LEARNING
Faith Integration
Faith and Learning Institute Growing Christian Community by Jan Joslin / Photos by Richard Esposito
F “I am most passionate about my students being able to read the New Testament in its original language, Koine Greek. Every student at CSU can take Greek to meet their foreign language requirement, and we offer ongoing opportunities for tutoring, advanced study, and summer practice to all our Greek students. It is a real joy to watch the Scriptures come alive to my students as they begin to become proficient in reading and translating God’s Word.”
aith is the foundation upon which Charleston Southern University was built. Integrating faith in learning, leading, and serving is part of the university’s vision. In day-to-day life it can be hard to define. In an effort to strengthen faith integration, President Dr. Dondi Costin combined the faculty Faith Integration Committee and the Center for Excellence in Teaching to form the Faith and Learning Institute, a branch of the Whitfield Center for Christian Leadership. The Faith and Learning Institute kicked off in January 2020 and is led by 20 faculty members representing 14 different colleges and departments. Dr. Jacquelynn Pleis, from the College of Education, and Dr. Jonathan Denton, from the College of Christian Studies, are chairing the group this year.
The new format has energized the faculty, and attendance and participation is up in all of the activities they lead. The Faith and Learning Institute oversees the fall faculty kickoff training, book studies, new faculty orientation meetings, and faculty resources such as a Blackboard community, the Cover the Campus prayer initiative, and What Works for Me training sessions that also include time for networking. Dr. Michael Bryant, vice president for strategic planning, faith integration, and Christian leadership, manages the faculty resources in Blackboard including researching definitions and descriptions of faith integration for faculty members. “There are so many different people involved,” said Pleis. “That’s part of what’s making this so magical.”
Dr. Jacquelynn Pleis
Dr. Jonathan Denton
— Dr. Ed Gravely Professor of Christian Studies
4 CSU magazine
Fall 2021, vol.31 no.3
