Engaging the University: A Planning Proposal from IFES

The International Fellowship of Evangelical Students (IFES) has some 560,000 students from over 150 countries committed to Christian witness on campus and the goal to double that outreach by 2020. Across the IFES network, a fast-growing movement called IFES "Engaging the University" is meeting a need for holistic encounters of Christians in the university with every aspect of university life, but it confronts significant challenges. This planning grant proposal is Phase 1 of a broad and long-term vision to provide accessible resources, cheaply and readily digested, on Christian theology and the major faculties in 21st century higher education. The Phase 1 planning project focuses on how to cultivate Christian thought and deepen spiritual and academic life through theological engagement with questions such as emergence and reductionism in the sciences, human flourishing and the human sciences, and values and virtue in the global and local. The planning project will (1) ascertain demand for content and educational aids; (2) discover resources and gaps in resources; (3) investigate platforms for maximal accessibility; (4) stimulate interest within IFES national movements to engage the university; and (5) prepare proposals for a Phase 2 project. Outputs will include surveys and consultations with up to 108 student, faculty and IFES staff leaders in six IFES regions; the compilation and development of content and study guides in 2-3 issue areas on the conjunction of Christian theology and the physical and human sciences; and steps towards a design of a subsequent Phase 2 proposal that will serve the goal of national IFES movements worldwide to engage their universities with competence and integrity. The project is led by a strong and experienced team. Its proposed starting date is 1 September 2016 and ending date is 28 February 2018. We request $215,964.