GENEVA FALL 2003 MAGAZINE Geneva’s Philadelphia ‘Secret’ Center for Urban Theological Studies Celebrates 25 Years DEGREE COMPLETION PROGRAM STRONG AND GROWING GENEVA MAGAZINE FROM THE PRESIDENT Wholehearted. Your life. Make it new. You may have noticed these slo- gans—or “taglines”—featured in our advertisements and publications. Geneva College recently launched a campaign that, we believe, will com- municate Geneva’s values succinctly and unmistakably. We expect the campaign, which also includes a new logo and a fresh look for this magazine, to unify our traditional undergraduate, adult education, and graduate programs. While the look itself is new, it is based on Geneva’s timeless tradi- tions. At the heart of Geneva’s com- mitment to be a Christian college is the notion of restoring to wholeness a world broken by sin. God’s cre- For fifteen years the Degree Completion Program at Geneva has ative and redemptive claim is helped non-traditional students finish their college educations. whole; everything belongs to Him, See page 12 for the full story. and thus His people must conse- crate everything to Him. For Geneva, restoring wholeness Fifteen years ago we made a twenty-fifth anniversary of our means striving to develop in both historic commitment, becoming partnership with the Center for faculty and students a Christian one of the first institutions of Urban Theological Studies in mindset and a deep understanding higher education in western Philadelphia, which brings high- of vocation. This is certainly what Pennsylvania to start a program er education to minority church the apostle Paul meant when he for adult students looking to fin- leaders. wrote, “If anyone is in Christ, he is ish their college educations. This a new creation; the old has gone, Geneva Magazine celebrates the I believe you will see that our the new has come” (2 Cor. 5:17). Degree Completion Program and new theme connects with describes how it has helped Geneva’s historic mission and At Geneva providing such an educa- hundreds of people renew their programs. Please continue to tion has always meant creating lives and vocations. pray for us as we seek to faith- opportunities for non-traditional fully educate traditional and students. Many of our alumni com- Geneva is also privileged to be non-traditional students for pleted their educations through involved in a partnership that God’s work of making all Geneva’s evening school programs brings educational opportunity things new. or our extension programs, which to the minority communities in date back to the early 1900s. Philadelphia and Pittsburgh. In this issue you can read about the CONTENTS GENEVA Volume 84, Issue 1 1 Geneva News MAGAZINE The mission of Geneva College is 6 Sports to glorify God by educating and 8 People ministering to a diverse community of students for the Features: purpose of developing 11 Geneva’s servant-leaders, Philadelphia ‘Secret’ transforming society 12 Degree Completion for the kingdom of Program: 15 Years and Christ. Still Growing We accomplish this through biblically 17 Alumni Connection based programs and services marked by excellence and contributing writers anchored by the Lisa Chiappelli ’02 Josh Earl ’03 historic, evangelical, Ashley (Adams ’03) Ewer and Reformed W. Lee Troup Christian faith. Van Zanic ’93 The curriculum is On the cover: 1987 CUTS graduate Charmaine Anderson, instructor for the program editorial review board rooted in the liberal Dr. John H. White ’58 arts and sciences, The Center for Urban Theological Studies celebrated Dr. Norman Carson ’47 vocationally focused its twenty-fifth anniversary this year. See page 11 for the complete story. Josh Earl ’03 and delivered Virginia (Montini ’68) Caldwell through traditional Jane Klein and specialized Samuel D. Siple ’85 programs. Jeffrey Schindel ’95 GENEVA MAGAZINE Clarke Hall RESIDENTS RETURN TO REVAMPED ROOMS Just two days after spring also constructed a ramp along graduation ceremonies the front of the building, mak- wrapped up, renovations to ing the ground and first floors Clarke Hall commenced. handicap-accessible. Workers tore out built-in desks and removed window framing Despite the upgrades the orig- and glass, opening the inal floor plan stayed the women’s residence hall to the same. Clarke will continue to air. Beds, mattresses, bookcas- house 120 women. es, and chairs were hauled out and stowed in trailers along Performa, a Wisconsin-based College Avenue while the ren- consulting firm that helps ovations progressed. develop small college campuses, proposed the reno- When the work was done, vations as part of the college’s Clarke resembled Pearce Hall, master plan. Performa visited the men’s dorm renovated campus last fall and spoke in 1999. with students to gather their input before making recom- STUDENTS REGISTER ONLINE Work finished up in August in mendations to the college. In April the college launched its new Internet time for the start of