2023-2024 Graduate Catalog 
    
    May 05, 2024  
2023-2024 Graduate Catalog

Student Life


Click on a link to be taken to the entry below.


Students

With students from more than 25 countries, 30+ denominations represented, and a student age range from the early twenties to the mid-seventies, the Cairn graduate student body is diverse. The approximately 65% female/35% male student population, coming from across the nation and the world, showcases a wide variety or professional careers. The majority of students remain employed while studying and typically work in an occupation related to their graduate program. The undergraduate backgrounds of Cairn graduate students are also diverse and represent a wide range of colleges and universities.

Community Life Covenant

Cairn is an academic community of Christian students, faculty, and staff. As such, and in keeping with the mission and vision of the University, members of the Cairn community are to exhibit biblical wisdom and Christian maturity regarding their personal conduct and behavior toward others. They should be sensitive regarding the testimony of their personal lives in representing the Lord Jesus Christ, His Church, and the University. Members of the University community should live according to 1 Corinthians 10:31: “Whatever you do, do all to the glory of God.”

Christian community involves covenantal responsibility and mutual obligation to one another as members of one body living together before a righteous and holy God. Therefore, members of the University community are to be guided by biblical admonitions to demonstrate Christian love and concern for others, honesty, fairness, justice, kindness, forgiveness, mutual edification, self-control, deference, respect, and social responsibility toward one another and all people.

Because Christian community exists in social and cultural context, members must be careful to demonstrate civility and respect for those with whom they disagree, while exercising wisdom in evaluating the ideas and activities of others. Christians living in harmony share a deep concern for the Body of Christ, defer to one another, reason together, and express genuine Christian love, as outlined in Romans 14.

Additional specific standards of conduct for students, faculty, staff, administration, and trustees, as well as other institutional and governmental policies, can be found in the respective handbooks for each group.

GRADUATE STUDENT STANDARDS OF CONDUCT

The following standards apply to all University students while enrolled in the graduate programs at Cairn. These standards are established on the bases of state and federal laws, biblical teaching, and University policy and tradition. Students registered in dual-level degree programs are classified as traditional undergraduate students regarding standards of conduct. The administration is responsible to, and reserves the right to, exercise judgment in interpreting and enforcing these standards and all matters related to them based upon the totality of the circumstances.
1. University students are subject to the responsibility of academic integrity which demands honesty and giving credit to the proper sources.
2. Hazing is classified as a crime by the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania; the University will not allow this type of activity. Hazing is defined as any type of initiation process which includes actions that may potentially cause bodily harm, physical exhaustion, personal embarrassment, loss of dignity, emotional trauma, or mental duress.
3. Harassment or discrimination against others on the basis of race, national origin, age, sex, or handicap is not tolerated. Intimidation and violence through words or action are prohibited. This includes but is not limited to threats, verbal attacks, vandalism, stalking, domestic violence, cyber bullying, and other acts of hatred and physical attack.
4. Students are to be highly selective in their choices of entertainment. Biblical standards and discernment should serve as guidelines in making personal decisions. Pornographic materials, including electronic media and sexually explicit internet sites and chat rooms, are not to be viewed, possessed, distributed, or transmitted on or away from campus.
5. Cairn affirms the biblical teachings that a sexual relationship is intended only within a heterosexual marriage of husband and wife. Students are to abstain from any type of sexual activity or immoral relationship outside of the marriage of a man and a woman.
6. Tobacco, electronic cigarettes (ecigarettes) or recreational vaporizers, alcohol, illegal drugs, including illegally obtained prescription drugs, and gambling are prohibited on the Cairn campus. All state and federal laws concerning these are to be strictly observed.

Student Services

Counseling Services

Cairn University’s Oasis Counseling Center provides biblical counseling to promote spiritual, psychological, emotional, behavioral, and relational health. Oasis is a safe place where students and members of the surrounding community can seek assistance in the challenging circumstances of life. Students who are interested in obtaining personal counseling or participating in a support group can find more information about these services on the Oasis website.

Pathway Center

Career counseling is available to graduate students through the Pathway Center. The Pathway Center provides care for all students through career development and leadership exploration to ensure each student’s readiness for life after post-secondary education. The Pathway Center utilizes in-person and virtual means to advise students to find their purpose, build networking connections, prepare for jobs and internships, and fulfill their calling as Christ-centered men and women of character.

All students are given access to Cairn Connect, the University’s own networking platform. Through this, students can connect with alumni and other friends of Cairn to find internships, land a job after graduation, and build a network of Cairn relationships within their industry.

Health Center

Graduate students taking classes on the Langhorne, PA campus are required to submit a completed health form for admission into the graduate programs. During the academic semester, the privileges of student health services are available to students who have submitted a completed health form. The University nurse may be contacted during posted office hours for ordinary needs at 215.702.4334. For more information, please visit the Cairn Health Center website.

Campus Events

Many activities on campus are open to graduate students and their families. These include, but are not limited to, concerts by the Cairn Symphony Orchestra, student music ensembles, and popular contemporary Christian artists; student performances; lecture series; a weekly women’s Bible study; Homecoming; and sporting events. More information about on campus events and activities is available on the University Event Calendar or through the Office of Student Life (studentlife@cairn.edu).

Alumni Services

Cairn graduates and alumni have distinguished themselves in their respective fields of study and in their local churches for over 100 years. The Office of Alumni Engagement considers it an honor to proudly represent alumni who continue to impact the world for Christ.

The Office of Alumni Engagement exists to nurture community among the University’s alumni family by providing channels for communication, networking, fellowship, and growth. The Office of Alumni Engagement works to maintain mutually beneficial relationships with all alumni of the institution through various events, gatherings, social networking opportunities, communiques, and Cairn magazine.

The primary alumni event each year is Homecoming. Each fall, Cairn invites alumni back to campus to reconnect with their former classmates, faculty members, and friends. Additionally, this event allows alumni an opportunity to see firsthand how the University continues to grow and expand its scope. Alumni are invited to interact with current students, participate in professional development/networking workshops, watch sporting events, attend musical performances, and participate in other planned events. The weekend is packed with activities for alumni, their families, and guests of all ages.

Current information regarding activities, regional alumni gatherings, news of interest, and other alumni-related information is available on the Alumni section of the Cairn website (www.cairn.edu/alumni), through Cairn magazine, through monthly email updates from the Director of Alumni Engagement, and via periodic mailings to alumni. Alumni are encouraged to connect with each other through the Cairn Alumni Association Facebook page (www.facebook.com/CairnAlumni), the Cairn University Alumni LinkedIn page (LinkedIn), and the online edition of Cairn magazine (magazine.cairn.edu).

A complete list of alumni benefits can be found online (www.cairn.edu/alumni).