President’s Update: What is an Innovation Center???
By now I hope you have all heard of our recent announcement that God has blessed us with an incredible 7.5-acre property with a beautiful 130,000 square foot building in Fort Morgan, Colorado. We also announced that we would be launching the Calvary University Innovation Center as a second location there. Quite a few have asked what exactly this Innovation Center is.
Excellent question. I am glad you asked. While God has been very gracious in allowing us the wonderful property at our main campus in Kansas City, Missouri, we don’t quite have the room there to do some of the things we believe necessary for Calvary University to best fulfill its mission. So we have been on the lookout during these past couple of years for properties that might fit our needs for a second site to complement what we are doing in Kansas City and online. Our new Innovation Center offers just what we need.
First, the Innovation Center will be a hub for student and faculty engagement in the Western United States. Calvary U currently offers more than 60 different degrees at our main campus, and many of those are available fully online as well. But along with our blended model which integrates the best of both the online and on campus worlds, we still want our students in other regions to be able to have an on-campus community. The Innovation Center allows us to do that in a ministry-rich area around Denver, Colorado. We plan to offer degrees onsite there in Bible and Theology, Christian ministries, Biblical counseling, intercultural studies, and business and organizational development, with classes launching late this Summer.
Second, the Innovation Center will be a center for community engagement. The athletic center seats nearly 1700 and the auditorium seats nearly 900. These are incredible facilities that will allow the Calvary University Innovation Center to be home to conferences, community groups, and more. We are working as we speak to develop relationships and partnerships with those who might be a great fit for collaboration. The facilities allow us to serve the residents of Fort Morgan and beyond. Further, we will have plenty of space to house ministries and businesses who want to locate their offices at the Innovation Center. This will provide great opportunities to connect community leaders with our students, allowing our students to learn and serve the community well. Have a ministry or business in the Denver area, and interested in being part of Calvary’s Innovation Center? Let’s talk! There may be a home for you at the Innovation Center.
Third, the Innovation Center will be a place of outreach to a beautifully diverse population. The area northeast of Denver is surprisingly diverse, with a few major companies operating factories and plants there. It is a growing area, and judging by the housing market in that area, the economy there seems about ready to explode (in a good way).
Speaking of housing – that will be one of our greatest challenges: to provide housing opportunities for students. While the opportunity is significant, so is the cost. We ask that you consider how you might prayerfully support our efforts there in providing opportunities for our students. If you can help in any way let us know!
Finally, the Innovation Center will give us opportunities to launch innovative mission-supporting programs, complementing and aiding our efforts in Kansas City. We expect that the Innovation Center will help us grow and sustain the quality we need in order to best serve our students in both of our locations. We are excited about this second location for Calvary University, and we ask you to keep us in prayer as we strive to be excellent stewards with this unique opportunity. And if you have a pair of gloves or a few expendable dollars, come on! We could use your help…
