Conference at Sacred Heart Explores Christian Imagination
We’re grateful for Sacred Heart University’s report about the Lilly Network’s most recent National Conference, held on their campus on October 31-November 2, 2025. It was a time of deep reflection, friendship, and community, and Sacred Heart carried out the event with great care and hospitality. Read their article about it here.
Call for Papers: Gordon College Conference on “American Independence and Identity at 250": Examining Democracy in the United States and Globally, June 11-13, 2026
This conference, hosted by Gordon College, provides Christian political scientists, historians, and sociologists with a unique forum to gather to explore the state of democracy in the US (and globally). The conference will feature stellar keynote addresses, paper panels, workshops, and roundtables. In addition, in recognition of the 250th anniversary of the American Revolution, the conference also includes an optional Sunday afternoon excursion into nearby Boston to visit revolutionary sites. Gordon College, in Wenham, MA, is a short drive from historic Boston, and is located near beautiful beaches and woodlands. The Lilly Network is co-sponsoring this conference. More information is available here.
Call for Submissions: Geneva College Orality & Literature Conference
Geneva College welcomes submissions for their 3rd annual Orality & Literacy Conference: “And the Life of the Soul,” March 26-27, 2026. The Lilly Network is co-sponsoring this conference. More information is available here.
Announcing the Winner of the 2025 Arlin G. Meyer Book Award
The Lilly Network is pleased to announce that the winner of the 2025 Arlin G. Meyer Book Award is Deep Reading: Practices to Subvert the Vices of Our Distracted, Hostile, and Consumeristic Age, by Dr. Rachel B. Griffis, Dr. Julie Ooms, and Dr. Rachel M. De Smith Roberts. Please visit this page for more information on the winner and the four finalists.
Lilly Network Leadership Institute
As colleges and universities face a variety of extraordinary challenges, the Lilly Network of Church-Related Colleges and Universities has launched an innovative new program to advance the mission of church-related higher education and help ensure that the wisdom, responsibility, and faith it engenders can carry forward in today’s world. More information is available here.
New LinkedIn Page
The Lilly Network has a new LinkedIn page - please come follow us there, too!
Special Call for Proposals for Network Exchange Grants
The Lilly Network is issuing a special call for Network Exchange Proposals on the topic of congregational and/or community engagement. Schools that have exemplary programs connecting their campus to congregations and/or engaging their campus with local communities are invited to apply for a Network Exchange grant, which provides funding to host a workshop showcasing such a program.
Lilly Network Senior Fellow Authors New Book
We’re excited to share that Lilly Network Senior Fellow Thomas Albert (Tal) Howard has authored a new book.
Lilly Network Grant Program Funding Increases
The Lilly Network of Church-Related Colleges and Universities is excited to announce increases to its grant funding for Network institutions.
Call for Applications: Lilly Faculty Fellows Program
The Lilly Faculty Fellows Program is accepting applications for Cohort 5 (2026-2028) for mid-career faculty leaders across the disciplines to engage the intersections of Christian thought and practice with the academic vocation.
Lilly Endowment Grant Opportunity: National Storytelling Initiative in Christian Faith and Life
The Lilly Network of Church-Related Colleges and Universities is pleased to share with you information on a new grant opportunity from Lilly Endowment Inc.
Retrospective Review of Mark Schwehn’s Exiles from Eden
Lilly Network Executive Director Joe Creech recently published a retrospective review of the foundational text for the Lilly Network of Church-Related Colleges and Universities: Mark Schwehn’s Exiles from Eden. You can read this review here, in Christian Scholar’s Review, 54:1 (November 6, 2024).
Call for Papers: Orality & Literature Conference, April 3-4, 2025, Geneva College
Geneva College will hold a conference on the relevance of Walter J. Ong’s thought, as represented in his books The Presence of the Word and Orality & Literacy to the study of modern means of communication, and specifically to academic curricula. They invite a full range of contributions from professors and practitioners in diverse fields.
Report on 2024 Lilly Network National Conference
It was a great joy to see many of our colleagues at Westmont College recently for the annual Lilly Network National Conference and Workshop for Senior Administrators. We hope all attendees engaged deeply with the ideas presented and the people who attended, and returned to their home institutions feeling restored and hopeful.
Faith & College Life: A Report on Student Spiritual and Intellectual Development
The Lilly Network of Church-Related Colleges and Universities is pleased to share the report, “Faith & College Life,” on the Lilly Network Survey on Student Spiritual and Intellectual Development. We give thanks to the 34 colleges and universities that administered the survey to their students in Fall 2023, 34 students who participated in focus group sessions, and to Springtide Research Institute for creating the survey, analyzing the results, and preparing this report.
Save the Date: 2025 Lilly Network National Conference
Sacred Heart University in Fairfield, Connecticut, will host the 2025 Lilly Network National Conference on October 31-November 2, 2025. The theme will be “The Christian Imagination in Higher Education.” We hope to see you there!
Union University Faculty Mentoring Program Kicks Off with Weeklong Retreat
From Union University’s website - click here for more information!
JACKSON, Tenn. — Aug. 13, 2024 — Union University faculty completed a weeklong retreat at the Scarritt Bennett Center in Nashville, Tenn., Aug. 4-9 designed to renew their sense of vocation.
The retreat was the first phase of a new mentoring program led by Union professors Gavin Richardson and Jean Marie Walls, supported by the provost’s office and largely funded by a grant from the Lilly Network of Church-Related Colleges and Universities.
Inciting Peace from the Inside Out
In conjunction with a recent Faculty Fellows Program campus project, Seton Hall University recently published the 2023 Conference Proceedings of the The Institute for Communication and Religion. See this page for more details on this important collection of articles from a multi-disciplinary group of scholars exploring the connections between reconciliation practices and spiritual dynamics.
Introducing the Lilly Network’s New Name, Logo, and Website
We’re excited to introduce you to the new website for the Lilly Network of Church-Related Colleges and Universities! We welcome your thoughts on it. Email us at lilly.network@valpo.edu.
The Arlin G. Meyer Prize - Currently on Hiatus
The Lilly Network is in the process of reworking the Arlin G. Meyer Prize. As a result, the selection process for this prize is on hiatus. Check back with us for updates.