February 2008 Campus Ministry UpdateThe Ivy Jungle Network Campus Ministry Update February 2008
Final Month to take the Campus Ministry Survey! Give us 5 Minutes of your time to take this year's survey. Every 2 years, the Ivy Jungle conducts a survey of men and women in campus ministry. Results will help gauge the state of campus ministry today as well as provide helpful information on who is doing campus ministry. To take the survey, click here.
Trends in Student Ministry, Culture and Higher Education: Back to Class at NIU: Students at Northern Illinois University have returned to classes. The university held a memorial service to mark the return. Our prayers are with the community of Northern Illinois University in the wake of this month's campus shooting. A Vision of Students Today: A collaborative effort by Michael Wesch and 200 Kansas State students from his Anthropology course offers a video description of students today. From classroom involvement to Facebook friends, the video provides a number of statistical facts about college students today, their habits, interests and involvement. Check it out at http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dGCJ46vyR9o A Textbook on Hooking Up: Kathleen Bogle has published her book, Hooking Up as an analysis of research into the dating and sexual behaviors of college students today. Conducting in depth interviews with students at two unnamed universities – one large public school and one smaller Roman Catholic school, she describes the casual hook up as the "center for college social life." Her research shows that students overestimate the frequency of hook ups among their peers as well as "how far" those encounters go (kissing, intercourse, etc.). She is quick to point out that such behavior is not new to campus life, but technology and informality have turned it into what she calls "the dominant script for forming sexual and romantic relationships on campus." She also points out the damage of a hook up culture on women. First, women are much more likely to receive a bad reputation for hooking up. Secondly, her research shows that women do not get what they want (i.e. a relationship) from the casual sex of a hook up – but believe it is the only way to meet men. The culture is also affecting young adults after graduation. When these young adults enter more formal dating environments, many say they do not know how to go on dates and establish relationships outside of "hanging out" and "hooking up." A full interview with the author is available at www.insidehighered.com (Inside Higher Ed January 29, 2008) More Partners Equals Lower Grades: A survey by the student paper at the University of Cambridge indicates that students with more sexual partners typically report lower grades. Students who are virgins or have fewer partners demonstrated higher grades across the institutions colleges. (Inside Higher Ed January 28, 2008) Social Networking Slow Down? Tagged the next big thing on the internet, social networking sites like MySpace and Facebook have attracted millions of users and promised to be a goldmine for advertising dollars. However, recent studies of the sites show a slow down in new users and current users are spending less time on them than in previous months. According to market researcher ComScore, the amount of time spent on social networking sites has fallen 14% over the last four months. MySpace actually saw a decline in users during that time and overall growth has slowed considerably. Social networking sites have ad response rates of fewer than 4 in 10,000 viewers who will click on an ad – among the lowest rates on the internet where the average is 20 in 10,000. Facebook and MySpace are both trying to boost ad hits by offering more targeted ads based on user's profile. Initiatives that segment users into more than 300 categories improved ad rates by more than 300%, MySpace has reported. Some users have complained about an application on Facebook called Beacon that tells Facebook friends when their peers make purchases online. (Business Week February 7, 2008) Cross-Cultural Ambitions: A survey of teenagers and young adults shows that more than half of all 13-21 year olds hope to some day travel the world (66%) and speak another language (59%). More than 40% hope to see a rainforest (42%) and live in another country (42%). These ambitions outweigh such exciting things as running marathons (19%); climbing a mountain (29%) bungee jumping (30%) or being in the Guinness Book of World Records (20%). (Harris Interactive Trends and Tudes vol. 7 issue 1 Feb. 2008) Civic Engagement to Boost Retention: Over the past few years, schools have seen an increase in student civic engagement. From the environment to racial reconciliation, students want to get involved. By comparing first year involvement with freshman retention rates, some schools have seen enough correlation to warrant intentional programs to help students get involved during their first year. From general appeals to major focused opportunities, by encouraging students to shape their involvement they hope to see both personal growth and a greater connection to the school in those first two semesters. (Inside Higher Ed January 28, 2008) Parental Involvement Wanted: Helicopter parents may be dreaded by residence life staff, but most college students think parents have had "the right amount" of involvement in their lives. This year's incoming freshman survey by the Higher Education Research Institute at UCLA shows more than 70% of freshmen