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Articles by Shirley V. Hoogstra
Determining Your Calling
Editor’s Note: In light of the success of and great content in the Saturdays at Seven Podcasts over the past year, we have decided to edit some key parts of those interviews into shorter blog posts that will appear occasionally. We hope you enjoy them. Our first one is from Shirley Hoogstra, President of the Council for Christian Colleges and Universities.
How religious universities can help restore the promise of American education Original
ducation opens doors. Students who realize lifetime earnings nearly double those with only a high school degree. Educational attainment breaks cycles of intergenerational poverty. College graduates are 3.5 times less likely to be in poverty than those who stop at high school graduation. Education predicts social mobility, personal development, and civic engagement. This transformative impact on the lives of students is why so many dedicated professionals pursue educational careers.
US Court: 'Universities must be free to act according to their religious beliefs'
Universities with a religious ethos cannot be forced to act against their beliefs by affirming LGBT ideology, a US district court has ruled.District Court for the District of Oregon has now dismissed the case, highlighting a previous Supreme Court ruling upholding the right of institutions to only employ staff who adhere to their religious beliefs.In 2021, 40 LGBT activist students sued the United States Department of Education for allowing universities to be exempt from anti-discrimination...
The world is our campus
Editor's note: The following essay is part of Deseret Magazine's issue on the fate of the religious university, with contributions by presidents and scholars from Baylor University, BYU, Catholic University, George Fox University, Wheaton College and Yeshiva University, among others. Read all the essays here. Leaders at religious universities and colleges recognize the value mission-driven higher education has - not just for students and faculty - but for society as a whole.
Cultivating a Noble Life
One of the thrills of my job is being a commencement speaker and witnessing the joy of a family like Sophia’s. On that particular graduation day, I could see her family gathered around her as she stood there in her cap and gown with the cords draped over her shoulders, indicating her status as an honors student. Her grandparents were there, too — Juan and Lucia Hernandez, who came to America from Guatemala. Their lives here weren’t easy; Juan worked as a painter and Lucia cleaned houses.
Power Women
"This book offers stories, observations, and insights into one of the most important conversations for men and women faculty of faith in the academy. How do we fulfill God's call to our first promises—to God, our spouses, and our children? How do we fulfill God's call to be good stewards of our gifts and talents? How do we listen intently to when we should step in and step out of certain rhythms of our lives? What happens when the unexpected happens?
Interfaith campus partnerships are building bridges to overcome our divisions
(RNS) — Religious and cultural divides dominate our national headlines. Images of violent extremists storming the U.S. Capitol on Jan. 6, some wearing T-shirts with Christian symbols, play on repeat as we continue to process and Congress continues to investigate what happened on that horrific day. At the same time, many evangelical leaders have publicly condemned the attack and the Christian nationalism that fueled it.
On Christian College Survival
Since 2014, Shirley Hoogstra has been the president of the Council for Christian Colleges and Universities (CCCU), which serves as the leading national voice of Christian higher education, representing more than 180 Christian institutions around the world. Before joining the CCCU, she served as vice president for student life at Calvin College in Grand Rapids, Michigan, for 15 years. She also practiced law for more than a decade as a partner at a firm in Connecticut.
The Courts Alone Can’t Protect Christian Colleges
Last week brought good news for Christians and faith groups across the country. In Maxon v. Fuller Theological Seminary, a federal court ruled in favor of religious liberty and in so doing enabled the school’s unique Christ-centered mission. The case involved the ability of religious institutions to set admissions standards according to their sincere beliefs.
Now is the Time to Stand with Dreamers
In June, the U.S. Supreme Court surprised many with a decision that, for the moment, keeps the hopes of Dreamers — immigrants who came to America as children — alive. While affirming the president’s authority to terminate the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA) program, the 5-4 opinion found that the process by which the Trump administration had ended the program was legally insufficient.
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