First Year Programs

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Professor

Edgar B. Hardesty, PhD

Associate Professor

G. Thompson Allen, ThM
Mark A. Jalovick, ThM
Brian P. Luther, PhD

Assistant Professor

David J. Crosscombe, DMin, Director, Urban Ministry
Stephen J. Hauser, MS, Director, Outdoor Action

Part-time Faculty

Charlotte L. Gleason, MLS

Adjunct Faculty

Michael E. Breece, EdD
Gabriel Wang-Herrera, MDiv

The Programs

The First Year Programs offer students a distinctive experience for their first year in college. Students can begin their college experience engaging in and exploring a particular area of interest, while studying the whole Bible. These programs provide students with a solid foundation upon which they can build their University education.

The First Year Programs exist to guide first-year students in the development of God-centered wisdom and knowledge through both formal and informal instruction. The objectives of the programs are:

1. To teach a Bible-centered curriculum that will produce in the student a foundational knowledge of Scripture and a biblical worldview.
2. To provide an environment and experiences that afford students maximum opportunities for personal discipleship and character development.
3. To offer a curriculum and experiences that will help develop in students a sense of wonder, curiosity, and delight in the created order and enable them to think critically and with discernment.
4. To provide programs that will enable students to enjoy and expand their personal interests, knowledge, and skills.
5. To guide students in foundational principles for future life direction.

Outdoor Action

The Outdoor Action program focuses on student leadership development and a biblically informed perspective of the role of the outdoors in human well-being. Courses help students think critically about the idea of environmental stewardship, ethics, leisure and play; explore the use of the outdoors in education, business, and recreational pursuits; learn concepts of outdoor leadership; offer students opportunities to apply knowledge and develop skills in outdoor experiences; and gain accreditation in Leave No Trace techniques and Wilderness First Aid.

Urban Ministry

The Urban Ministry program focuses on a biblically informed perspective on the complexities of the new urban environments. Courses help students think biblically and theologically about urban ministry and the systems of the city, understand the various cultural communities within a given city, experience numerous ministries, and learn from the leaders involved in transformation of urban communities.
 

Related Program Information

The First Year Programs offer students a cohort-based educational experience. A cohort in each program is limited in number to provide greater opportunities for personal interaction with faculty mentors and the development of close relationships with other students. The First Year Programs offer specific courses that place an emphasis on the experiential. Trips, excursions, and field experiences are a major emphasis in program courses.

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