How a Christian college is unifying students across the political divide
The key to bridging the political gaps between students is community service, Grand Canyon University president says
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}A Christian college's focus on volunteer work and community service like rehabilitating houses has been crucial in bridging any partisan divides between its students, the university's president told Fox News.
"The key to [unity] is our work in the neighborhood," Grand Canyon University President Brian Mueller said. "When you go out on a Saturday and rebuild five homes … that brings people together."
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{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}The school's community service work has "become part of the brand of the institution, and it really does help bring people together in a way that helps with the divisiveness," Mueller said.
Grand Canyon University, founded in 1949 in Phoenix, Arizona, has been expanding its campus over the last decade in a disadvantaged neighborhood as college enrollment across the country is down. The university has centered its five-point mission plan around community outreach and includes a partnership with Habitat for Humanity to rehabilitate 800 neighborhood homes and a free tutoring program for local high school students.
The Christian college doesn't require community service, but the school provides significant opportunities for volunteer work and has made it a focal point of its culture and mission. That mentality has fostered unity among students, according to Mueller.
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}Grand Canyon University students work together to improve the quality of life for their neighbors in West Phoenix, Arizona, by building houses and adding businesses to the area. (Lightvision, LLC via Getty Images)
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"We're not out there talking about different political views," he said. "Those people need help, and we're helping."
"That tends to bring people together in a way that those things that we have differences about, we can discuss," Mueller continued.
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}Mueller says his college is working to bring students together across the political spectrum through community service. (Fox News)
While the student body is primarily conservative, Mueller said he expects the political diversity to grow with the campus. The Christian college has tripled its enrollment over the last decade, up to more than 25,000 in 2022. And a university spokesperson estimated that the campus has at least 400 DACA students enrolled.
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"Those kids have had different experiences in life, and they probably see things through a political lens," Mueller said.
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}Critics have said Christian universities indoctrinate students and misrepresent science or history in their curricula. One religious studies professor, for example, told The Associated Press they're "front and center in the politicization of knowledge."
Mueller argued that the focus on Christian values has established a more accepting campus culture.
"The kindness, the caring, all of that should exist in a Christian community, exists here in a very noticeable way," Mueller said. "And then it is expounded because of all of our work to less fortunate people in that neighborhood."
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GCU campus police also partnered with the Phoenix Police Department to provide trainings and active shooter drills. Mueller said the initiative has reduced crime and improved the quality of life for their neighbors.
"We hope we can be an example of how to respect each other, respect each other's viewpoints [and] live in a community as one, but have varying viewpoints," Mueller said.
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}To watch Mueller's full interview click here.
Ramiro Vargas contributed to the accompanying video.