Can Adventist Colleges Be Saved? Part 2: New Ways Forward
by Björn Karlman | 4 October 2024 |
In Part 1 of “Can Adventist Colleges Be Saved?” we examined the stark reality of the 23%+ drop in enrollment at North American Adventist colleges and universities over the last decade, and how these institutions are recognizing a stronger need for collaboration to address their difficulties. In Part 2, we delve deeper into the strategies Adventist colleges are employing to navigate this crisis, exploring how they’re balancing their Adventist identity with the need for inclusivity, investigating innovative revenue streams and educational models, and considering alternative approaches inspired by other faith-based education systems.
Identity and inclusivity
One of the most significant challenges facing Adventist higher education is maintaining a distinct Adventist identity while adapting to changing societal norms and student expectations. The chart below illustrates the varying percentages of Adventist students across different Adventist institutions in 2023. Notably, some schools such as AdventHealth University and Kettering College have less than 20% of their student body identifying as Adventist. Institutions with a predominantly non-Adventist student body face a unique challenge in preserving their Adventist identity, markedly different from schools such as Andrews and Southern, where over 85% of students identify as Adventists.
Graph based on North American Division Department of Education data
At Andrews, where a whopping 89% of students are Adventist, Chief Marketing Officer Tony Yang emphasized the institution’s commitment to its mission: “As a distinctive and premier university for the Seventh-day Adventist church, our focus is to remain faithful to our mission. That naturally draws students, faculty, and staff who desire to be a part of, and support, that mission.” However, Yang also noted the importance of inclusivity and outreach: “We also remain committed to the Great Commission by sharing the love of Jesus with anyone willing to receive it.” He cited a unique partnership with the Pokagon Band of Potawatomi Indians as an example of how Andrews is extending its mission while engaging with broader communities.
This balance between maintaining a strong Adventist identity and being inclusive is a delicate one. Andrea Luxton, associate director for higher education at the North American Division, recognized the challenges in this area, saying that “some campuses are labeled more ‘woke’ than others, while in reality, the student life issues and the commitment to Adventist values across campuses are pretty consistent. To think otherwise sets up a false sense of alarm and downplays the huge strengths of Adventist education.”
Luxton recognizes that different campuses and parents hold varying views on how conservative or progressive the approach should be. However, she emphasizes the importance of providing a balanced educational environment. “I think there needs to be a level of space for students to engage with realities within a safe environment of Adventist faith,” she explains.
Steve Currow, president of Newbold College in Berkshire, England, where over 99% of students are Adventist, emphasized the importance of both ethos and quality in creating a nurturing Adventist environment for students. “I think we’ve got to make sure we are focusing on both ethos and quality,” he noted. He cautioned against pursuing student markets beyond Adventists at the expense of losing stakeholder connection. “I think there are times when some Adventists, including educators, think we could be a viable entity if we could chase the markets beyond Adventists…. I’m happy to have people beyond Adventists but if it’s at the expense of losing my stakeholder connection I really have no place in the market because I am still a faith-based institution,” Currow said. “There are times when that faith-based institution will be a discriminator: people will not choose to come here because we are a faith-based institution, and if I am trying to attract them just for the sake of numbers and survival, it’s short-term gain for long-term pain.”
When I asked about a potential mismatch between what members and churches want and what Adventist colleges are delivering, Currow responded, “I am sure that is part of the exercise—and yet I’m equally sure that what we’ve got to continue to do is make sure that higher education is not only delivering solid Adventism, it is actually enabling changing discussion about how Adventism continues to connect with the ongoing community.”
Over the last decade, Newbold’s enrollment numbers have dipped by about 5% for its main (and currently its only) focus of theological studies. However, the scale of enrollment is completely different from the North American context, with 79.96 full-time equivalent students currently enrolled. Newbold’s other programs—the department of business and humanities and its English as a Second Language track—were eliminated from the school’s offerings during the pandemic. The explanation for their elimination was that the programs had been heavily subsidized and were “bringing relatively little income into the college.”
Other challenges to cultivating a strong Adventist identity come from on high: “Some of the strong conservative stands being taken by the General Conference, for instance, inhibit us doing the best job we can do,” former La Sierra University president Larry Geraty said. “Still, we are determined to do the best job we can in preparing our students for both the wider job market as well as church employment.”
Critical steps for survival
When asked about the most critical steps Adventist colleges need to take to ensure their survival and relevance in the current higher education landscape, Yang emphasized the importance of understanding and adapting to changing demographics and values. “We need to better understand our customers—our current generation of prospective students, Gen Z, but also Gen Alpha, who are not far away from thinking about college,” Yang explained. “Parents are changing, too. Some Millennials are now parents of college students. What do these different groups value, particularly when it comes to Adventist higher education? Then we need to respond to their needs without compromising our mission.”
Currow repeatedly stressed the importance of understanding and responding to stakeholders. “In terms of ministry, we are really a service provider, not a business,” he explained. “We are in partnership with the Church to support them in their requirements for appropriate and adequate employees.” He identified both “decision shapers and decision makers” as important stakeholders. “The more we can engage with the decision shapers the better,” Currow said, citing pastors and family members as examples of decision shapers that help potential students navigate higher education decisions.
