CCCU Awards 2025 Networking Grants

(WASHINGTON, D.C.) - The Council for Christian Colleges & Universities today announced the 2025 recipients of its annual Networking Grants, awarded to support high-quality, collaborative Christian scholarship that brings Christian voices into contemporary academic conversations. A total of $70,000 was awarded to four research teams representing 14 colleges and universities.

The Networking Grants for Christian Scholarsprogram was established in 1999 through the ongoing generosity of Walter and Darlene Hansen, and in 2020, a generous gift from the Christian Community Credit Union expanded the size of the grants. Each year, the CCCU awards Networking Grants to scholars whose work satisfies two key criteria: 1) the work is significantly informed by Christian practices, perspectives and purposes, and 2) the work demonstrates the potential for dissemination in the larger academy.

"Each year, the Networking Grants provide an opportunity for the CCCU to support the vital and vibrant scholarship that takes place on Christian college campuses," said CCCU President David Hoag, Ph.D. "In Christian higher education, our faculty play an essential role both by providing students with a transformative, holistic education and engaging in academic research shaped by their faith. We are excited to see the projects that take shape through the support of this year's grants."

For the 2025-26 academic year, the CCCU awarded Networking Grants to four distinct research teams composed of 20 scholars, representing 10 different CCCU colleges or universities and four non-member institutions.

"The CCCU and its selection committee were delighted by the range and depth of the proposals submitted. The broad range of competitive proposals showcases the scholarly excellence and productive collaboration offered by the faculty in Christian institutions," said Dr. Stanley P. Rosenberg, vice president for research and scholarship at the CCCU and executive director of Scholarship & Christianity in Oxford (SCIO). "Investing in research is vital to help shape institutions, their faculty and their students. It is one of the significant ways we contribute to the common good and demonstrate care for our world. The selected projects promise to bring an essential Christ-centered lens to significant scholarly conversations."

Grant-funded projects are divided into two categories: Initiative Grants provide up to $30,000 in funding over three years for teams implementing research projects, and Planning Grants provide up to $5,000 in funding over one year for teams setting out to plan research projects.

2025 Initiative Grants

Feeling the Facts: The Role of Moral Emotions in Perceptions of Science

• Dr. Elizabeth Hall, Professor of Psychology, Biola University - Project Director

• Dr. Erin Smith, Professor of Psychology, Fletcher Jones Endowed Professor of Research, California Baptist University

• Dr. Tim Pickavance, Professor, Biola University

• Dr. Jason McMartin, Professor, Biola University

Reframing International Relations: Imago Dei, Shalom and Agape

• Dr. Ana Shippey, Associate Professor of Political Science, Lee University - Project Director

• Dr. Katherine Bryant, Assistant Professor of Political Science, Westmont College

• Dr. Susan Haynes, Associate Professor of Political Science, Lipscomb University

• Dr. Peter Campbell, Associate Professor of Political Science, Baylor University

• Dr. Richard Jordan, Associate Professor of Political Science, Baylor University

• Dr. Paul Miller, Professor of the Practice of International Affairs, Georgetown University

2025 Planning Grants

Chronic Pain Intervention Across Two Cultures: A Gratitude-Centered Approach

• Dr. Paul Kim, Professor, Seattle Pacific University - Project Director

• Dr. Joel Jin, Acting Assistant Professor, University of Washington

• Dr. Munyi Shea, Professor, Seattle Pacific University

• Dr. Dave Wang, Associate Professor of Psychology and Spiritual Formation, Fuller Theological Seminary

• Dr. Joel Wong, Professor, Indiana University

• Dr. KyuJin Yon, Professor, Sogang University

Women Leading in Christian Relief, Development, Creation Care and Advocacy

• Dr. Amy Reynolds, Associate Professor of Sociology, Wheaton College - Project Director

• Dr. Laura Meitzner Yoder, Director and John Stott Chair of Human Needs and Global Resources, Wheaton College

• Dr. Joey Fung, Associate Dean, Professor of Psychology, Director of Travis Research Institute, Fuller Seminary

• Rev. Sandra Van Opstal, Adjunct Instructor, Executive Director of Chasing Justice, North Park University

For more information on the CCCU's Networking Grants for Christian Scholars program, visit cccu.org/campus-grants/networking-grants/.

All media inquiries should be directed to Dr. Amanda Staggenborg, vice president of communications, at [email protected].

About the CCCU

The Council for Christian Colleges & Universities is a higher education association of more than 170 Christian institutions around the world. Since 1976, the CCCU has served as the leading voice of Christian higher education. With campuses across the globe, including more than 130 in the U.S. and Canada and more than 30 from an additional 18 countries, CCCU institutions are accredited, comprehensive colleges and universities whose missions are Christ-centered and rooted in the historic Christian faith. Most also have curricula rooted in the arts and sciences. The CCCU's mission is to advance the cause of Christ-centered higher education and to help our institutions transform lives by faithfully relating scholarship and service to biblical truth.

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