Financial Crisis Brings Christian Universities Subtle Hope

With the financial stability of the United States on a downward spiral, schools for higher education hold a grim future for administrators and indebted students. Christian Universities however seem to have the financial answer.

Many students pursuing college educations don’t know that they are entering into a world of debt where jobs are stagnant and opportunities are few. College universities, faculty, staff and students, are struggling to keep their heads above water with costs of college tuition increasing and the economic crisis of the nation worsening; there are few well-paying jobs to give graduates and administrators financial security. However, a bright side to this downturn has been found in the Golden State.

Theology professor Gary Tyra at Vanguard University of Southern California has found hope in the aftermath of the economic crisis —granted it has taken him much faith and experience to get there. As previous chair of the religion department at Vanguard University, he has witnessed austerity measures that continue still today. Contributions to employee retirement accounts from the school have been curtailed and new faculty hires have been put on hold indefinitely. As if the future couldn’t look grim enough, with frozen salaries, “all departments were forced [to] closely monitor spending on things as prosaic as printing and copying supplies,” said Professor Tyra. Needless to say, the financial instability has taken its toll on the Vanguard staff; yet, amidst the crisis, morale and student enrollment is beginning to increase.

Along with the rest of the nation, California has been tossed into a full-fledged unpredictable financial environment. The University of California system is expecting a possible tuition increase up to “16% in fall 2012;” this change continued over the next three years, if state funding remains flat, will nearly double tuition. With tuition costs increasing, the availability of programs and services continue to decrease. No longer can the state universities guarantee the opportunity to graduate in anything close to four years. One would think this would discourage students from seeking degrees in higher education. On the contrary Professor Tyra, educator at a private Christian University, has witnessed the exact opposite. “Our enrollment is currently as high as it has ever been!” Tyra alleged.

The California higher education system lost $650 million in funding; a drastic change that has actually driven students away from state universities and in the direction of private universities. Tyra and his colleagues hope that with new trend, the Vanguard faculty and staff will slowly see the private Christian University return to normal. Not only do private universities such as Vanguard offer a cheaper financial alternative to higher education, their curriculum promises students a future.

Though Vanguard is a liberal arts university offering undergraduate and graduate degrees in many disciplines, the religion department specializes in the scholarly, spiritual and moral training of ministers. Professor Tyra feels secure in his job, stating that “there will always be a need for [ministers]: the local church is not going to go away”.  Tyra acknowledges the difficulties for religion graduates to find full time ministry jobs upon graduating and helps to counteract the uncertainty by aiding ministry-bound students to find internships with hands on experience while they are currently enrolled at the university.

As more and more students graduate with debt and a stagnant job market, private Christian universities such as Vanguard University of Southern California are aiding and equipping the next generation with hope and stability through affordable higher education.

Resources

Martinez, M. (2011, September 15). University of California seeks alternatives
     to 16% tuition hikes. CNN U.S. Retrieved from http://us.cnn.com/2011/US/09/
     15/california.university.tuition/index.html

Tyra, G. (2011, September 14). Thoughts of Professor Gary Tyra. Interview
     presented on Phone.