Integrating Christian Faith into Software Development
Patrick Bailey, a professor of information systems in the college’s Computer Science Department, is documenting the experiences of Christian software professionals in applying their faith to the craft of software development, particularly for industry. He is focusing on the process of their creative work as well. These narratives will provide a basis for helping students consider their Christian calling into this field of study. The resulting reflections were also presented at a fall 2006 conference in conjunction with the American Society for Quality. In addition a new journal named Dynamic Links, focused on Christians in software and information industries, well debut in the fall of 2007.
Faith-Formation Experience of Christians in Business Management
Margret Edgell, associate professor of business, is researching the faith formation of Christian managers. Much high-quality, empirical research has been validated over time on the moral and spiritual development of the general student population. But little has been done on the faith-integrative development of Christian business students, as well as mature Christians in the workplace.
This study of mature Christian managers in the workplace is an extension of her ongoing study of students. She considers classic models of student spiritual development to be at best an uncomfortable fit for Christian students. She will test three other models of spiritual development of business students in an ongoing project, which began in 2005-2006 as a Lilly Faculty Scholar project, and will continue during an Interim leave in January 2008.
Women’s Leadership in the Christian Reformed Church
Kristin Kobes Du Mez, professor of history, will supervise the work of one or two students to do research and collect oral histories relating to the debates surrounding women’s participation and leadership in the Christian Reformed Church. Students will become educated in the methods of collecting oral histories and will begin to compile an oral history collection. They will assist in the background research for a book examining debates over women’s leadership in the Christian Reformed Church. In this process students will gain insight into women’s and men’s personal and institutional struggles to grapple with questions of women’s leadership from a reformed, biblical perspective, in the past and the present.
Exploring Vocational Strengths with Faculty Members
Andrea Kitomary, instructor for Academic Services, will initiate the use of the Strengths Program, which is designed to help retain students by identifying, developing and applying their strengths in many areas—one of which is academics. This Vocation Venture Project will support faculty members purchase of the Strength Quest book and allow faculty to receive results based on their strengths. The textbook will give faculty members insightful ways to work with students around their strengths in advising or applying their strengths to course work. The project will also involve holding faculty workshops to help them understand their vocational strengths and how to use them with students.
Liturgy, Learning and Formation: A Peer Review of the Manuscript
James K. A. Smith, professor of philosophy, is competing the manuscript for his book, Desiring the Kingdom: Liturgy, Learning and Formation, an effort that began during his time as a 05-06 Lilly Faculty Scholar. Since his book is aimed at both undergraduate students and scholars from across the disciplines, he is organizing a reading retreat for eight scholars from various disciplines to read the manuscript, then meet for a working lunch and afternoon discussion to provide critical feedback to help him improve the manuscript before its final submission. The goal is to receive critical and constructive feed back from a range of disciplines with a view to strengthening and clarifying the book’s argument, confirming (or disconfirming) the current structure of the book, improving accessibility and “field testing” illustrations.
Embedded Vocation Festival of Faith and Writing 2008
The Festival of Faith and Writing planning committee is offering two vocation-oriented initiatives at the 2008 Festival of Faith and Writing (April 17-19, 2008). The first initiative gives small groups of Calvin students the opportunity to attend a lunch or dinner with a Festival speaker and discuss the topic of vocation. The Festival plans to host six of these meals, which will include speakers working in a variety of fields (journalism, hymnwriting, playwriting, visual art, preaching, illustration, poetry, and so on). The second initiative provides facilitator-led, embedded small groups for students with similar vocational interests to meet during the Festival and discuss issues related to their pursuits. These “young writers” groups will attend vocation-themed Festival panel discussions and then meet informally with some of the writers involved in those sessions.
Women and Power: Leadership in a New World Conference
Janel Curry, Dean for Research and Scholarship, is participating in a weeklong program, Women and Power: Leadership in a New World, put on by the Harvard University Executive Education program at the Kennedy School of Government. The program focuses on new conceptual frameworks for leadership, analyzes management issues, refines communication skills, explores political process, and explores the most recent research on women and their use of power and leadership. Her goals are to: 1) enhance an understanding and skills when it comes to leadership; 2) improve her understanding of the role of gender in leadership training and implementation; 3) use this learning to become a better administrator; 4) use her increased knowledge and understanding to enhance the development of women in leadership at Calvin College and within the CCCU.
Completed Projects
