Who We Are
MISSION: To catalyze and empower thoughtful Christian presence and practice at colleges and universities around the world, in service of the common good.
What is a Study Center?
A Hub of Christian Community & Learning
Christian Study Centers are communities of students and scholars animated by the ancient ideal of faith seeking understanding. Located adjacent to colleges and universities, study centers support and complement their host institutions’ mission to discover and disseminate knowledge by convening conversations that address the big questions of life—questions of meaning, purpose and value. In addition to public lectures, many study centers offer intimate conversations and comfortable hospitality in their own facilities.
Most Christian Study Centers sponsor programming that consists of lectures, courses, reading or film discussion groups, and fellows programs, often in a residential or other hospitality-oriented facility. But that is not what a study center is. That is what a study center does.
Leadership
Karl E. Johnson
Executive Director
Prior to becoming Executive Director in 2021, Karl served as Founder of Chesterton House at Cornell University for twenty years. He received his bachelor’s, master’s, and doctoral degrees from Cornell and served for ten years as the inaugural Dan Tillemans Director of the Cornell Team and Leadership Center. In 2008, Karl became a founding board member of the Consortium—he served on the board for ten years and as board chair for five years. In 2020 he helped launch the Octet Collaborative (MIT) in the capacity of Chief Strategist.
Team
Kim Glass is the Communications & Development Manager. Prior to her role at the Consortium, Kim worked in communications, nonprofit fundraising and advertising. She holds a bachelor’s degree from UNC-Chapel Hill and a master’s degree from Duke University in religious studies with a focus on the New Testament. While pursuing graduate studies at Duke, Kim attended lectures and reading groups hosted by the Center for Christianity & Scholarship. When not working, Kim can be found running, riding her indoor bike or reading. She lives in Raleigh, NC with her husband Stephen and English Cocker Spaniel Frances.
Elaine Rollogas is the Operations Manager of the Consortium of Christian Study Centers. Before coming to work with the Consortium, Elaine had several roles at Redeemer Presbyterian Church in New York City since 1990, ending as the Managing Director of Operations and Volunteer Mobilization. She studied business in Nebraska and has training in grant writing, volunteer management and computer programming. She divides her time between an interest in Bible Study, photography, sports, and exploring new towns and communities around Charlottesville.
Marie Trotter is the part-time Bookkeeper and Administrative Assistant of the Consortium of Christian Study Centers. She is a graduate of the University of Tennessee with a degree in Secondary Education. Marie taught second graders for twenty-seven years at The Covenant School in Charlottesville and was honored by the school, naming the second-grade classroom after her when she retired. She is married to Drew and enjoys long walks, gardening, tending to the grandchildren when she gets the chance – and greatly mourns the completion of Downtown Abbey.
Charity Wahrenberger is the Internship Program Director. Charity has spent the last 25 years directing programs and developing leaders as an independent consultant, as the Director of the Center for Public Justice’s CIE initiative, the Assistant Dean of Nyack College’s Washington, DC campus, and as an Area Director for CCO. Charity is actively engaged in the Pittsburgh Community. She has served as a volunteer for Pittsburgh Mercy’s homeless outreach program, Operation Safety Net, and as a member of the Executive Service Corp with the Covestro Center for Community Engagement. She also serves on the Board of Directors for Pittsburgh Urban Christian School and The Association for Public Justice. In her down time, you will find Charity out in the woods with her husband Todd and her dog Scout.
Board of Directors
Mike Weaver is the Executive Director of the Bradley Study Center at Virginia Tech. Mike received his bachelor’s degree in electrical engineering from Virginia Tech, and he has earned master’s degrees from Johns Hopkins University, Wesley Theological Seminary, and Duke Divinity School. Currently, Mike is a doctoral candidate in theology at the University of Winchester in the UK. Prior to assuming his role at the Bradley Study Center, Mike served six years as a deputy commandant for the Virginia Tech Corps of Cadets, where he provided guidance, mentoring and education for cadets in a campus-based residential leadership development program. He also serves on the board of the Virginia Tech Corps of Cadets Alumni, Inc.
Eugene Habecker is the President Emeritus of Taylor University and previous Chairman of the Board for Christianity Today. He also served in presidencies at the American Bible Society (1991-2005) and Huntington University (1981-1991). Eugene received his bachelor’s degree from Taylor University, his master’s degree from Ball State University, and his doctorate from the University of Michigan. He is also a graduate of Temple University School of Law (JD) and is an inactive member of the Pennsylvania Bar. Eugene is the recipient of nine honorary degrees and has traveled in more than 90 countries.