believe their parents had the "right amount" of involvement in deciding to go to college, applying to colleges, choosing the school, dealing with officials at the school, choosing courses and choosing activities. The study also showed some differences among racial and ethnic groups. White students were the least likely to want more parental involvement, while Latino students were most likely to want more. (Inside Higher Ed January 24, 2008) How Students Manage Time: The popular perception of students glued to their Facebook and MySpace pages has not come without some merit. However, the UCLA Higher Education Research Institute shows that incoming freshmen ranked time spent on social networks below homework and studying. Most students say they spent 1-5 hours a week on homework, but nearly a third spent less than an hour a week on social networking. Among the top activities taking up student time were jobs, sports and exercise, homework, TV, student clubs, and social networking. Of course socializing with friends was the most common activity for these teenagers. (Inside Higher Ed January 24, 2008) First Year Overseas Programs: While most students are trying to adjust to college life and the perils of washing darks and lights, a growing number of first year collegians are deciding to take advantage of overseas programs offered to them. By offering study abroad programs to older first year students, some schools find this an advantage in recruiting. However, they have also found some challenges as most study-abroad programs offer less structure and supervision than on-campus programs. (Wall Street Journal January 22, 2008 D1) Engaging Sophomores: A number of schools are looking to require two years of on campus housing as an effort to keep sophomores more engaged with university life. At schools where large numbers of students move off campus in their second year, they find those who do typically perform worse in the classroom and are less involved in extra-curricular activities than those who remain the dorms. The trend has caused a number of schools to implement programs targeting the "lost year" by keeping sophomores engaged in ways more like freshmen. (Inside Higher Ed January 31, 2008) Schools Receive More Money: Last year US colleges and universities received nearly $30 billion, with the wealthiest universities reaping the greatest benefits. The top 2% of schools receive more than 25% of all money. Stanford led the way with over $832 million last year. The last five years have seen steady increases as more than 75 schools now have endowments of at least $1 billion. Analysts expect giving to go down next year due to economic slowdown. (AP February 20, 2008) Dress Code on Campus: Most schools are long past the days of allowing jeans in the lecture hall, but at the University of West Alabama, the dress code is making a come back. Concerned over the state of student dress, university President Richard Holland has mandated "neat and modest casual or dressy attire" and outlawed a number of items including sagging and low rise pants. The administration hopes that the move will help develop a more professional outlook on campus. (Inside Higher Ed January 29, 2008) New Name for UNC Group: The Campus Crusade group at University of North Carolina Chapel Hill has changed its name in an effort to break down barriers on campus. When founded in the 1950's "crusade" was a term that indicated forward momentum (i.e. Martin Luther King crusading for human rights). Now the term more readily conjures a dark time in Christian history. The UNC group has renamed itself Cornerstone as a humble apology "for all who have defamed the name of Jesus and perhaps remove barriers to others considering his message of life." (Daily Tar Heel, Feb. 18 2008) Mormonism Making It to Religion Departments: Perhaps it is the Romney factory, but Mormonism is becoming more interesting to religion departments. Harvard Divinity School has long boasted a diversified curriculum, but will offer its first course devoted to the Mormon faith this year. Claremont University and Utah State College have each established endowed chairs in Mormon studies. The American Academy of Religion has also established a new group for specialists in Mormon studies. (Boston Globe February 19, 2008) Cyber Gossip Generates Backlash: The website, Juicy Campus.com has generated outrage as it hosts "anonymous" gossip on everything from the hottest couple on a given campus to a number of salacious comments on the reputations of men and women on campus. However with many posts containing names, the website has come under fire for bringing playground bullying to cyberspace. The site promises it will not reveal IP addresses and offers help on masking them. Call someone a name after last night's party and they will protect the poster – but threaten violence and they promise to turn you over to the police (cnn.com February 19, 2008) Tech Use Lags Behind Asian Peers: US teenagers and young adults may be tech savvy when compared with old Americans, but they lag behind their peers in Shanghai and Hong Kong. Only 59% of US 13-21 year olds say they spent time daily instant messaging, compared with greater than 90% of those in Hong Kong and Shanghai. They also lagged behind in text messaging (88% in Shanghai; 66% in Hong Kong; only 51% in US); posting to social networking websites (more than 70% in the Chinese cities compared with only 61% in the US); and playing multi-player online games (MMO's). US students were more likely however