the school registration system, trading long lines for elec- year. Clarke residents returned Clarke Hall was erected in tronic wires and crowds for quiet. to carpeted hallways, new 1961 on the site of the former desks similar to those used in McDonald House. It was origi- Under the old registration system, students stood in line to sign up for classes at the regis- other dorms, and new win- nally named for Robert Clarke, trar’s office. Increasing competition for hard-to- dows set in stucco frames. The a former college vice presi- get classes had students crowding Old Main's bathrooms were rebuilt, as dent. When the building was narrow hallways as early as five a.m. was the lounge. rededicated at Homecoming The new software package, called Campus this October, it was named for Web, allows students to sign up for classes Jendoco Construction both Robert Clarke and his anywhere they can access the Internet and at Corporation, which also han- son, Edwin C. Clarke, Geneva’s almost any time of the day or night. Students dled the renovations to the fifthteenth president. can also drop courses, view grades, and check Science & Engineering their student account balances. Building, replaced the heating To help advisers stay in touch with their and plumbing systems and advisees, student accounts have a “flag” or fixed the leaking steam line in “hold” that prevents registration until the stu- front of the building. Jendoco dent visits an adviser, who may then remove the flag. After the first round of registration, students said they liked the system and found it easy to use. Computer center employees kept the com- puter labs open late during peak registration times, so even students who didn’t own com- puters could easily register. 1 reading, writing, and critical thinking skills, the Humanities for the humanities team cut the number of lectures in half and doubled the number of small group discussions. Next Generation The reading assignments also changed. In the old courses, students encountered short selections of The humanities sequence that introduced thousands of famous works. But reading snippets didn’t seem to Geneva College students to Western civilization saw some be doing the job—it wasn’t helping students devel- changes this fall. While the program retains its focus on op critical thinking skills, Dr. Szabo says. teaching a Christian worldview, it places more emphasis on critical thinking and draws on more diverse perspectives “It’s like studying Michelangelo’s David and only than in the past. looking at the nose. What can you learn from that?” she says. Although the former four-part humanities sequence was cut- ting-edge when it was introduced in 1968, it had undergone Instead, students read several longer works, such as only minor changes since then. The consensus among the Jane Austin’s Pride and Prejudice or Shakespeare’s humanities faculty was that its era had passed. Hamlet, in their entirety. Professors give out more writing assignments that require students to inter- “A lot has happened since 1968,” says Dr. Howard Mattsson- act with the readings. Bozé, “about thirty-five years’ worth.” Dr. Mattsson-Bozé, a professor of history, helped develop the original sequence and is part of the team that updated the courses. “It’s like studying Michelangelo’s David and only looking at the nose. One of the most significant historical developments was the collapse of communism. The fall of the Berlin Wall changed What can you learn from that?” the way students looked at themselves and the world, says Dr. Eric Miller, assistant professor of history and director of the Dr. Szabo says the program also needed to explore humanities program. Post–cold war students don’t have the cultures beyond its past narrow scope. “There are strong sense of Western identity that previous generations did. more voices, even in the West, than we’d looked at,” she says, including those of women and minorities. The intellectual landscape has also changed in the past thirty- Incorporating these voices could mean reading their five years. Existentialism, a driving cultural force in the 1960s, writings or examining works in the traditional literary today is passé. Postmodernism has taken its place, says Dr. “canon” with an eye for issues of race and gender. Linda Szabo, assistant professor of English and humanities. Additionally, students are required to select one of Religion plays a bigger role in the world today than it did in a group of classes titled Beyond the West, which the 1960s, according to Dr. Mattsson-Bozé. From Iowa to focus on non-Western history or minority tradition Iran, people are rejecting modernity and embracing religion. and experience. These cultural changes made the old courses seem outmod- “We want to make sure that any time we talk about ed. “It was harder and harder to convince students that it was the West we’re talking as accurately, as truthfully, a sequence that they needed,” Dr.