Newsletter

Autumn 2001

Academic Advisory Council Approves New Courses

By Paul Grant

Representatives of 24 colleges gathered this July at Au Sable-Great Lakes, for the Au Sable Academic Advisory Council. This annual weekend conference is the key event in the calendar year for setting the Institution's academic agenda. Historically speaking, the Council has helped hone the curriculum and certification process, ultimately influencing Christian students years down the road.

This year's highlights included developing the descriptions for two new courses, and the Professional Development day, with Dr. Richard Wright (emeritus, Gordon College) leading the council in a discussion of the state of the art in Christian scientific ecology.

After a spaghetti dinner the night before, the council convened on Friday morning, July 13, in worship. John Silvius of Cedarville University read and expounded from Romans 1. Director Cal DeWitt then issued a charge to the council, as leaders in Christian scientific ecology. He exploded the context of the weekend from academics, to the worship of Jesus across the universe, and gradually collapsed his focus to a scale at which action becomes meaningful: the matters at hand. No mere exercise in academic excess, Cal's speech affected the council with a sense of mission and urgency that gave weight to the gathering, and preserved the sense of worship, even in the tedious moments of setting calendar dates.

The council then proceeded to attack the business of the day. The Representatives discussed the strengths and interests of the departments at their respective schools - a chance to compare notes and develop vision for one's own department and college. Next, two committees were appointed to develop descriptions for two courses: Wetland Ecology and Introduction to Geographic Information Systems. The Au Sable Board of Trustees approved the two new courses at the August board meeting.

Other items on the agenda included fine-tuning the academic calendar and discussing the possibility of new courses for the future, such as an urban ecology course, a coastal ecology course at Pacific Rim and an environmental education and interpretation course at Great Lakes.

COO Ed Brown explained the concept of Au Sable as a virtual university, in which the pooled expertise of the participating colleges matches programs at major research universities. Strategic program development and more intimate collaboration among the Au Sable-affiliated faculty might bear tremendous fruit, as Au Sable's influence in the field exceeds the sum of its many parts. The Council then recommended the Au Sable website be structured to better facilitate such collegial partnership. Look for future additions to www.ausable.org like CVs of faculty and representatives, searchable by fields and interests.

Saturday was Professional Development day, bookended by field trips into the beautiful surrounding forests. Richard Wright, former Chair of the Academic Council and author of a widely used textbook on Environmental Science (8th ed. Prentice Hall: 2002), briefed the council on the latest trends in two areas: global warming and population growth, and facilitated the ensuing discussions. Dr. Wright also arranged for the publisher to furnish promotional copies of the textbook for the delegates in attendance.

After dinner, Cal led the group on a field trip to a nearby valley, where in the settling dusk the whippoorwills' song rang out through forests ravaged by the axe in the past century. The song of a silly bird enjoying the evening put into perspective once again both the weight and the light of the Academic Advisory Council. And the next day all returned to homes and schools, from Alberta to Georgia, freshly motivated for the coming year and years.

All designated representatives at the participating colleges are invited to next year's Academic Advisory Council, July 12-14, 2002. Mark your calendars!

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