to want to be a millionaire, be a famous athlete, win a Nobel prize or cure a disease. (Harris Interactive Trends and Tudes vol. 7 issue 1 Feb. 2008) Measuring Green: The Association for the Advancement of Sustainability in Education has launched a rating system to track the green efforts of more than 90 US colleges. From facilities to curriculum, the system will provide a metric for assessing and comparing the "green" initiatives of the schools. In a pilot phase now, the system will make scores public in 2009. (Inside Higher Ed February 5, 2008) Making College Affordable: Yale made the latest big splash free tuition for families who make less than $200,000. As Ivy League schools have followed Harvard's lead in making their price tags more affordable, hundreds of other private schools are feeling the crunch. Without multi-billion dollar endowments, they do not have the ability to make the same tuition promises to middle-class families. While Harvard and Yale have made headlines, the real number of students helped is very small. The schools, which regularly receive tens of thousands of applications, have not increased class sizes in years and only a small fraction of incoming students will qualify for the free tuition programs. Other private schools are making modest adjustments to help the middle class. With the economy slowing down, even state schools, which educate 65% of all students fear that state governments may cut budgets and force even greater tuition hikes. (USA Today February 5, 2008) Dorm Room Energy Use: Yale has made bold steps in its student housing as part of a broad initiative reduce greenhouse gas emissions. New windows and high efficiency heating and cooling systems have been installed. In addition, students have made strides with new light bulbs, unplugging appliances, and energy efficient computer screens. However, one move – low flow shower heads met with student resistance. Stanford has proposed a new green dorm that would monitor energy use by room, allowing for students to monitor and adjust energy consumption based on the findings. Students seem eager to embrace changes that are technologically driven and that don't infringe too much on their ongoing lifestyles. (Inside Higher Ed January 25, 2008) Endowed Bathroom: A venture capitalist has given $25,000 to the University of Colorado to endow a bathroom. The lavatory in the business school will have a sign outside it featuring the inspiring quote: "The best ideas often come at inconvenient times. Don't ever close your mind to them." (Inside Higher Ed January 29, 2008) *** Events, Resources and Jobs *** Paradise 08: The vision is for thousands of Christian young people to gather in an open field near Kansas City on Sunday, May 25, to pray, worship and seek God's face for revival in the Church and spiritual awakening in the nation. This Generation of Students For more information on Paradise, please go to the following websites: www.paradise08.com www.paradisethoughts.com
Converge: Make plans to attend a 2 day conference by Alpha USA designed to energize your soul and equip you to transform your community. Speakers include: Donald Miller, Tim Hughes, Dan Kimball and Nicky Gumbel. Chicago Conference June 23-24, 2008 or Seattle Conference November 7-8, 2008. www.alphausa.org/converge for more informaiton. National Conference on Faith-Based Service-Learning: The Fifth Biennial National Conference on Faith-Based Service-Learning "Building On Our Strengths" will be hosted at Messiah College on May 30-June 1st, 2008. Conference participants are invited to submit proposals for papers, workshops, roundtables or presentations. These may be conceptual, empirical or descriptions of innovative programs. Roundtable proposal submissions for breakout sessions that actively include participants are encouraged. Breakout session proposals should be sent via the online web form on the conference website no later than February 18, 2008.
You can now submit your paper proposals online at: http://www.messiah.edu/external_programs/agape/national_conference/index.html
*** Resources: ***
Take the 2008 Ivy Jungle Campus Ministry Survey: Help us learn more about the current state of campus ministry and campus ministers. 5 minutes of your time will mean better information on the health of campus ministries, statistics on things like longevity and salaries (helpful for raising support or talking to boards), and understanding challenges faced by students today. To take the survey go to http://www.surveymonkey.com/s.aspx?sm=tfHlWnwC_2fOUHWlTelFSW7A_3d_3d
Campusministry.com is a community committed to creating an interactive space for ideas, connection and collaboration in campus ministry. Our desire is to usher in a new architecture of participation in campus ministry. One in which campus staff, pastors, chaplains, college students and others, regardless of ministry affiliation, can add content, resources and connect with each other. From Bible Studies to Articles, Templates to Podcasts, campusministry.com hopes to provide high-quality resources to those in campus ministry and invites others to do the same. Facebook is the platform we use for social connection and collaboration in campus ministry. Visit the Page, Join the Group. Join the Cause. Thanks for participating and sharing the site with others. If you are interested in learning more, visit www.campusministry.com or contact Chris Cooke at info@campusministry.com The Journal of Student Ministries: Youth Leaders, Win an iPhone Plus 2 Years of Service!