Sarah Hamersma is an Associate Professor of Public Administration and International Affairs in the Maxwell School at Syracuse University, where she is also a Senior Research Associate with the Center for Policy Research. Sarah trains students interested in public service and policy analysis, and her research is focused on examining both intended and unintended consequences of anti-poverty programs. Prior to joining the faculty at Syracuse University, Sarah taught at the University of Florida. She received her doctorate in economics from the University of Wisconsin-Madison.
Laura Lynch serves as the Director of Development for the Christian Study Center of Gainesville at the University of Florida. Laura and her husband Jay had the privilege of launching the Christian Study Center of Gainesville in 2000. In the study center’s early days, Laura served as building manager, volunteer recruiter, prayer team leader, and publicity manager. Laura received her bachelor’s degree from the University of Virginia where she was involved in many campus ministries, including the Center for Christian Study. Laura has experience serving on numerous boards, most recently with Gainesville Thrives, an educational non-profit.
Mia Chung-Yee is the Executive Director of the Octet Collaborative at MIT. Mia has enjoyed great success internationally as a solo recitalist, concerto soloist and chamber musician. In 1993, she won first prize at the Concert Artists Guild Competition, and in 1997 she received the Avery Fisher Career Grant, the highest recognition for young concert artists in the United States. Mia graduated with a bachelor’s degree from Harvard College, a master’s degree from Yale University, and a doctorate from The Juilliard School. She served as Professor of Music and Artist in Residence at Gordon College from 1991 to 2011 and joined the faculty of the Curtis Institute of Music as Professor of Musical Studies in 2012. Mia’s introduction to the Christian study center movement occurred in 2018 when she was a guest lecturer at Cornell’s Chesterton House.
David Hobbet is an Associate Partner with McKinsey and Company where he helps mission-driven organizations and leader deliver significant and sustainable impact. Much of his work focuses on higher education, including strategy development, new program design and launch, enrollment management, organizational design, and transformational change. Prior to McKinsey, David served as the Executive Director of the Veritas Forum and he also has significant experience in global economic development and social sector leadership more broadly.
Mike Weaver is the Executive Director of the Bradley Study Center at Virginia Tech. Mike received his bachelor’s degree in electrical engineering from Virginia Tech, and he has earned master’s degrees from Johns Hopkins University, Wesley Theological Seminary, and Duke Divinity School. Currently, Mike is a doctoral candidate in theology at the University of Winchester in the UK. Prior to assuming his role at the Bradley Study Center, Mike served six years as a deputy commandant for the Virginia Tech Corps of Cadets, where he provided guidance, mentoring and education for cadets in a campus-based residential leadership development program. He also serves on the board of the Virginia Tech Corps of Cadets Alumni, Inc.
Eugene Habecker is the President Emeritus of Taylor University and previous Chairman of the Board for Christianity Today. He also served in presidencies at the American Bible Society (1991-2005) and Huntington University (1981-1991). Eugene received his bachelor’s degree from Taylor University, his master’s degree from Ball State University, and his doctorate from the University of Michigan. He is also a graduate of Temple University School of Law (JD) and is an inactive member of the Pennsylvania Bar. Eugene is the recipient of nine honorary degrees and has traveled in more than 90 countries.
Sarah Hamersma is an Associate Professor of Public Administration and International Affairs in the Maxwell School at Syracuse University, where she is also a Senior Research Associate with the Center for Policy Research. Sarah trains students interested in public service and policy analysis, and her research is focused on examining both intended and unintended consequences of anti-poverty programs. Prior to joining the faculty at Syracuse University, Sarah taught at the University of Florida. She received her doctorate in economics from the University of Wisconsin-Madison.
Laura Lynch serves as the Director of Development for the Christian Study Center of Gainesville at the University of Florida. Laura and her husband Jay had the privilege of launching the Christian Study Center of Gainesville in 2000. In the study center’s early days, Laura served as building manager, volunteer recruiter, prayer team leader, and publicity manager. Laura received her bachelor’s degree from the University of Virginia where she was involved in many campus ministries, including the Center for Christian Study. Laura has experience serving on numerous boards, most recently with Gainesville Thrives, an educational non-profit.
Mia Chung-Yee is the Executive Director of the Octet Collaborative at MIT. Mia has enjoyed great success internationally as a solo recitalist, concerto soloist and chamber musician. In 1993, she won first prize at the Concert Artists Guild Competition, and in 1997 she received the Avery Fisher Career Grant, the highest recognition for young concert artists in the United States. Mia graduated with a bachelor’s degree from Harvard College, a master’s degree from Yale University, and a doctorate from The Juilliard School. She served as Professor of Music and Artist in Residence at Gordon College from 1991 to 2011 and joined the faculty of the Curtis Institute of Music as Professor of Musical Studies in 2012. Mia’s introduction to the Christian study center movement occurred in 2018 when she was a guest lecturer at Cornell’s Chesterton House.
