Winter 2010 - Carson-Newman College

And to this critique the work of Harry Lewis, former Dean ofHarvard College, entitled Excellence Without a Soul: How aGreat University Forgot Education, in which he acknowledgesthat “moral education has withered” in our universities and thetestimony of crisis mounts.All of this is nice, but we in Christian colleges and universities arenot simply talking about values and ethics. It is certainly true thatwe, among others, concur with the need for a renewed focus uponmorals. But the cry is for more than that.If America’s colleges displaced historic orthodox Christianity withgeneric religion and social good, or at best confined Christianity tothe office of the campus minister, or a chapel service, or a speciallycreated department of religion, leaving no place for Christian faithin the nerve center of the university, the curriculum; if sciencebecame the new orthodoxy in the halls of academe; if our campusessevered the rose from its roots by finding a place for morals in thefields of study but none for Christianity; if our colleges came intime to find morals passé, while manners, whatever that means,became the mark of an educated person, are we really surprised todiscover that we are living in communities stuffed with informationbut starved for values? And if we have fallen over the precipiceis the appropriate corrective step to climb part of the way up theslippery cliff during the cultural monsoon and hope we won’tbe washed away again? Or should we consider ascending to thetop of the rock and rest on the solid footing of historic orthodoxChristianity? Why then the call for a focus on morals? Without anauthoritative foundation do not morals erode? Isn’t that preciselywhy we have arrived at our point of need?Perhaps in our secular age secular colleges and universities willnot desire to integrate faith and learning, choosing to go their ownway instead. But I would like to join the caravan of sages throughthe ages, including the company of evangelical confessing scholarstoday, who hold to the unity of truth, and to the belief that faithand learning, not faith or learning, is the best way to attain trueerudition.In our search for knowledge, our quest for truth, why should ourlearning communities and faith communities remain separate?Let us embrace an open search for truth wherein freedom to thinkincludes permission to ask any question and to analyze everyperspective. Open intellectual inquiry may not, after all by selfdefinition,exclude thinking Christianly across the curriculum. Anysearch for truth which excludes, a priori, consideration of evidence,or particular views, is at best misguided elitism, mishandledepistemology, or mistaken scientific method, but at worse,missionary secularism intent upon installing the new atheism asthe fundamentalist religion of college campuses. Enough of thisidolatrous sacrifice of our children!Let us no longer accept the patronizing heresy of compartmentalizingour Christian faith into non-threatening conclaves safely away fromthe classroom. Rather let us champion both free academic inquiryand committed theological loyalty. We in the academy make muchof academic freedom. Then let us in our Christian colleges dare tolet truth and error compete for residence in our minds. Let us readwidely, listen deeply, reflect critically, observe studiously, presenteffectively, debate delightfully, write masterfully, analyze keenly,question honestly, dissent respectfully, think Christianly, and livegratefully in the presence of our Creator-Redeemer-Sustainer God.The universe is our campus; the cosmos is our campus. All truth isGod’s truth. Vocatus atque non-vocatus Deus aderit, the eminentpsychologist, Carl Jung, had carved above the door of his home(Bidden, or not bidden, God is present).So, what is the future of the past?In a story titled, “Christian Colleges are Booming,” Time magazinereported a U.S. Department of Education survey which revealed anenrollment increase of 67.3 percent for the decade of 1992-2002 forschools listed in the Council of Christian Colleges and Universities.The increase for all other colleges and universities during the same10-year period was 2.1 percent, a 65 percent differential!Apparently the longing is for a place where the life of the mindand the shepherding of the spirit might find a welcome home. If so,Carson-Newman’s ethos of open intellectual inquiry and a deeperspiritual life – a beautiful tapestry of faith, learning, and caringcommunity – positions us providentially to meet the deepest needsof our neighbor and realize the highest dreams we dare to dream.I dream of a college where our graduates have learned how to think;they have learned what the best and brightest minds throughout theages have thought and currently are thinking; but they have alsolearned to think for themselves, and to think Christianly, at that.The college of my dreams features the Christian intellectualtradition as a centerpiece, the integration of faith and learning as thecornerstone, and classroom excellence, cutting-edge scholarshipand love of students, all within a caring community.The college of my dreams stands firmly under the lordship of JesusChrist where we faithfully accept our Lord’s invitation “to loveHim with all of our hearts, all of our souls, and with all of ourminds.”As Victor Hugo shared, “There is nothing like a dream to shapethe future.”Thank you.aJ. Randall O’BrienOctober 30, 2009Collinses Leave $3.8 million for ScholarshipsAs an incoming freshman in the fall of 1923, Lena Mastersoncould not have dreamed that she would meet her future husbandin chemistry class. And she certainly could not have imaginedthat he would be her professor, nor that their partnership wouldyield to Carson-Newman one of its richest legacies.With the settlement of her estate late last year, Lena MastersonCollins and her late husband Samuel contributed more than $3.8million to benefit Carson-Newman students.The couple’s story is legendary. Lena had a required physicscourse taught by Professor Collins. Impressed by his student’sconfidence and joie de vive, he is reported to have once declared,“She’s the most independent person I’ve ever met.”Though Sam left to complete his PhD at UNC-Chapel Hill, hefondly remembered the spunky Lena. Upon her 1927 graduation,Lena began teaching home economics at her alma mater. A longdistance courtship ensued and the couple married on September4, 1929. They moved to Cambridge, Massachusetts when he wasappointed as a research associate at Massachusetts Institute ofTechnology.As Sam made discoveries in cryogenics, Lena developedprofessional-grade drafting skills by drawing schematics for themachines. Following governmental service near Washington,D.C. from 1941 to 1943, the couple returned to Cambridgewhere Sam would develop the Collins Helium Cryostat whichrevolutionized cryogenics and made research possible inlaboratories across the globe.The Littles with their daughter Dr. Karen Milliganand C-N Provost Dr. Kina Mallard.Mark BrownUsing proceeds from Sam’s inventions, the couple expressedtheir commitment to education and their appreciation for C-Nwhen they established a scholarship in 1972. They moved to Ft.Washington, Maryland where Sam worked at the Naval ResearchLaboratory following his MIT retirement.Although Sam passed away in 1984, their partnership willcontinue to produce lasting legacies at MIT and at C-N wherethe Collins Scholarship Fund benefits students in the partners’respective disciplines, Family & Consumer Sciences and NaturalSciences & Mathematics.School of Education Receives Gift from LittlesJoe ’50x and Louise ’52 Little have long appreciated and understoodthe value of education. The most recent evidence of their commitmentcan be found in the School of Education’s new resource center,which offers a stunning array of educational helps for students whowill become educators.Established to support teachers-to-be while honoring their parents,The Cole-Little Curriculum Laboratory offers books for childrenand young adults as well as activity kits, curriculum guides, games,textbooks and teacher resources. It provides lamination services,an Ellison letter press and a place for students to both study andconstruct teacher-made materials. It also houses the Lynn AlexanderChildren’s Literature Collection and the Morgan ComputerLaboratory, which was provided by Allen’68 and Phyllis Morgan.“My prayer is that the students that come through these doors willbecome extraordinary teachers who share the love of Christ withtheir students for many years to come,” said the Little’s daughter Dr.Karen Milligan, associate professor of education.26 JOURNEY winter 2010JOURNEY winter 2010 27