Thomas Currie discusses the Church-Related University

Thomas W. Currie began the evening by discussing "Some Theses on a Church Related University." These sought to capture the reasons for the foundation and preservation of such institutions. Many American universities were founded in light of a particular church's mission and this lends itself to understanding contemporary church-related universities as inheritor's of such traditions. In addition, the educational missions of such universities can be understood as rooted in the gospel of Jesus Christ. That is, such universities are committed to the convictions concerning the nature of human life that are to be found in the gospels. Currie also stressed that the church-related university may be committed to a "comprehensive account of reality," one that is not satisfied with descriptions of how things appear to be, but one that goes further by aking why things are the way that they are. The church-related university, on this view, is one that strives to ask after the meaning of life.  

	Dr. Norris Frederick

The Director of the Center for Ethics and Religion Dr. Norris Frederick continued by presenting and discussing the history of Queens University of Charlotte. More spefically, he discussed how religious life at Queens has changed in light of broader social changes but has remained the same in the sense that students are still encouraged to pursue moral growth, to consider their social obligations, and to see their education as contributing to personal development.  

The Chaplain at Queens Dr. Diane Mowrey closed out the evening by discussing the University's emphasis on service learning. Queens' students are presented with ample opportunities to put their religious and social values into practice by engaging in activities that benefit both local and distant communities. Such opportunities include the Core Service Learning component, the Guatamala Mission trip, working for Habitat for Humanity and the Hurricane Katrina cleanup.