Hearts and Minds: Undergraduate Spiritual and Intellectual Development at Lilly Network Institutions
The National Conference of the Lilly Network of Church-Related Colleges and Universities
September 27-29, 2024 | Westmont College, Santa Barbara, CA
Registration for this event is now closed.
The Lilly Network Website
In many different ways, Lilly Network colleges and universities intend that the Christian identities of their institutions should shape their undergraduates' experience—that students should be somehow formed by the faith commitments of their schools.
We hear anecdotally about how this happens, in the classroom and beyond. But what would we learn from more systematic analysis? How do undergraduates experience their own intellectual and social enlargement in relation to faith commitment? Are young people indeed exploring how their professional and personal paths intersect with faith-informed narratives? Are their patterns of church affiliation affected by what they learn or do as students?
Join us at Westmont College September 27-29, 2024 for "Hearts and Minds: Undergraduate Spiritual and Intellectual Development at Lilly Network Institutions," hosted by Westmont's Gaede Institute for the Liberal Arts. The centerpiece of the conference will be a new study, commissioned by the Lilly Network and implemented by Springtide Research Institute, that investigates the intellectual-religious experience of undergraduates at Lilly member schools. Springtide's director, Tricia Bruce, will present findings from that study, Fuller Seminary's Steve Argue will provide additional framing about young-adult development, and a panel of religious-life professionals drawn from Lilly campuses will give a snapshot of what they've seen with their students.
Tricia Bruce
Dr. Tricia Bruce is the director of Springtide Research Institute, which seeks to learn from and about young people ages 13 to 25. Her sociological work explores organizational and attitudinal change across a variety of settings, and she has a particular interest conveying the dynamics of social life to non-sociologists. Dr. Bruce is the author of five books, the president-elect of the Association for the Sociology of Religion, and a previous chair of the religion section of the American Sociological Association. She holds a PhD in sociology from the University of California, Santa Barbara.
Steven Argue
Dr. Steven Argue is associate professor of youth, family, and culture at Fuller Theological Seminary and the applied research strategist at the Fuller Youth Institute; his current projects include a significant research effort to understand young adults' spiritual journeys and the role of congregations in supporting them through key transitions. Dr. Argue is the author of several books including Young Adult Ministry Now and Growing With: Every Parent's Guide to Helping Teenagers and Young Adults Thrive in Their Faith, Family, and Future, and he speaks, writes, and consults on topics related to adolescence, emerging adulthood, and faith. He holds a PhD in higher adult and lifelong education from Michigan State University.
Preliminary schedule subject to change.
Friday, September 27
1pm: Bus Transportation: Mar Monte Hotel (outside Costa Kitchen restaurant) to Westmont
1pm: Registration Opens | Westmont College Global Leadership Center (GLC)
2pm: Bus Transportation: Mar Monte Hotel to Westmont
2pm: Workshop for First Timers | Founders Room (Kerr Student Center)
3pm: Welcome and Introductions | Westmont GLC
3:15pm: Plenary Address and Discussion: Tricia Bruce | Westmont GLC
5:00pm: Bus Transportation: Westmont to First Presbyterian Church, Santa Barbara
5:30pm: Reception, First Presbyterian Church
6pm: Dinner | First Presbyterian Church
7:30pm: Vespers Service | First Presbyterian Church
8:15pm: Bus Transportation: First Presbyterian Church to Mar Monte Hotel
Saturday, September 28
**Please note that the bus does not return to the hotel between on-campus programming and dinner in Santa Barbara.
8:15am: Bus Transportation: Mar Monte Hotel to Westmont
8:30am: Coffee and Refreshments | GLC
9am: Plenary Address: Steven Argue | Westmont GLC
10:35am: Break / Walk to Small Group Locations
10:55am: Small Group Discussion | See small group guide for locations
12:15pm: Lunch | Westmont GLC
1:30pm: Panel Discussion: Religious-Life Professionals | Westmont GLC
3:30pm: Bus Transportation: Westmont to Mission Santa Barbara
4:00pm: Visit Mission Santa Barbara (4pm Mass optional)
5:30pm: Bus Transportation: Mission Santa Barbara to Downtown (two downtown stops, note the color of your restaurant stop on your name tag)
6:00pm: Dinner in Santa Barbara | Downtown Restaurants
8:00pm: Bus Transportation: Downtown to Mar Monte Hotel (pink stop picks up 8pm, black stop picks up approximately 8:10pm)
Sunday, September 29
8:30-10am: Closing Plenary Discussion | Mar Monte Hotel
Flying
We recommend that you fly into Santa Barbara Airport (SBA) as it is the closest to Westmont's campus and the conference accommodations at the Mar Monte Hotel. LA International (LAX) isn't impossible, but it's far less convenient than SBA.
