Academically Speaking: Lessons from a Life in Christian Higher Education - Paperback

by Rick Ostrander (Author), George M. Marsden (Foreword by)

A personal odyssey through the world of Christian higher education, narrated by a professional who has worked on both sides of the faculty-administrative divide.

What is the world of Christian higher education really like? Rick Ostrander's thirty-year career in Christian academia equips him to provide an insider's perspective on the field and its future.

Ostrander cut his teeth as an undergraduate at Moody Bible Institute and the University of Michigan before completing his PhD with George Marsden at Notre Dame. From there he worked as a professor and administrator at various Christian colleges, a vice president at the Council for Christian Colleges and Universities, and an independent academic consultant. Throughout, he witnessed the many dramatic transformations of Christian higher education. Ostrander traces an attempt to cultivate evangelical intellectualism in the '90s to the political and economic forces that shake Christian colleges today.

Through lively storytelling, Ostrander highlights the qualities and quirks of Christian higher education. His experiences offer readers insight into how Christian colleges can flourish in an age of uncertainty.

Author Biography

Rick Ostrander serves as Executive Director of the Michigan Christian Study Center in Ann Arbor, Michigan. He previously served as vice president at the Council for Christian Colleges & Universities and in leadership positions at Westmont College and Cornerstone University. A graduate of Moody Bible Institute and the University of Michigan, Dr. Ostrander earned his PhD in history at the University of Notre Dame.