Spiritual Growth & Development

Implementation Process

Implementation of the recommendations are being coordinated and monitored by the Colleges vice presidents and president. The implementation planning will be a collaborative process involving faculty, staff, students, and alumni as appropriate. It is also expected that there will be collaboration between campus departments and divisions on the implementation of many recommendations.

The number following each recommendation corresponds to the senior administrator responsible for coordinating and monitoring its implementation.

Legend for Recommendation Implementation

1: Provost/Vice President for Academic Affairs
2: Vice President for Enrollment Management
3: Vice President for Finance and Treasurer
4: Vice President for Institutional Advancement
5: Vice President for Marketing and Communication
6: Vice President for Student Affairs/Dean of Students
7: President

Summary of Primary Recommendations

Nurture Christian faith among Christian students
Establish an atmosphere that engages students and faculty in interreligious conversations and experiences
Provide the interreligious programming resources and gathering, worship, meditation, and prayer space needed to support students of various religious backgrounds
Reaffirm the practice of daily campuswide personal or communal time from 10:00 to 10:20 a.m.

Tier 1

Charge the Chaplains Office to write a comprehensive strategic plan that directly addresses, among other areas, how to increase programs to nurture Christian faith among Christian students; that more clearly defines the purpose of daily chapel; that explores the best practices of all campus ministries with respect to forms of Christian expression in worship, including music; and that addresses the support level needed for student-led faith ministries. (7)

Reaffirm the practice of daily campuswide personal or communal sabbath time from 10:00 to 10:20 a.m. (7)

Incorporate more opportunities that intentionally engage students in vocational exploration within the overall Gustavus experience. (7)

Survey self-identified non-ELCA Christian and non- Christian members of the Gustavus community to gain a better understanding of the support needed for these students, and develop a support strategy utilizing on-campus student resources and/or network with off-campus resources. (7)

Establish an atmosphere that engages students and faculty in interreligious conversations and experiences. (7)

Provide the interreligious programming resources and gathering, worship, meditation, and prayer space needed to support students of various religious backgrounds. (6)

Encourage the Office of Diversity Development and Multicultural Programs or student groups to take the lead with consultation (if needed) by the Chaplains Office for non-Christian religious observances on campus. (6)

Endorse the ongoing work of the Chaplains Office to coordinate intra-Christian observances on campus and in Christ Chapel. (7)

Develop plans to celebrate and capitalize on upcoming anniversaries to strengthen the Colleges understanding of its Lutheran heritage. (7)

Evaluate the proposal for Gustavus to host a large conference on faith for Lutheran congregations and the broader Gustavus community. (7)

Tier 2

Implement an ongoing communications strategy to widely publicize the Colleges understanding of its Lutheran heritage. (5)

Provide orientation and training to empower all faculty, staff, and students to publicly articulate a common understanding of the Colleges Lutheran heritage tradition and create a campuswide culture that lives out this understanding of being rooted and inclusive. (7)

Charge the Chaplains Office, Dean of Students Office, and Student Activities Office to explore the process for permitting and providing funding for Christian student organizations and interreligious student groups and approving the involvement of national campus religious organizations on campus. (6)

Create a strategic plan to develop church leaders by offering ongoing opportunities for exploring church vocations; exposing students to a variety of careers and leadership opportunities in the church; helping students explore how to connect their sense of purpose with leadership opportunities at Gustavus; nurturing and supporting students wrestling with a sense of call; and intentionally ensuring both men and women are involved. (7)

Enhance the current Office of Church Relations/Chaplains Office websites to create more robust opportunities to engage with the faith dimensions on campus, including making Daily Chapel more easily accessible. (5)