academia
What to expect at MSU this fall
Masks, social distancing, and a lot of encouragement to keep yourself and others safe are all part of what we can expect as we move back to campus in a little over a month. MSU has put together a compact that they are asking all those who are part of the MSU community to agree…
Read MoreAnticipating a challenging fall
There remains a lot of uncertainty about the coming fall semester: the only certainty seems to be a consensus that it will be challenging. To get a sense of what fall might look like, I encourage you to read the communication(s) from MSU as well as to check out several Inside Higher Education articles that…
Read MoreUncertainty for International students
On Monday, the ICE announced that, despite the current pandemic, international students would not receive a visa if their programs/colleges had primarily online-only instruction. This announcement is causing a lot of stress and uncertainty for international students and the universities themselves. With this new ruling, students do not know if they can finish their programs…
Read MoreCoronavirus and Quarantine – Takeaways from Veritas Forum (held on Mar 24)
On March 24, Veritas held a Virtual forum on Coronavirus and Quarantine: What Big Questions Can We Be Asking? featuring David Brooks, Andy Crouch, Lydia Dugdale, and Andrew Schuman. Mitchell and I both found that the Veritas Forum generated an inspiring discussion about learning from past national tragedies, seeking signs of hope, and developing creative…
Read MoreSome helpful links for coping in this time
A recent article from Emerging Scholars Network had some helpful links for coping with disruption from Emerging Scholars network. I especially appreciated this article about how grad school had prepared the author for quarantine.
Read MoreScience vs. Faith?
While most people who are religious would argue that science and faith do not conflict, it can sometimes be challenging to be both a scientist and a person of faith. Faith is not always welcome in scientific fields (or specific departments), and the curious, questioning part of ourselves that makes us good scientists is not…
Read MoreChallenges of Graduate Students
This fall the Campus Edge board has been working to understand how we might better respond to the challenges that graduate and professional students experience. Campus Edge students identified the following as the most significant challenges: Stress and/or lack of time; Work/life balance (and “grad student guilt”); Lack of clarity with regard to expectations and…
Read MoreAdvice for those striving to be Christian scholars
Nicholas Wolterstorff’s article with advice to those who would be Christian scholars speaks of the inherent challenge of critiquing the university while also loving and embracing it. He starts by speaking of three postures people have in relation to the university: 1. “Some assume that what goes on in the contemporary university is pretty much…
Read MoreCalled to reach out to each other
Matt Reed, in describing his participation in a college phone-a-thon, highlighted how surprised he’d been by how positive the experience he had been – and how often people thanked him for reaching out to them. He noted that “It reminded me a little of the feeling, at 18 or 19, of not feeling entirely sure…
Read MoreTiming
Sometimes people discover Campus Edge near the beginning of their program. They’re looking for a community and so they search for and find us online, or they visit our supporting church, or they meet us at the graduate fair. Sometimes they connect with people in their program who’ve been participating in Campus Edge for awhile.…
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