Initiative 4

Leverage our Boston location to become the global hub for Christian education.

Gordon’s future is global, and with our location near Boston, the College is well-positioned to be the most global Christian college in the country, even as the 2020-21 pandemic has impeded progress for now. Becoming increasingly global has required attention to the hiring of diverse and international faculty and staff; the recruitment of international students and increasing the on-campus support for them; the expansion of opportunities for students to study or work abroad; and the integration of more global voices into Gordon’s academic curriculum. Over the last five years, the College has worked to strengthen our commitment in all of these areas and worked to leverage our Boston location as much as possible in pursuit of these objectives.

IN FOCUS:

27% increase in number of international students and 14% increase in number of domestic minority students since 2015

48 countries and 44 US states represented by undergraduate student body

U.S. News and World Report’s ranking of schools with the most international students (2017, 2018)

Toward the goal of better reflecting the rich mosaic of the body of Christ, Gordon also implemented a board-approved Shalom Statement that expresses the College’s commitment to a “right ordering of relationships and actions resulting in the affirmation of human dignity and the flourishing of community.”

Gordon has increased global connections and intentionally formed partnerships with churches and organizations in the region, across the country, and around the world. The creation of our Multicultural Initiatives Office (MIO) and strengthening of existing initiatives like the Clarendon Scholars Program and ALANA (which supports our Asian, Latino, African and Native American students) have also had a positive impact in this important area. Recent events around the country, and even on our campus, have highlighted the importance of doing even more – and this important work has continued most recently with the able work of the InterVarsity Institute in developing a plan to help the College make greater progress in this area. Faculty have also worked diligently to review and assess the entire core curriculum to ensure diverse representation and perspectives are presented to all students. This important work will continue.

The wider political climate has made it more difficult for nearly every institution of higher learning to attract and retain international students. Still, the College has significantly grown international enrollment, with 13% of undergraduate students now holding a foreign passport or coming from overseas. The College also continues to build ties with strategic regions, with a special emphasis on Brazil, with a special dual-degree program coming online this summer in partnership with Mackenzie Presbyterian University, the largest private institution in South America. Similar initiatives are underway in Ghana as well.

THE STARTING POINT: ORIGINAL GOALS

Better reflect the rich mosaic of the body of Christ through intentional selection, appointment or invitation of instructional and program staff, and intentional orientation and training for all faculty, staff and students
Be intentional about the recruitment of a diverse pool of applicants into all faculty searches
Enrich the student body through 20 percent enrollment of international students
Increase participation of faculty in workshops and training related to multicultural and global perspectives in curriculum content and pedagogy
Cultivate and track 110 new global connections annually to double the scope of Gordon’s global network
Intentionally form partnerships with churches and pastors of diverse domestic and international backgrounds in order to enrich an increasingly diverse and international student body
All academic programs, including the core committee, will assess and adapt their curricula to integrate diverse global concerns
Global Education, working with individual departments, will provide at least one multicultural/international experience that meets program needs and student goals
Encourage at least ten student Fulbright applications and at least one faculty applicant per year

STANDOUT ACHIEVEMENTS

Creation of Shalom statement and continued work, most recently with the InterVarsity Institute
Grew international enrollment to 13%, becoming a national leader among CCCU schools
Dual-degree programs in Brazil and soon Ghana

DISAPPOINTMENTS

Growing Fulbright applications, but not where we had hoped to be
Increasingly difficult to draw international students to the U.S.
Much more ground to cover in Shalom work

ALL SEVEN STRATEGIC INITIATIVES

Explore the following pages for detailed updates related to each of the seven initiatives:

20/20 Project Home

Gordon College, 255 Grapevine Road, Wenham, MA 01984
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Gordon College is one of the nation's premier Christian colleges and located just north of Boston. We offer students extraordinary access to leading-edge opportunities for intellectual, professional, and leadership development to address the increasingly complex challenges of a global society. Gordon stands apart from other outstanding institutions in New England by combining an exceptional education with an informed Christian faith.