InterVarsity's Faculty Ministry wants to help you host a Christian Faculty Symposium. We have grants available for the 2007-08 academic year.

Our desire is to come alongside InterVarsity staff and others who desire to have a greater involvement with faculty on their campuses. One of the most effective and successful ministry practices over the years has been to host one-day events that we are calling "Christian Faculty Symposia."

Who hosts a Christian Faculty Symposium?

Anyone who desires to minister among faculty on a campus and who meets the qualifications of a Faculty Ministry Catalyst can host a symposium. A dictionary defines catalysts as "agents that initiate or speed significant action." InterVarsity Faculty Ministry Catalysts are just that. They:

• Believe Christian faculty on campus play a central role in the redemption of the university and desire to be leaders in this process.
• Are persons of character, demonstrating reliance on the Lord and vision for being used by God in the lives of faculty.
• Seek to engage faculty and the university in culturally relevant ways that respect and affirm academic vocations under the Lordship of Christ, and have some experience being "salt" and "light" on their campus.
• Take initiative in personal relationships and commit themselves to working toward establishing or developing a faculty community.
• Share the InterVarsity Doctrinal Basis and the InterVarsity Faculty Ministry Mission Statement.
• Commit to partnering with other Faculty Ministry Catalysts in this endeavor.

We want to extend an invitation to involvement in these one-day events to all InterVarsity campus staff and area and regional directors and will make every effort to see that these events help you fulfill InterVarsity's vision to see students and faculty transformed, campuses redeemed, and world changers developed.

Who attends a Christian Faculty Symposium?

The majority of attendees are faculty, yet we recognize that graduate students may desire to attend and would benefit as well. Therefore, we also welcome graduate students following a calling to the academy.

What do we hope these Christian Faculty Symposia will accomplish?

We hope that Christian Faculty Symposia will be:

• A gathering point for faculty to come together in a way that encourages the individual as well as builds a sense of community and a "one-another" perspective for future ministry.
• A launching pad for relationships and possibly the development of an ongoing community of Christian faculty on campus, if one does not yet exist.
• A way for InterVarsity staff to better serve Christian faculty on their campuses.

We expect that the process of planning this event with a few key professors will provide valuable experience in working with faculty, who will continue in leadership roles for future events, helping build the local Christian faculty community, etc.

Why would a professor attend a Christian Faculty Symposium?

• Faculty are interested in knowing other colleagues who share their faith commitment. They are often isolated and unaware of colleagues around them who are followers of Jesus Christ.
• Faculty are often more willing to attend a gathering that is close and short in duration.
• The topics are relevant to all faculty, but seldom addressed in other venues, namely issues of spiritual formation, community, evangelism, service, and whole-life stewardship as related specifically to the academic call.

2007-08 Christian Faculty Symposia Grant Guidelines

Description

It is the desire of the Faculty Ministry Leadership Team to encourage and support as many symposia around the country as possible. Quite often staff and others interested in hosting such an event tell us funding is a major barrier, as costs for publicity, honorarium, venue, etc. can easily exceed $1,000. Therefore, we are offering funds to help offset these and other associated costs for a Christian Faculty Symposium on your campus or in your area. The following outlines the stipulations for the grant and how to apply.

You may apply for one of the two types of grants being offered:

Basic Grants
For those desiring to host a Christian Faculty Symposium on their campus or in their area this academic year (2007-08), we are offering five basic grants of up to $500 each.

Sustaining Grants
For those who commit to hosting this event annually, we are offering five grants of up to $2,250 to help leverage your vision for the future. These grants are intended to help you develop matching funds from local sponsors for Christian Faculty Symposia in the years to come.

Sustaining Grants are matching grants disbursed over three years as follows:

• 2007-08: $1,000 with your $250 match (a 4:1 match)
• 2008-09: $500 with your $500 match (You are responsible to develop an additional $250 over the $250 developed from the previous year. This is a 1:1 match.)
• 2009-10: $250 with your $750 match (Again, you are responsible to develop an additional $250 over the $500 developed from the two previous years. This is a 1:3 match.)
• 2010-11 and beyond: By God's grace and goodness — and your faithfulness to share the vision and invite people, churches and businesses to participate — by the fourth year sufficient local sustained/annual funding will be secured to continue to host symposia each year. These funds will then continue to cover what is not provided in registration fees, thus establishing a high quality, sustainable annual event for Christian academics.

Christian Faculty Symposium Grant Approval Requirements

• A symposium will be held this fiscal year (July 1, 2007 through June 30, 2008).


• The 2007-08 grant is intended for this event only.


• InterVarsity leadership (area or regional directors) are informed of this event and copied on grant application request.


• You submit a budget and projected income/expense spreadsheet with the application.


• The event is publicized as sponsored in conjunction with InterVarsity's Faculty Ministry (in printed publicity, email announcements, websites, and at the event.)


• Faculty Ministry will provide you with access to a secure planning site that will direct you to resources and provide much of the guidance and materials you will need for planning. The Symposium Planning Guide will be available in September 2007.


• We ask you use the online registration procedure provided by Faculty Ministry, including an electronic payment option. This registration site will link to the symposium website, which you create (or which we can create at your request). Here we will invite participants to receive the Faculty Ministry Newsletter (gratis), receive the triennial Faculty Survey (to help us all improve faculty ministry), and join the Emerging Scholars Network. Doing this will save you time and simplify event administration. And it will help us provide faculty with resources and connect them to the ministry nationally.


• We ask you to use the electronic evaluation form provided by Faculty Ministry. You will have the opportunity to add your own questions as well. We will review the results with you, and they will be available for you to use in your planning to improve the quality of future symposia.


• The Emerging Scholars Network and the Faculty Ministry Newsletter are promoted at the event (including offering ESN brochures and copies of the latest newsletter with materials provided to symposium participants).

Upon approval of your application, Faculty Ministry will work with you and reimburse you for expenses up to the grant limits, once requirements of the grant have been fulfilled. Funds that are accumulated beyond your expenses are funds you can use in developing your faculty ministry this year and can also be seed money for your symposium in the coming year.

Application Form

Complete the application form at least ninety (90) days prior to your planned event, and contact Rachel Bawden, Faculty Ministry Associate Director of Operations, about submitting your application. All InterVarsity staff, please copy your immediate supervisor.

Approval of most grant applications will be completed within two weeks.

Thank you for your interest in hosting a one-day faculty symposium!