Resources from ProActive Faith for your campus ministry:
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Visit our website www.proactivefaith.org to discover how these resources will impact the lives of your students and their campus. You can also call our office at (405) 607-0722. Free shipping when you enter ivy jungle in the discount code box. After you place your order you will receive a personal call from our office to confirm your order before any charges are made to your credit card.
Your Campus Can Change the World: Looking to engage your students in the Global Orphan Crisis? Want to impact the AIDS/HIV epidemic? Looking to mobilize your campus toward Social Justice? Check out Rice Bowls. Rice Bowls are small plastic piggy banks in the shape of a full bowl of rice, provided at no cost to you. When filled with change, the funds from Rice Bowls supply much needed food to a strong network of loving, Christian Orphanages. As a faith-based non-profit, Rice Bowls partners directly with these orphanages, currently in India, Haiti, and Sub-Saharan Africa, where the HIV/AIDS crisis, as well as other factors, have greatly marginalized the lives of children.
*** Jobs: ***
Campus Pastor at La Croix UMC: The Campus Pastor position is newly created to start a new campus outreach and ministry on the campus of Southeast Missouri State University (main campus enrollment: 7500). This position offers a fresh opportunity for an entrepreneurial type individual desiring to impact the Kingdom of God in the university culture. The successful candidate will be a highly relational individual committed to the gospel of Jesus Christ. This person will spend a significant amount of time on the campus building relationships with students, faculty, and the administration. This position and ministry will be resourced and supported by La Croix United Methodist Church. The college pastor is responsible for the overall visioning, leading, strategizing, and executing of a dynamic ministry to college students. Also, the college pastor will be responsible for design, implementation and overall leadership (music, vocal, speaking) of a new weekly worship a gathering on The Southeast campus. Also included are some worship responsibilities at La Croix on the weekend or at a monthly worship gathering called Elevation. Send resume to: Dan Steska, Executive Director, La Croix Church 3102 Lexington Cape Girardeau, MO 63701 Applications materials should include: Cover Letter, Resume, Sample sermon, DVD/Audio of worship leading, References. Director of University Discipleship: Bel Air Presbyterian Church is seeking a full-time Director of University Discipleship to lead a worshipping community of university and college students at BAPC and a dynamic ministry to students across the many campuses of Los Angeles. The ideal candidate will have a healthy relationship with Jesus Christ, a passion for sharing his word, a desire to make disciples for him, administrative gifs, and an infectious enthusiasm to mobilize students to make Christ known in Los Angeles and around the world. Please send resumes to: kelley.dundon@belairpres.org. Bel Air Presbyterian Church 16221 Mulholland Drive Los Angeles, CA 90049 Websites: www.belairpres.org, www.thequestbelair.org, Facebook: Bel Air Quest The Auburn Wesley Foundation (AWF) is seeking a person with a calling to and passion for campus ministry to fill the position of Associate Director. The position will report directly to the Director, but will work with the Director in a shared ministry to the students at Auburn University. This is a position in a growing ministry that will focus on relational ministry with students.
