The warning signals across the American higher education landscape are flashing bright red.
Driven by shifting demographics, mounting student debt, rapid technological changes, and evolving workforce needs, the sector is shrinking. Since 2020, nearly 50 nonprofit colleges have closed their doors and another 40 have merged — largely concentrated right here in the Midwest and Northeast.
Given these sobering statistics, people are often surprised when I express deep hopefulness about the future of Malone University and the roughly 200 institutions like us across the country (the member institutions of the Council for Christian Colleges & Universities and the International Alliance for Christian Education).
My confidence is not wishful thinking; it is grounded in our distinct, unchanging mission. In this fractured cultural moment, Christ-centered, Bible-based universities possess a calling that makes them uniquely suited to serve both the church and our broader community. While we support and celebrate all neighboring universities as they promote Christian values, our distinctive model rests on a specific, immersive campus experience.
This approach to higher education is less familiar to many in our immediate region simply because Malone is the only Bible-based university of its kind in Northeast Ohio.
Our distinctiveness is best understood through our people and our commitment to holistic character formation.
At Malone, our mission fundamentally shapes who we hire. From full-time professors to part-time adjuncts and staff, every single employee commits to a shared statement of Christian faith and a community lifestyle agreement. This intentional alignment transforms a standard workplace into a deeply supportive, missional family.
Our faculty are not just content experts chasing research grants; they actively take spiritual responsibility for the students under their care. To support this, Malone even provides our faculty with course-release time in their second year of teaching to participate in a dedicated program of study, deepening their ability to mentor students and integrate faith seamlessly into the classroom.
Since every single course that is taught at Malone integrates Christian faith into the curriculum, it is vital that our faculty members are supported in their efforts to walk alongside our students’ faith journeys.
This dedication trickles down into every corner of campus life. Our housekeepers don’t just clear trash cans in the residence halls; they literally pray for our students as they go about their work. Our maintenance workers routinely pause their daily tasks to be attentive to the needs of a student whom they notice might be struggling.
Across diverse ecclesiastical lines — Evangelical Friends, Lutheran, Catholic, Baptist, Anglican, and non-denominational — we come together to serve our students under a single, actionable motto: “Christ’s Kingdom First.”
This commitment to personal development extends to our student lifestyle expectations. While many private campuses offer optional religious activities, Malone requires full-time traditional undergraduates to attend 15 university-approved chapels or Bible studies per semester.
We provide a wide variety of biblical options to nurture students no matter where they are on their faith journey. These range from large-group Community Worship chapels to small group Bible studies and targeted affinity groups, such as the Fellowship of Christian Athletes and the Nurses Christian Fellowship.
We also ask students to sign a community agreement regarding daily lifestyle expectations, including abstinence from alcohol, drugs, and pornography on campus, and a commitment to abide by the traditional Christian understanding of marriage.
The contrast with mainstream secular institutions is stark. Years ago, my wife and I took our son on a campus tour of a state university. The guide proudly showed us the dorm laundry facilities, assuring parents that the students would receive a detailed orientation so they wouldn’t ruin their clothes. Later, when asked about opposite-sex overnight stays in the dorms, the guide boasted that the school encouraged students to “explore and discover their sexual identity on their own.”
The irony was entirely lost on them. A laundry orientation is certainly helpful, but it is vastly more important to give young people moral guidance on how not to mess up their lives than how not to mess up their clothes.
An intentionally Christ-centered education at Malone is admittedly not for everyone. To a student looking for a typical secular college experience, required chapel and community agreements might sound more like purgatory than heaven, and there are some who will respectfully disagree with our fundamental convictions. But for local families seeking an academically rigorous and faith-driven community, we offer a vibrant, contrasting option.
As the hub for Christian education and culture in Northeast Ohio, we invite our neighbors to come and see the good things happening here — concerts by CCM artists, nationally renowned speakers, and other opportunities are plentiful. No matter what the future of higher education holds, Malone University will unapologetically continue to stand firm and seek Christ’s Kingdom First in all things.
Greg Miller is president of Malone University in Canton.
This article originally appeared on The Repository: Living ‘Christ’s Kingdom First’ at Malone University | Opinion
Reporting by Greg Miller, Special to the Canton Repository / The Repository
USA TODAY Network via Reuters Connect
By Greg Miller, Special to the Canton Repository | USA TODAY Network
