GREENEVILLE – A new initiative at Tusculum University that will enable students to enhance their faith by living in community with others who share the same interest has already attracted 16 students.
Dr. David Cook, right, and the Rev. E.J. Swatsell stand in front of the male house of the Discipleship Living-Learning Center.
Leaders of the Discipleship Living-Learning Center are still speaking with other students who might want to choose housing that focuses on spiritual development along with academic growth. Meanwhile, Tusculum is busy preparing the two university-owned houses that will be used – one for males and the other for females – by making any necessary modifications. Community members are helping supply some of the key items for the houses.
Dr. David Cook, provost and vice president of academic affairs, is pleased with the progress and interest the center has attained already as it enters its first full year of operation. New students will begin moving into the center Thursday, Aug. 14, and any returning students who will live there will arrive that weekend.
“I’m extremely excited about what is happening and look forward to seeing these students’ love for the Lord become even stronger,” Dr. Cook said. “The Discipleship Living-Learning Center is a special ministry that is not available everywhere, so the students who choose to accept the call to expand their faith through community with others will have an exceptional collegiate experience.”
Details about the Discipleship Living-Learning Center
The Discipleship Living-Learning Center, which falls under the umbrella of the Christian Leadership Institute, enables first- and second-year students to live in the university houses. They will engage in Bible study, including learning from local pastors and other Christian leaders, and participate in other ministry activities.
One of those activities that is in the works is a discipleship weekend, likely in January, for high school students. Students from the center will serve in a variety of camp-type leadership roles during that weekend to help the event run smoothly and enrich the lives of attendees.
The Rev. E.J. Swatsell paints the porch of the male house of the Discipleship Living-Learning Center.
Students who live in the center will also have plenty of opportunities to participate in other ministries on campus. In fact, the Rev. E.J. Swatsell, director of spiritual life and special projects at Tusculum, said center residents will be encouraged to embrace those avenues.
Living with the first- and second-year students in the center will be older students, who will serve as peer mentors. These mentors will hold weekly discipleship sessions with the younger students, assist with operation of the Bible sessions and help students with any other spiritual resources they need. Rio Little is serving as the mentor for male students, and Kieley Smith is handling that role for females. Both are juniors.
The idea is that after living in one of the houses for a year or two, the younger students might become a peer mentor or pursue some other ministry role on campus. The Christian Leadership Institute is a multi-phase initiative, and the second phase calls for the creation of discipleship assistants in the university’s residence halls.
Dr. David Cook stands on the porch of the male house for the Discipleship Living-Learning Center and prepares to paint a section of it.
Students who live in the center or serve as peer mentors qualify for a $2,000 scholarship.
Swatsell shares Dr. Cook’s joy about the center.
“This is the pinnacle of my career in ministry because I’m on the ground level of developing something that will have a positive impact on our university and the community,” Swatsell said. “Being involved with the Discipleship Living-Learning Center in a significant role is important to me. I think we’re going to establish community leaders who are focused on developing relationships – first with Christ but then with each other in that atmosphere. If you can enter the workforce with a base of working well with others in a biblical mindset, there is potential that could have a positive impact on our community.”
Incoming students and preparations for a house
Students who will live in the center include:
- A part-time emergency medical technician who plans to volunteer at the local fire department while completing his studies
- A student who had planned to play football at Tusculum but sustained a serious injury that ended his athletic career yet still wanted to be part of the campus environment
- Another student who wanted to be close to her boyfriend who is also attending Tusculum but was also committed to living in a Christian-oriented atmosphere
During Tusculum’s annual event Wednesday, July 30, in which faculty and staff members help the Facilities Management Department prepare the buildings and grounds for the arrival of students, a group of employees spent a morning painting the front deck of the male house for the Discipleship Living-Learning Center.
Katie Odoms, foreground, and Dr. David Cook, middle, paint at the male house of the Discipleship Living-Learning Center.
Community members have also stepped to the plate with donations to stock the house with needed items, including furnishings and appliances. Swatsell hears and senses enthusiasm in the community about Tusculum’s efforts to enhance the Lord’s presence on campus. Tusculum officials recently hosted some pastors in a suite at a Greeneville Flyboys game and built connections as they talked about the center.
Fundraising to name the male house
One of the university’s goals is to name the male house after the late Chuck Bowlin, who was president and CEO of Greeneville Energy Authority when he passed away. He was a highly respected Christian leader, who exhibited a combination of faith and service as he led his life. Tusculum posthumously recognized him in May with the university’s first Christian Leadership Award.
Tusculum seeks to raise $50,000 and has received generous donations that have helped the university come relatively close to the goal. To help the university reach or exceed that total, people can visit www.tusculum.edu/giving, select the Christian Leadership Institute in the drop-down menu and leave a note that the funds are for the Bowlin house.
Swatsell knows many eyes are on the Discipleship Living-Learning Center to see whether it accomplishes its aims.
“We want it to be successful for its original purpose in ministering to these students and developing Christian leaders,” he said. “But we also want the community to see that we’re serious about making Tusculum a Christ-centered campus. We are grateful for the community’s support and ask people to pray for this new ministry on campus and the students who will be part of it.”
More information about the university is available at www.tusculum.edu.