INTEGRATION IN THE LIFE AND MISSION OF THE CHRISTIAN COLLEGE: Binding Together its Life and Work + CALVIN B. DeWITT + Director Au Sable Institute1 Integration within and among functions, operations, and programs should be at the core of the Christian college, university, and institute. The basis for this integration is the belief that life is a whole and not merely an assemblage of parts, that the life and work of the institution is a whole and not merely an assemblage of courses and programs, that the life of the students, staff and faculty are wholes and not the uneasy co-existence of academic and family values. This belief is one rooted in the Scriptures from which we learn that all things owe their origin and sustenance to God through Whose integrity, love, and justice all things hold together in integrity. Thus, at the Christian college, university, and institute, every course should be an integrative course, every day an integrative day, every worship service and devotional an integrated service and devotional. Even meal times should be integrative, with these incorporating the meeting of nutritional and energy needs of the students, understanding of the nature of foods, education on the foods of various cultures, celebration of the gift of food, nurturing of Christian fellowship, and nurturing our Christian faith. Facilities and their maintenance, the 1 auxiliary programs for schools and community, our outreach, and conferences we host, should be similarly integrative, within and without, internally and externally, in relation to God and in relationship to Creation and society. At Au Sable Institute of Environmental Studies, we have been working on such integration for twelve years now. Many of the faculty and students of the 80 colleges and universities with which we are related have experienced what we are doing in integrative work, and many have suggested we make what we are doing more widely known. And this is the purpose of this contribution to Faculty Dialogue: to share with other Christian institutions of higher learning our experiences and practices in the hope and expectation that they will be of service. Here are the major components of our program of integration: 1. Courses and Certificate Programs-Courses and Certificate Programs are designed to provide the academic, ethical, and vocational competence necessary and desirable for inspiring and preparing students to become servant leaders in Christian environmental stewardship. 2. Teaching Style-Courses are taught more in professive style than they are in instructive style. Professors tell who she or he is, why they are motivated and excited about their area of study and why they so fully involve themselves in the topic-to such an extent that the students are inspired to choose a meaningful path of service in society and environment. The professors of the Institute strive to 2 profess with a view to getting their students to think-to think about the topic, and to think about themselves as they hope to be. 3. Course Content-Courses include the most current understanding of the field of study, employ a highly disciplined approach worthy of the discipline or disciplines involved, are rooted in the primary referred literature and in textbooks that are also so rooted, and are executed with competence. Courses include not only the subject matter, but also its relationship to the practice of environmental stewardship, to the Christian faith, to ethics, and to biblical teaching. 4. In-Class Daily Devotionals-Each professor begins each class day with substantial devotional materials, most or all of which deals with Christian stewardship. These devotionals are integrated into the course material later in the day, use appropriate biblical passages and Bible study, and include full participation and contributions by all students of the class. 5. In-Class Recreational Activities-During each of the days a class is in session, the professor organizes or provides for recreational activities when and where appropriate and according to his or her own style. 6. Cooperative Work Between Courses-Each course engages in at least one planned cooperative project, activity, or field trip with at least one other course. This may include extended weekend field trips during each of the summer 3 sessions. These extended field trips include provisions for Sunday worship. 7. Weekly Schedule-The Au Sable academic week is 8:00 a.m. Tuesday through 5:30 p.m. Saturday. All courses are restricted to this period with exceptions made for major field trips that run for several days. Monday is Preparation Day and is set aside for preparing for the work of the academic week: no assignments are due and neither tests nor exams are given on Preparation Day. This schedule allows Sunday to be a day of rest and shalom. 8. Integrative Sessions-All classes meet together in Integrative Session every fifth day of classes. In these sessions faculty and students learn and work together on topics and problems that require integration across the disciplines, the integration of biblical faith and learning, and application to practical work and vocational leadership. Integrative Sessions are focused upon an overarching stewardship theme or current environmental problem or issue, such as tropical deforestation, roles of forests in the carbon cycle, global warming and the greenhouse effect, ecological sustainability, biospheric fruitfulness, and stewardship as vocation. The Integrative Sessions are dedicated to integration of the various courses and integration of these with Christian faith and stewardship. They include devotionals, interdisciplinary seminars, forums, stewardship workshops, vocational testimonies, amplified telephone interviews, and field trips. These are 4 full-day sessions, except when one falls just before final examinations in which case the session is limited to a half day. Lunch time of the day following is used for final reporting for those Integrative Sessions where data analysis so requires. 9. Au Sable Evenings-Students engage in fun, study and recreation after classes. Late evening is a time when many of the students often gather by the hearth in the lodge for discussions over popcorn and hot chocolate. The lodge is provisioned by the kitchen staff in support of these activities. Other students do their work and study in quieter places such as Study Hall, Earth Hall and Dining Hall. 10. Sunday Morning Worship and Fellowship-The Institute provides opportunities for Sunday morning worship and fellowship with various churches in the area, and arranges or provides necessary transportation. 11. Sunday Evening Vespers Service-All students and each professor attends each of the Sunday Vespers Services (usually with their family) and participates, usually with one other faculty member, in leading one of these services. Normally, faculty select a student committee and work with the committee to organize the service, including order of worship, student and faculty participation and singing. The committee is responsible for setting up and taking down chairs for the service, and for distribution and collection of song sheets and song books. 5 12. Faculty-Student Relations-Faculty often work with and assist students outside of class and join the students for many meals, recreation, and Sunday evening vesper services. Together in the field they explore and share the order and wonder of the natural world, as fellow believers excited and awed at a world which proclaims the glory of God. And when from time to time they observe the Creation abused, faculty and students find themselves seeking ways as God's stewards to redeem a degraded environment. 13. Meals with Students and Faculty-Professors take at least one meal per day on the average in the dining hall for the purpose of discussion with students. Care is taken not to have more than one or two professors at any one table, and to have them be with different students at different meals. 14. The Au Sable Community-Life at Au Sable is nurtured as a supportive Christian community. Students, staff, faculty, and families share in learning, recreation, and worship. Each course is itself an integrated whole of learning, devotions, and recreation. The courses, taken together with individual devotions, study, and community activities, form the integrated whole that is Au Sable. 15. Mutual Respect and Care-The Au Sable Community expects none of its students to make their Christian liberty a cause for stumbling for others (in accord with 1 Cor. 8:9), but it also expects none of its students to despise or pass unfair judgment on fellow students (in accord with Rom. 6 14:3,4). The Community expects that all students, staff, and faculty will pursue behavior which at all times contributes positively toward the mutual upbuilding of the Christian community (in accord with Rom. 14:19 and 15:2). 16. Re-Creation-Recreational opportunities provided as "re-creation"-as restorative, rejuvenating experiences in which personal faith, awe and wonder for Creation, human relationships, and study can be put into context. These opportunities for re-creation include wildland exploration, wildlife observation, canoeing, sailing, swimming and snorkeling, tennis, volleyball, basketball, softball, hiking, cross-country skiing, snowshoeing and nature study. We at Au Sable invite a dialogue among us on specific things we as Christian institutions are doing that will inspire us to do better and develop more intentional approaches to integration. We all believe that integration within and among functions, operations, and programs should be at the core of the Christian college, university, and institute. And we all believe that the basis for such integration is the belief that our life and mission is a whole, inspired by the wholeness and holiness of our Lord in Whom all things owe their origin, sustenance, and integrity. How are we putting this belief into practice? Endnote 1The author is also Professor of Environmental Studies at the University of Wisconsin-Madison. His address is 2508 Lalor Road, Oregon, Wisconsin 53575. 7