GREENEVILLE – Students will enjoy another opportunity to enrich their faith at Tusculum University with a new initiative that will provide them the opportunity to live in special campus housing with others who aspire to deeper discipleship.
Dr. David Cook
Tusculum is launching the Christian Leadership Institute at the start of the fall semester in 2025, and the university has already attracted new students and some who are already enrolled to be initial members of this vibrant group within the Tusculum family. In the first phase, this new program will enable first- and second-year students to live together in small groups in two university houses – one for males and the other for females. A junior or senior will serve as a peer mentor and engage in one-on-one weekly discipleship.
To generate additional scholarship funds for this initiative, Tusculum is holding its first Christians in Business Dinner Thursday, May 8, on campus. During this fundraising dinner, Tusculum will issue the inaugural Christian Leadership Award to the late Chuck Bowlin, a highly regarded community leader. His faith guided him as he served as president and CEO of Greeneville Energy Authority, an elder at First Christian Church and supporter of community organizations such as the Boys and Girls Club of Greeneville and Greene County and the Lions Club.
“Through this well-designed, faith-based program, Tusculum students will take their relationship with God to the next level with the assistance of others who are on the same journey,” said Dr. David Cook, provost and vice president of academic affairs. “We are excited about this new avenue for students to develop further as Christians so they can be a light for others. The Christians in Business Dinner will be an excellent method to help ensure the institute’s success and to reinforce how Chuck Bowlin was a model for incorporating faith in every aspect of life.”
Details about the housing
Housing designated for this program is called the Discipleship Living-Learning Center, where participating students will learn to demonstrate their faith in all facets. These students will partake in weekly Bible study, including hearing from local pastors and other Christian leaders and engaging in other ministry activities that build their faith.
Peer mentors – one for each house – will have weekly discipleship sessions with each of the first- and second-year students residing there and organize the Bible study sessions.
The houses will accommodate as many as 10 students, including the peer mentor. The plan is to have first- and second-year students reside in the house for as much as two years and then become peer mentors or serve as discipleship assistants in the university’s residence halls. Dr. Cook is interviewing potential candidates to serve as peer mentors.
As the program progresses, Tusculum will add more houses and students.
“We are focused on keeping the living-learning center broadly ecumenical,” Dr. Cook said. “Think of it this way: All Protestants, Catholics and orthodox churches all agree on the basic tenets of the Nicene Creed. It will be broadly gospel-centric on items that bind all Christians.”
The discipleship assistants are part of the second phase of the institute, and they will lead Bible studies in the residence halls, help students find a church to attend or take them to their own worship service. They will also perform other duties. In effect, they will serve as missionaries, guided by the passage about salt and light in Matthew 5:13-16. Dr. Cook will interview candidates for that position when the university moves into the second phase.
“The idea is that we want to pour into you for your first two years so you can pour into others during the remainder of your undergraduate studies,” he said. “This approach to advancing God’s Word is exciting because it enables our students to expand His presence on campus, inspire them to explore their faith in greater depth and then share it with others. The goal is to equip students to become Christ-like servant leaders for their communities and our campus.”
Dr. Scott Hummel, Tusculum’s president, is excited about the opportunities the living-learning center presents. He believes they will impact Tusculum’s culture in a positive way and reinforce the value of staying at Tusculum for all four years.
“Living learning communities are fairly common,” he said. “They can be powerful for building affinity groups and community and can be an especially good demonstration of active and experiential education. It is important to integrate faith, learning and living because they are not separate spheres that need to be siloed. All of them inform and blend with each other. A living-learning community that can be focused on discipleship and leadership can be especially good for our students to learn from each other. It will also strengthen our caring Christian environment.”
The dinner
Tusculum will hold the Christians in Business Dinner starting at 6:30 p.m. May 8 in Chalmers Conference Center in the Scott M. Niswonger Commons. It will feature a more detailed discussion of the institute and all of its components from Dr. Cook and remarks from Dr. Hummel. Two Tusculum students will also speak, sharing some of their faith story and the institute’s value.
