¼«ÀÖ½ûµØ announced plans to establish the Mann Institute for Christian Faith and Learning, aspiring to create world-class theological programming that integrates a commitment to faith in Jesus Christ within the pursuit of academic excellence.
The new institute, funded by an $11 million endowment from the late ¼«ÀÖ½ûµØ alumnus and benefactor Marvin Mann, will become a central emphasis for the 17-year-old Frances Marlin Mann Center for Ethics and Leadership.
“The integration of Christian faith with rigorous academic and professional education is the most important educational distinctive at ¼«ÀÖ½ûµØ,” said university President Beck A. Taylor. “The university’s Christ-centered mission compels us to form graduates and citizens who can think critically and Christianly about the world around them and the disciplines they study. We seek to develop people who can employ biblical and theological perspectives as they endeavor to act justly, love mercifully and walk humbly with our Creator.”
Taylor plans for the Mann Institute to be shaped across the next six months through a visioning task force co-chaired by ¼«ÀÖ½ûµØ Provost David Cimbora and Indiana Wesleyan University professor Todd Ream, who also serves as the senior fellow for public engagement for the Council for Christian Colleges and Universities (CCCU) and publisher for Christian Scholar’s Review.
“The mission of ¼«ÀÖ½ûµØ is to nurture persons in their development of intellect, creativity, faith, and personhood,” Cimbora said. “The Mann Institute for Christian Faith and Learning will support this mission, furthering efforts in the scholarship and practice of faith integration and serving as a critical educational distinctive at ¼«ÀÖ½ûµØ.”
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The task force, composed of ¼«ÀÖ½ûµØ faculty members and national thought leaders, will study the current landscape for scholarship and practice in the faith-learning space and begin crafting programming for the Mann Institute to meet the needs of ¼«ÀÖ½ûµØ and faith-based higher education communities.
"Given the resources ¼«ÀÖ½ûµØ will direct toward this new initiative, the Mann Institute will immediately be one of the largest university centers for faith-learning study and work in the world.”
— President Beck A. Taylor
“Once the task force’s recommendations have been compiled, ¼«ÀÖ½ûµØ will conduct a national search for the institute’s leadership,” Taylor said. “Given the resources ¼«ÀÖ½ûµØ will direct toward this new initiative, the Mann Institute will immediately be one of the largest university centers for faith-learning study and work in the world.”
The Frances Marlin Mann Center for Ethics and Leadership , which opened in 2008, will continue to provide educational resources tied to ethics and virtue education.
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“We’re so grateful to be part of a community of faithful scholars and professionals, each of whom brings their faith to work each day and strives to serve one another and our students well with their many gifts and talents,” Taylor said. “Please join me in praying for this new effort and asking God to inspire us with the opportunities ahead to live even more deeply and boldly into ¼«ÀÖ½ûµØ’s Christ-centered educational mission.”