Bryn Athyn College Inaugurates First President in its 132-Year History
BRYN ATHYN, Pa.-(Business Wire)-September 22, 2009 - Bryn Athyn College, a coeducational, Christian liberal arts college located just outside Philadelphia, will inaugurate its first president in the College’s 132-year history. The inauguration comes on the heels of significant enrollment growth; this semester the College saw a 25 percent increase over last year and enrollment is projected to increase an additional 25 percent for the 2010-11 academic year. This Friday, September 25 at 2:30pm, Bryn Athyn College will inaugurate Dr. Christopher M. Clark as the first President of the College, signaling the start of a new era where the academic study and service to the community are seamlessly intertwined.
The College’s enrollment spike revealed the need for a president who could elevate the status of the College through educational innovation, but also a president who could maintain the College’s commitment to an experiential learning environment with personal mentor relationships between professors and students. “We view the inauguration of Dr. Clark as a fresh slate; it is the opportunity for Bryn Athyn College to emerge as a campus where traditional academic learning is only one part of the college equation,” said Dirk Jungé, vice chair of the College’s board of trustees. “Under Dr. Clark’s leadership, we will pioneer a service-oriented experience that will inspire students to ask, ‘How can I leave this campus, this city, this country, this world, better than I found it?’” added Jungé.
Clark, a native of Philadelphia, has spent 35 years working in higher education at Stanford University, the University of Delaware, Michigan State and Arizona State, as well as at the University of Haifa, where he was a Fulbright Scholar. He also spent 9 years as a US Navy Submarine Force officer, following his graduation from Villanova in 1963. As President of the College, Clark’s top priority is to strengthen the link between academics and application (service opportunities). “Sitting at a desk with a textbook can be informative, but it is a far cry from the reality and complexity of the post-college world. That’s why our approach places students in the community to test the ideas they learned in the classroom,” said Clark. “It is out in the field that students witness the intersection of the intellectual life and the life of doing good – that’s where spiritual transformation takes place,” said Clark.
While his aspirations for the College are numerous, Clark states, “If we want to create a truly transformative experience for students, then every decision, every program, every new course or major must contribute to the students’ success.” It was this philosophy that allowed for the construction of the Doering Center for Science and Research and the Brickman Center for Student Life/Admissions, both completed for the fall semester.
“Bryn Athyn College is physically expanding with more students, more academic facilities, and more service opportunities, but the most impressive measure of growth has been our ability to establish a College that provides students with a base camp for changing the world,” added Clark.
About Bryn Athyn College
Bryn Athyn College is a coeducational, Christian, liberal arts college dedicated to helping students prepare for lives of meaningful service. Our educational approach incorporates experiential learning—through service learning, internships and international experiences. While our perspective is global, reflecting the inclusive, service-oriented Christianity taught in the theological writings of Emanuel Swedenborg, our educational methods are personal, focused on the unique learning style and special talents of our students. Visit http://www.brynathyn.edu.
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