Chuck Bowlin
In addition, the dinner will celebrate the life and legacy of Bowlin, who passed away April 4, 2024, after leading a fulfilling and productive life that touched so many in the community. Tusculum is preparing a video that will be played during the dinner that will include remarks from his family, friends, fellow church members and community members.
Bowlin was a beloved member of the community, and his passing has left a void in the community. People will share many happy memories and impressions in the video. He was married to Tammy Bowlin for almost 34 years, and they had four children and three grandchildren.
“Chuck was a remarkable Christian man, who exhibited the combination of faith, service and living,” Dr. Hummel said. “He was not just a good businessman, not just a good church member, not just a good dad. All of those were informed by his faith. He is an outstanding example of the kind of Christian leader that we’re trying to develop through the institute.”
Already, many of the available seats for the dinner have been sold, but people can purchase remaining tickets from the university. The cost is $100 apiece, and Tusculum is also offering table sponsorships for $1,000. Anyone who is interested in buying a ticket can contact Kim Collins, executive assistant to the president, at 423-636-7301 or kcollins@tusculum.edu.
Proceeds from the dinner will fund $2,000 annual scholarships for students who reside in the living-learning center or serve as peer mentors or discipleship assistants. Tusculum will provide opportunities for attendees to make additional financial gifts at the event in support of the institute. The university is also seeking to raise $50,000 to name one of the houses after Bowlin.
“We look forward to sharing more of the story about the institute and all of its elements at the dinner,” Dr. Cook said. “Tusculum was founded as a Christian university in 1794 and has provided a faith-based approach to education to students throughout its history. We are seeking to move the needle further so our students expand their faith during their studies at Tusculum and have the tools to serve God in their professional and personal lives after graduation.”
Tusculum plans to hold the dinner and present the Christian Leadership Award every year. Dr. Hummel said the dinner represents the university and the community coming together to support the holistic development of Tusculum students.
Long-term plans
Tusculum has developed a three-phase plan for the institute. In addition to the discipleship assistants, the second phase includes the development of The Calling Conference. This event will empower students to discern their calling by connecting with Christian professionals from a variety of fields. Students will be able to choose different tracks and hear more about each profession so they can recognize the path God would like them to take.
Dr. Scott Hummel
Phase 2 is also designed to encompass additional resources for Tusculum’s weekly chapel service. These include funds to provide special guest speakers to preach at chapel and for instruments and other equipment to support student-led chapel worship teams.
The third phase will enable the university to establish a Christian leadership academic major. This academic program will be geared toward undergraduate students who want to work in Christian ministries. Students will gain leadership and theological training so these students can work in churches, parachurch nonprofits and Christian education.
In this phase, the institute will create community-centered programming and conferences for Christians who are serving in an array of professions. The programming will include a Christians in Business Conference, a Christians in Sports Conference, a Pastors and Nonprofit Leaders Conference and a high school-level Christian Leadership Camp experience.
Dr. Cook said Tusculum has applied for a grant from the Lilly Foundation that would help pay for some of the programmatic proposals but not the scholarships. The foundation has allocated the funds through its Educating Character Initiative to Wake Forest University, which in turn provides funding to successful applicants. If Tusculum obtains this grant, it will also be able to hold a Faculty and Staff Summer Institute, a two-day event about integrating faith in learning.
“All of the institute’s offerings will help us better equip students to explore their calling and purpose,” Dr. Hummel said. “The institute will illuminate our caring Christian environment and enrich personal lives and development. As a result, those who have participated in this initiative will influence our university and the communities they serve as our alumni.”
Anyone who is interested in learning more about the center and discussing opportunities to support it financially can email Dr. Hummel at shummel@tusculum.edu or Dr. Cook at dcook@tusculum.edu. More information about the university is available at www.tusculum.edu.