arts colleges
- The importance of Christian higher education in the formation of a Christian worldview, with specific focus on the Pentecostal worldview
- Current issues in higher education
In its present format, students choose whether they will pursue a certificate in Higher Education Administration only or the complete Master of Organizational Leadership with a higher education emphasis. The three future courses in this program are titled Organization and Administration of Higher Education, Higher Education Finance and Student Development.
This program is open to anyone currently involved in higher education management or who desires to become involved. The program is offered in a hybrid format that only requires a couple of trips to the host campus each year. On January 5-9, 2010, the second course will be offered — registration is still open. For more information, check out the program online at www.evangel.edu/mol or contact the Alliance office at colleges@ag.org.