The SB Airbus is a reliable way to travel between LAX and Santa Barbara. If you book 48 hours in advance or earlier it costs $55 per person each way which includes bringing on one piece of luggage. The airbus drops off at the La Cumbre Plaza, about a 10 minute Uber ride from the hotel.
Driving
To the Mar Monte Hotel from Los Angeles:
From 101 North, exit Cabrillo Boulevard (left exit from freeway). Turn left off the freeway, then stay on Cabrillo at the roundabout. The Mar Monte Hotel is at 1111 E. Cabrillo; car access is on the back side of the hotel (turn right on Ninos, left on Por la Mar, left on Orilla del Mar).
To the Mar Monte Hotel from San Francisco:
From 101 South, exit Milpas St., circling around to merge onto Alisos. Turn left onto Milpas, then left again past the train tracks onto Puerto Vallarta. An immediate right takes you onto Orilla del Mar, which continues to the back side of the hotel (address 1111 E. Cabrillo).
To Westmont from Los Angeles:
Take 101 North to the Olive Mill exit. Turn right onto Olive Mill Road. Turn left at the stop sign, onto Hot Springs Road. Turn right at the next stop sign, onto Sycamore Canyon Road. Continue for 1.1 miles. Turn right onto Cold Springs Road (at the fire station). Turn left into the first Westmont campus entrance and follow the signs to the parking area.
To Westmont from San Francisco:
Take 101 South to the Coast Village exit (on the left). Turn right onto Coast Village and take the second left on the roundabout onto Hot Springs Road. Turn left onto Sycamore Canyon at the first stop sign and continue for 1.1 miles. Turn right onto Cold Springs Road (at the fire station). Turn left into the first Westmont campus entrance and follow the signs to the parking area.
Sign up for Saturday's "night on the town" dinner
Saturday night's dinner will be in smaller groups at local Santa Barbara restaurants. Everyone should select a group/restaurant prior to arrival in Santa Barbara; you can do that here. Please note that we won't return to Westmont between daytime programming and dinner, so you might plan to dress more casually that day and travel light.
Arrival
Registration for the National Conference opens at 1pm on Friday, September 27 at the Westmont College Global Leadership Center (GLC). Most of the conference, including our opening session at 3pm Friday, will take place in the GLC's Simmons Room. If possible, please check into the Mar Monte Hotel (1111 E. Cabrillo Dr.) before coming to campus. Buses will run from the hotel to campus at 1pm and 2pm, departing from outside the Costa Kitchen restaurant. If you bring a personal or rental vehicle to campus, please park in the Kerr Student Center lot (P1) and walk down to the GLC. Throughout the conference, bus transportation is provided to all activities; buses will not run to or from the airport. For anyone whose itinerary requires them to come directly from the airport to campus on Friday afternoon, we will have limited secure luggage storage in the GLC complex.
First Timers' Session
Prior to the formal start of the conference, Lilly Network staff will hold an informational session for first-time attendees and new Lilly Network campus representatives. This session will be held at 2pm in Founders Room (lower level of Kerr Student Center, a few minutes' walk up the hill from the GLC).
Mass at the Santa Barbara Mission
We'll travel to dinner Saturday night via Old Mission Santa Barbara, a site with important connection to Santa Barbara's Spanish-colonial and indigenous-Chumash histories. All are invited to attend Catholic Mass at the Mission; if you do not attend Mass, you may purchase admission to a small museum and self-guided interior tour for $17 or explore the grounds for free.
Dress
Given that we will be taking advantage of the outdoor spaces Westmont and Santa Barbara have to offer, dress will be business casual, with an emphasis on casual. Typical late-September days in Santa Barbara are warm to hot with dependably cool evenings, so carrying a sweater is a good idea. Practical shoes can be helpful for walking downtown and on Westmont's hilly and wooded campus.
Breakfast
We will have plentiful snacks available throughout the conference, but will not provide breakfast at the hotel or on campus. Hot breakfast is available for purchase at Costa Kitchen restaurant in the Mar Monte Hotel or Convivo restaurant across the street in the Santa Barbara Inn; breakfast groceries can be purchased at Tri-County Produce (note the 8am-8pm operating hours) or Sprouts Market, both of which are a short walk from the hotel.
Map
A map of the Westmont College campus can be found here, with conference locations labeled.
Please contact Westmont's Gaede Institute for the Liberal Arts at libarts@westmont.edu with any questions, and we'll look forward to having you with us in late September.