
For Your Consideration CSC 25th Anniversary Celebration - Mike Sacasas
Feb 9, 2026
A reflection on how study centers can reshape Christian learning within secular universities. Discussion of enrollment declines, college closures, and why four year degrees face new pressures. Exploration of AI's effect on the value of degrees and on campus life. Ideas for short courses, theological formation, and practices that cultivate attention, hospitality, and lasting intellectual formation.
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Learning Beyond Degrees
- Study centers expand 'learning' beyond degree-granting institutions to where Christians actually learn today.
- They intentionally distinguish learning (broad formation) from narrow higher-education credentials.
Crisis Of Confidence In College
- Public confidence and perceived ROI in four-year degrees have plunged in recent years.
- This shifting outlook creates urgency for alternative Christian learning venues adjacent to universities.
The Demographic Cliff Threat
- Demographic decline in high-school graduates shrinks the pool of college applicants and pressures small colleges financially.
- Models predict many more college closures, threatening especially smaller Christian institutions.