Newbold’s One Year in Mission program has been a particularly effective tool for engaging with a wide range of constituents. The program combines a semester of on-campus study with a multi-month mission project, allowing students to gain academic knowledge and practical skills to serve the denomination. “If we are offering something like the One Year in Mission we can talk to everyone across the constituency,” Currow said, adding that this enabled Newbold to be “involved in the bigger picture of what the church is interested in.”
The One Year in Mission program has also been successful in attracting students back to Newbold for further study.
Innovative revenue & other models
Adventist institutions are exploring innovative ways to generate revenue beyond traditional tuition models. One such approach is the adoption of microcredentials, as implemented by Newbold College.
“Newbold has transferred all their programs into microcredentials, which can be individual units or stacked,” Currow explained. This modular approach offers greater flexibility and has the potential to attract a wider range of students, including church members seeking certifications in specific topics rather than full degree programs.
Currow raises a fundamental question about the future of higher education: “Whether the traditional degree will remain the basic building block of employment.” While he believes degrees will maintain their relevance, he suggests they may be complemented by other structures, such as apprenticeships.
In response to changing student interests, Newbold has diversified its offerings:
- Graduate diplomas without ministry components
- Certificates and diplomas tailored to church members rather than ministry professionals
These options cater to students interested in theological studies but not necessarily pursuing pastoral careers.
Currow acknowledges a growing trend in higher education, particularly in systems with free tuition: “Do I need to get all of that to get employment?” This question reflects a broader skepticism towards traditional higher education models.
Currow advocates a balanced approach for Adventist higher education moving forward: “Keep your core but still hedge the future.”
Adventist student centers in secular universities
In a Zoom conversation, Adventist Today board member Jim Walters, an ethicist and professor emeritus at Loma Linda University, proposed an innovative solution drawing inspiration from the Latter-day Saint (LDS) community.
Walters advocated for establishing Adventist centers of student support adjacent to top universities nationwide, similar to the LDS Student Association (LDSSA). These centers would provide spiritual guidance, academic assistance, and a sense of community for Adventist students attending secular institutions.
The potential benefits of this model are numerous:
- Access to top-tier education: Students could take advantage of the academic resources and prestige of renowned public and private universities while maintaining their Adventist faith and community.
- Cost-effectiveness: Utilizing existing public universities would reduce financial strain on both the Adventist educational system and individual students, as in-state tuition is often significantly lower than private college tuition.
- Spiritual support: Adventist student centers would offer faith-based activities, spiritual nurturing, and a strong sense of belonging for students navigating the challenges of secular campus life.
- Expanded reach: This approach could serve the growing number of Adventist students choosing to attend non-Adventist institutions due to financial constraints, academic programs, or location. An estimated 75%+ of Adventist students heading to college in the North American Division do not currently opt to study at Adventist colleges.
- Improved social integration: Our Adventist education system, by its very nature, encourages members toward societal separation rather than social integration. This new model would mitigate this problem by allowing Adventist students to engage with diverse perspectives and communities in secular universities while still maintaining their faith identity and support network.
While this model represents a significant departure from the traditional approach of maintaining separate Adventist colleges and universities, it offers a potential solution to the pressing challenges of affordability and enrollment. Also, Adventist student centers would not replace but would rather complement and enhance existing Adventist Public Campus Ministries (PCM).
PCM is an established program aimed at supporting Adventist students on non-Adventist campuses. Its goals include grounding students in the mission of the church, equipping them for outreach, supporting Adventist faculty and staff, and collaborating with local churches. Key PCM initiatives include AMiCUS (Adventist Ministry to College and University Students), CAMPUS (a missionary training program) and inVerse (a collegiate Bible study guide).
However, Walters’ proposed model of Adventist student centers goes further by providing a more localized, immersive, and institutionally supported approach. Rather than relying primarily on student-led efforts, these centers would offer a stable physical presence, employed staff, and a comprehensive range of services. They could work in tandem with PCM to offer an even more robust support system for Adventist students at secular schools.
While Walters’ proposal suggests a decentralized approach, others have contemplated a more consolidated model for Adventist higher education. Some have proposed consolidating Adventist schools into a single, large institution akin to Brigham Young University in the Latter-day Saint community. While Luxton acknowledged that schools are exploring deeper collaborative efforts, the reality of creating one central Adventist educational institution remains distant and fraught with complications.
Consolidation would be particularly problematic within Adventism due to the diverse spectrum of theological and cultural perspectives represented across different institutions. The stark contrast between traditionally conservative schools such as Southern Adventist University and more progressive institutions such as La Sierra University underscores the challenge of unifying under a single educational banner. These differences in ethos and approach to Adventist education reflect the broader diversity within Adventism itself, making a “one-size-fits-all” solution not only impractical but potentially detrimental to the varied needs and expectations of students, faculty, and constituent communities across the denomination.
Can we do it?
Will Adventist higher education survive the 21st century? While they are far from complete, some potential solutions are emerging from the crucible of crisis and they begin with a cultural shift toward greater collaboration. Will the traditional model of separate Adventist colleges and universities give way to new paradigms—mergers, regional hubs, or Adventist student centers at secular universities? Can institutions find the right balance between inclusivity and faithfulness to mission?
It will take creativity, resilience, and a deep commitment to core values to chart a course through the challenges ahead. But if the sector can rise to the occasion, embracing bold thinking and adaptation while staying true to its mission, a more resilient chapter may yet be written.
Björn Karlman is the Executive Director of Adventist Today.
