William Tennent probably never dreamed we would get to this point. The same could be said for John Witherspoon.
Tennent, some may recall, is considered by many to be the father of Presbyterian higher education in the United States. It’s been almost 300 years since this forward-thinking Presbyterian pastor established his ministerial Log College in Pennsylvania to educate and prepare commoners for ministry. The college was his response to the first “Great Awakening,” a revivalist movement in the early 18th century that aligned with the Presbyterian goal of “always being reformed.”
During Jeff Arnold’s seven years as executive director of the Association of Presbyterian Colleges and Universities 52 of the APCU’s 54 member schools have replaced their president. On average, presidents leave APCU institutions every four and half years.
These are troubling times for higher education. With the COVID-19 pandemic and racial unrest further eroding an already fragile ecosystem, the challenges facing U.S. colleges and universities continue to multiply. In times like these, alliances that help institutions of higher education understand and manage these challenges are more valuable than ever.
When you talk to Jeff Arnold, executive director of the Association of Presbyterian Colleges and Universities (APCU), you can’t help but feel optimistic. Following the organization’s annual Presidents’ Conference, his view is that faith-based affiliations among Presbyterian schools are getting stronger and growing due to the strength of connections offered by the APCU.
In response to media outlets, including Presbyterian News Service, reporting Montreat College’s disaffiliation from the Association of Presbyterian Colleges and Universities (APCU) and the resignation of three of its faculty over disagreements with a newly published set of “core documents,” the college’s president, Dr. Paul J. Maurer, has published a guest commentary in the Black Mountain News.
When you talk to Jeff Arnold, executive director of the Association of Presbyterian Colleges and Universities (APCU), you can’t help but feel optimistic. Following the organization’s annual Presidents’ Conference, his view is that faith-based affiliations among Presbyterian schools are getting stronger and growing due to the strength of connections offered by APCU.
Hannam University in Daejeon, South Korea—consistently recognized as one of Asia’s best Christian universities—is the first school outside the U.S. and Puerto Rico to join the Association of Presbyterian Colleges and Universities (APCU) as a full voting member.