Five undergraduate students will join the Division of Higher Education Leadership Fellows Program, a group of students preparing to take leadership roles in the Christian Church (Disciples of Christ).

“The purpose of the Division of Higher Education is to nurture men and women, both lay and clergy, for transformational leadership in the church and the wider human community in partnership with the church’s institutions of higher education,” said DHE president Dennis Landon. “We believe these students embody future leaders for our church and for society in general.”

DHE Leadership Fellows are selected based on their leadership potential, church participation, and academic promise. The five new Leadership Fellows, who will all be incoming freshmen during the 2003-2004 academic year, are:

• Carissa Cullumber, a member of Avon Christian Church near Indianapolis, In., plans to major in social work and religion at Bethany College.
• Rebekah Cypert, who worships at First Christian Church of McKinney, Texas, plans to major in religion at Bethany College.
• Emily McIntyre, a member of New Hope Christian Church in Beaufort, S.C., will attend Hampton University.
• Cassie Poncelow, who worships at Heart of the Rockies Christian Church in Fort Collins, Colo., plans to major in architecture at Montana State University.
• Jessica Sandwell, who worships at Journey Christian Church in Lebanon, Mo, plans to major in religious studies at the University of Missouri.

Cullumber	Cypert	McIntyre	Poncelow	Sandwell

Programs to attract more undergraduates to ministry, to provide leadership opportunities in campus ministries, and to provide guidance on the instruction of ethics courses will be supported by the 2003 College/University Grants, the Division of Higher Education announced at its recent board meeting.

For 21 years, College/University Grants have funded special projects at undergraduate institutions related to the Christian Church (Disciples of Christ) that will benefit both the institution and the church as a whole. Funds for the grants are provided by the colleges and universities themselves, who put a portion of the money they are allocated from general denominational funding into this special fund. Including this year’s proposals, the program has funded 80 projects. Each institution in covenant with the Christian Church (Disciples of Christ) has received at least one grant during the program’s history.

“College/University Grants are exciting because they show the creativity of the faculty, students, and administrators on campuses, but they also demonstrate the importance of the relationships between the colleges and universities and the church,” said DHE President Dennis Landon. “These grants have been instrumental in developing programs that will nurture future leaders for the church and enrich the educational experience for students at Disciples-related colleges and universities.”

This year, more than $41,000 will be divided among three Disciples-related colleges and universities: Eureka College, Lynchburg College, and Columbia College. The DHE Board of Directors approves new grants each spring based upon applications submitted by the schools.

Eureka College’s “Living Stones” program aims to build a structure that will tap into undergraduate programs to provide ordained leadership for the church. The grant will provide funding for two fellowships; visits to denominational offices, seminaries, historical sites, and congregations; summer internships; visits by seminaries to campus; courses in applied ministries; spring break mission trips; and Disciples On Campus.

Columbia College will gather approximately two dozen adjunct instructors from some of its 30 satellite campuses for a seminar on teaching ethics. All Columbia College students are required to complete a course in ethics prior to graduation, and this seminar will give adjuncts the tools they need to provide ethics classes at remote campuses.

Lynchburg College will create a pilot program featuring a year-long internship for a Lynchburg graduate who plans to enter seminary. The internship will provide an opportunity to see how a campus ministry program works as well as creating leadership opportunities. The intern would aid in developing new ministry opportunities and recruit Disciples students to events on and off campus. The intern would work in LC's Office of Spiritual Life.

The Division of Higher Education moved on May 13 to a new office location in suburban St. Louis.

DHE’s new address is 11477 Olde Cabin Road, Suite 310, St. Louis, Missouri, 63141. Phone numbers and web site addresses are expected to remain the same.

With the old lease expiring in June, DHE relocated early to take advantage of the current rental market.

“Aside from the hassle of moving, it’s a good deal,” DHE President Dennis Landon says. “Even at the end of our new five-year lease, our rent will be lower than what we’re paying now. This move also means we’ll be in one location for at least the next five years. After three office moves in five years, we’ll be ready to put down some roots.”

Culver-Stockton, Brite Name New Presidents; Hiram Begins Search for New President
The Culver-Stockton College Board of Trustees named Dr. William L. Fox as Culver-Stockton's next president on April 15. An ordained minister in the United Church of Christ, Dr. Fox comes to C-SC from a position as a senior administrator at Goucher College in Baltimore. He is expected to report to C-SC on June 15.

Dr. D. Newell Williams, professor of church history at Christian Theological Seminary in Indianapolis, was named president of Brite Divinity School at TCU by the Brite Board of Trustees, effective June 2. Prior to his current teaching position at CTS, Williams served as its vice president and dean from 1992-1998 and was an associate professor of modern and American church history there, beginning in 1984. He was a member of the board of directors of the Division of Higher Education of the Christian Church (Disciples of Christ) from 1995 to 1997.

Hiram College announced long-time board member Thomas V. Chema will serve as interim president when Dr. Richard J. Scaldini leaves for a year-long sabbatical during which he will be President-Emeritus. Chema is a Cleveland attorney and has served in two Ohio state cabinet positions.

STEP Leadership Team Member Receives Theological Grant
Stephanie Powell, a senior at Culver-Stockton College, was awarded an Undergraduate Fellowship by The Fund for Theological Education (FTE) for the 2003-2004 academic year. Powell is pursuing a bachelor's degree in communication with a minor in religion and philosophy. She is a daughter of Ken and Kay Powell of Topeka, Kan.

The Undergraduate Fellows Program provides support and guidance to undergraduate students considering ministry as a possible career and who embody the intellectual and spiritual qualities essential for Christian leadership as pastors, educators and citizens.

While a Culver-Stockton College student, Powell has been active as president of Culver-Stockton's Disciples on Campus (DOC) organization and is the coordinator of the college's annual Christian Youth Fellowship (CYF) Weekend. She has interned at First Christian Church in Hannibal, Mo., and has been chosen to intern in a program at the First Christian Church in Canton, Ill. Powell serves as one of five national Disciples representatives to the Student Ecumenical Partners (STEP) Team, a partnership with the United Church of Christ that plans national events for college students.

Three TCU students finish classes at Biosphere 2
Vy Nguyen, a student at Texas Christian University and a member of the Student Ecumenical Partnership Leadership Team, was among 37 undergraduates who recently completed Earth and Universe classes at Columbia University’s Biosphere 2 Center in Arizona.

The students participated in an independent research project, and went on field trips that focused on the region's geologic, biologic and cultural diversity.