The AWF is a "student driven" ministry where the students are primarily responsible for the organization and implementation of the programs of the ministry. The Director and Associate Director provide oversight, spiritual/pastoral leadership, and administrative support for the ministry. Currently, the activities and programs are organized into one of five areas:
Applicants should send a letter of interest including: gifts for campus ministry, calling to campus work, and information about which two of the five ministry areas he/she has most interest (three pages maximum) and a resume, listing four references to: Dr. Rob Thomas / Rev. David Goolsby P.O. Box 3488 Auburn, AL 36831-3488
IJM Student Ministries Director: The International Justice Mission seeks a Director of Student Ministries to provide leadership and management for student focused educational initiatives. To view a complete job description and instructions for applications go to http://www.ijm.org/NETCOMMUNITY/page.redir?target=http%3a%2f%2f216.128.18.195%2fIJMhr%2fDir_Student_Min.pdf&srcid=243&erid=0. Director College Ministries. Christ Church Presbyterian (PCA), Atlanta, seeks a person with experience of college ministry to join our staff. Following a successful shared post with Campus Crusade, this city church now wishes to appoint its own full-time position. We seek a person of strong evangelical and reformed faith, a firm commitment to Scripture as God's Word written, and with great motivation to see college students (undergrad and postgrad) grow in their faith and outreach. Leaders from Campus Crusade, RUF and InterVarsity worship with us, and part of this work will be to encourage and help them in their campus ministries. We seek a person who is strongly committed to the local church and who will work to help students integrate into our congregation. This will involve helping the church become more welcoming of students, organising "families" and friendships within the church for students who desire them, training for and encouraging one to one (mentoring) relationships etc. The gifts of teaching, building relationships, pastoring, evangelism and hospitality will be necessary gifts for the dynamic leader we seek. The church is close to Georgia Tech, Georgia State, SCAD (art college), and draws some students from Emory, Agnes Scott, Oglethorpe etc. Over 300,000 students study for degrees in Atlanta. We believe this ministry at ChristChurch has huge potential. Applicants should be comfortable discussing their faith in depth with undergraduate and post graduate students. email christyy@ccpnet.org. Also see www.christchurchatlanta.org Applications by Feb 25th. Interviews early March. Full benefits package, salary commensurate with experience.
Minister to the University and Dean of the Chapel at Shorter College: This position answers to the President and is charged with the development, planning, management, and assessment of the Officer of Christian Development through three areas of ministry as follows:
Campus Spiritual Development: Responsibilities will be planning, developing, and implementing programs and providing opportunities that enrich the spiritual life of the students, faculty and staff. As a part of this responsibility, the Minister/Dean will work cooperatively with the BCM director to achieve spiritual development goals. Missions: As a part of the Global Citizenship emphasis of the College, the Minister/Dean will develop and provide outreach mission opportunities both foreign and domestic for students, faculty, and staff. Church and Denominational Relations: Will work in coordination with the President to build relationships with pastors, youth ministers, congregations and denominational leaders within the shorter college service area. A Ph.D. in Theology, Biblical Studies, or Ministry Studies preferred. Experience in campus ministry desirable. Membership in a Georgia Baptist convention church is required. Send cover letter, resume, transcripts and statement of religious philosophy to Human Resources, Shorter College, 315 Shorter Ave., Rome, GA 30165 or email hrjobs@shorter.edu. Shorter College is a Georgia Baptist Convention Institution. EOE
Campus Minister : Collegiate Presbyterian Church in Ames, IA. We seek a full-time minister with a heart for Jesus Christ and a passion for ministry with university students and young adults. Collegiate Presbyterian, P.C.(U.S.A.) is a progressive congregation committed to shared ministry between university students and faculty of Iowa State University and the Ames community. Our campus minister will reach out to and build relationships with students, plan programs, lead an annual spring break mission trip, participate in worship and lead Bible study, provide oversight and mentoring to our student leadership team, and initiate new young adult programs. Candidates should be a college graduate (ordained Ministers of Word and Sacrament welcomed) with a minimum of three years experience working with youth or young adults and program planning. A successful candidate will be flexible, work well with others, be comfortable with theological diversity, and have a solid grounding in the Reformed Christian tradition. To learn more about CPC please visit www.cpcames.org. Send cover letter and resume or PIF to University Minister Search Committee, Collegiate Presbyterian Church, 159 Sheldon Ave., Ames, IA., 50014. You may also e-mail your application to CPCStaffPosition@gmail.com. Alabama Rural Ministry has the following paid positions open for mature, college-age Christians who want to serve the Lord in real, hands-on ways. Construction Coordinator: works with youth teams, organizes building materials, works with families needing home repair. Day Camp Counselor: Works with volunteers who lead VBS activities with day camp children. Site Coordinator: Overall organizer of each site and manager. All work together in the evenings leading youth volunteers in discussion groups, drama, praise and worship and more! See our website at www.arm-al.org or email info@arm-al.org for more information.
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The Ivy Jungle Network
A campus ministry resource for men and women who work with college students