David Hobbet is an Associate Partner with McKinsey and Company where he helps mission-driven organizations and leader deliver significant and sustainable impact. Much of his work focuses on higher education, including strategy development, new program design and launch, enrollment management, organizational design, and transformational change. Prior to McKinsey, David served as the Executive Director of the Veritas Forum and he also has significant experience in global economic development and social sector leadership more broadly.
History
Directors met in St. Paul, MN in 2008 to formally form CCSC. From left to right: Drew Trotter, David Mahan, Randy Bare, Karl Johnson, & Bob Osburne.
First Annual Meeting in 2011
2011 Symposium
2016 Vocation Project students with Drew Trotter
2019 Annual Meeting in Chicago
CCSC staff Fall 2022
1970s & 1980s
1990s
The 1990s was a fertile decade for Christian scholarship generally and the study center movement in particular. Taking to heart the message of manifestos for Christian learning such as Mark Noll’s Scandal of the Evangelical Mind (1994) and George Marsden’s Outrageous Idea of Christian Scholarship (1997), combined with the creative and catalytic periodical Books & Culture: A Christian Review, new centers began popping up, mostly at research universities. By the end of the decade, these included Rivendell Institute (Yale, 1995), the Christian Study Center of Gainesville (UF, 2000) and Chesterton House (Cornell, 2000). In 1998, when Drew Trotter was invited to give the Francis Schaeffer Memorial Lectures at Covenant Theological Seminary in St. Louis, a handful of center directors intentionally gathered to discuss their common vision for the first time.
2000s
Similar informal gatherings of center directors continued intermittently for about a decade. In July 2007, a dozen directors gathered at Chesterton House and resolved to formalize their collective endeavor. In July 2008, representatives of six centers met in St. Paul, MN, and officially formed the Consortium of Christian Study Centers. The founders were Randy Bare of Westminster House (UC, Berkeley), Rick Howe of the Dayspring Institute, (CU Boulder), Karl Johnson of Chesterton House, Dave Mahan of Rivendell Institute, Bob Osburn of the MacLaurin Institute (now Anselm House) and Drew Trotter of the Center for Christian Study. They crafted a mission statement, adopted by-laws and appointed Drew Trotter as full-time Executive Director, to begin Jan. 1, 2009.
2010s
2020 & Beyond
Despite the challenges associated with the COVID-19 pandemic, the movement continued to grow and thrive. Five new centers joined the Consortium in 2020 and 2021, and several existing centers embarked on multi-million-dollar capital campaigns related to the purchase and remodeling of physical facilities. At the end of 2021, a survey of centers found that two-thirds of centers own their own facility, the largest of these being Upper House (UW Madison, 2015).
During the winter of 2021-2022, the Consortium added two new positions. Kim Glass joined the staff team as Communications and Development Manager, and Charity Wahrenberger became the ministry’s Internship Program Director. Kim promptly redesigned the webpage and also the e-newsletter, now called Periscope. The new Internship Program was made possible by grants from three foundations totaling more than $500,000. In the summer of 2022, we finally resumed normal in-person programs. The Vocation Project at Regent College was led by Dr. Fred Barber, and the 2022 Annual Meeting was hosted by Upper House, the study center at UW Madison. At the end of 2022 the Consortium had 37 member centers.
In 2023, the Annual Meeting was held at the brand new Anselm House facility in Minneapolis, MN with 120 attendees—a new record. Executive Directors enjoyed a pre-conference with Oliver O’Donovan as our speaker, and on the last evening the full meeting we honored Drew Trotter, on the occasion of his retirement, for his many years of service to the Consortium and the movement. In other news, the Consortium received a two-year continuation grant for the internship program, which currently serves a cohort of six interns placed at three centers.
Behind the scenes the board began a rigorous strategic planning process. We are planning—and praying—about the possible futures for these hubs of Christian community, hospitality and learning, strategically located at secular universities.
Statement of Faith
Christian Study Centers seek to inhabit and serve the academic campuses and communities of which we are a part – and to do so as Christians. While welcoming persons of all faiths to events and programming, the Consortium and its members affirm the historic, orthodox beliefs of the Christian faith as summarized in the Apostles’ Creed.
Christian Study Centers seek to inhabit and serve the academic campuses and communities of which we are a part, and to do so as Christians. While welcoming persons of all faiths to events and programming, the Consortium and its members affirm the historic, orthodox beliefs of the Christian faith as summarized in the Apostles’ Creed.
Impact
34
Christian Study Centers located in the US & Canada
136,263
square feet of space dedicated to serving students at Study Centers
20%
increase in Annual Meeting attendance from 2022 to 2023
Our Member Centers
Since our inception in 2008, the Consortium has grown from four to more than 30 member centers.