WEBVTT 00:00:00.000 --> 00:00:03.160 Imagine walking onto a college campus and, you 00:00:03.160 --> 00:00:05.040 know, seeing a six -year -old taking a reading 00:00:05.040 --> 00:00:06.820 class right next to a 20 -year -old theology 00:00:06.820 --> 00:00:09.720 student. Which is just a wild image. It really 00:00:09.720 --> 00:00:12.539 is. Now, imagine that exact same school a century 00:00:12.539 --> 00:00:16.059 later holding 17 national athletic titles while 00:00:16.059 --> 00:00:18.600 at the same time legally banning its students 00:00:18.600 --> 00:00:22.039 from having premarital sex. It is quite the juxtaposition. 00:00:22.339 --> 00:00:25.859 Exactly. Welcome to today's Deep Dive. We are 00:00:25.859 --> 00:00:28.859 pointing our lens at Southern Wesleyan University 00:00:28.859 --> 00:00:32.090 or SWU. It's a private Christian university in 00:00:32.090 --> 00:00:34.609 central South Carolina. And our mission for you 00:00:34.609 --> 00:00:37.450 today is to explore a truly fascinating paradox. 00:00:38.109 --> 00:00:39.770 We are going to look at the source material to 00:00:39.770 --> 00:00:43.549 figure out how a tiny 1906 Bible Institute somehow 00:00:43.549 --> 00:00:46.549 evolved into this highly complex modern university. 00:00:46.929 --> 00:00:48.710 Yeah, it's not a simple straight line of growth. 00:00:48.770 --> 00:00:50.829 Not at all. It's an institution that manages 00:00:50.829 --> 00:00:54.130 to balance a massive athletic footprint, a robust 00:00:54.130 --> 00:00:57.570 adult online education network, and, well, some 00:00:57.570 --> 00:00:59.390 of the strictest religious codes in the country. 00:00:59.549 --> 00:01:01.310 To set the stage for you, if you were to take 00:01:01.310 --> 00:01:03.909 an aerial view of the campus today, you would 00:01:03.909 --> 00:01:08.370 see a 350 acre rural footprint nestled in South 00:01:08.370 --> 00:01:10.730 Carolina. Okay, so pretty substantial. Yeah, 00:01:10.950 --> 00:01:13.969 very. They serve around 1600 students in total, 00:01:14.510 --> 00:01:17.510 with more than 800 undergraduates living and 00:01:17.510 --> 00:01:19.890 studying right there on that main campus. Got 00:01:19.890 --> 00:01:22.870 it. And the academic scope is huge. I mean, they 00:01:22.870 --> 00:01:25.290 are offering everything from associates degrees 00:01:25.290 --> 00:01:28.829 all the way up to doctoral degrees in business 00:01:28.829 --> 00:01:31.430 and education. Which is a massive leap from where 00:01:31.430 --> 00:01:34.409 they started. Absolutely. But the crucial thing 00:01:34.409 --> 00:01:36.950 to keep in mind, like the foundation that everything 00:01:36.950 --> 00:01:40.549 rests on, is its deep fundamental affiliation 00:01:40.549 --> 00:01:42.870 with the Wesleyan Church. Right. It's a thoroughly 00:01:42.870 --> 00:01:46.150 modern educational infrastructure, but it's built 00:01:46.150 --> 00:01:49.709 on a very specific historic religious foundation. 00:01:49.900 --> 00:01:52.019 And to understand how they built that modern 00:01:52.019 --> 00:01:53.840 infrastructure, we really have to look backward 00:01:53.840 --> 00:01:56.599 because the survival of this institution is essentially 00:01:56.599 --> 00:01:59.120 a master class in constant shape -shifting. It 00:01:59.120 --> 00:02:01.079 really is. Okay, let's untack this because their 00:02:01.079 --> 00:02:03.260 origin story is completely wild compared to how 00:02:03.260 --> 00:02:05.280 we think of higher education today. Oh, for sure. 00:02:05.519 --> 00:02:07.900 In 1904, representatives from the Wesleyan Methodist 00:02:07.900 --> 00:02:10.099 Churches in South Carolina and the surrounding 00:02:10.099 --> 00:02:12.780 states got together because they realized, hey, 00:02:13.120 --> 00:02:15.680 we need a college. Right. They saw a gap. Yeah. 00:02:16.080 --> 00:02:19.560 So two years later, October 15, 1906, classes 00:02:19.560 --> 00:02:22.400 begin. But they didn't just open a traditional 00:02:22.400 --> 00:02:25.219 college. Those first classes literally ranged 00:02:25.219 --> 00:02:27.960 from first grade all the way through higher education. 00:02:28.039 --> 00:02:30.300 Yeah. You had young children and young adults 00:02:30.300 --> 00:02:33.639 walking the exact same grounds. It sounds chaotic 00:02:33.639 --> 00:02:36.300 to modern ears, but you really have to look at 00:02:36.300 --> 00:02:39.080 the mechanism of rural education at the turn 00:02:39.080 --> 00:02:41.159 of the 20th century. What do you mean? Well. 00:02:41.760 --> 00:02:44.520 Educational resources were incredibly scarce. 00:02:44.939 --> 00:02:47.479 The church wasn't just dropping a college into 00:02:47.479 --> 00:02:49.780 a fully functioning town. They were building 00:02:49.780 --> 00:02:52.400 an entire educational pipeline from the ground 00:02:52.400 --> 00:02:56.099 up to serve a community that desperately needed 00:02:56.099 --> 00:02:59.120 basic literacy, just as much as it needed theological 00:02:59.120 --> 00:03:00.800 training. That makes a lot of sense, actually. 00:03:01.020 --> 00:03:03.960 But as the century progressed and public education 00:03:03.960 --> 00:03:07.139 expanded, That all -in -one pipeline had to adapt 00:03:07.139 --> 00:03:09.240 if they wanted to survive. Right. They couldn't 00:03:09.240 --> 00:03:11.879 just keep teaching first graders forever. Exactly. 00:03:12.060 --> 00:03:13.960 You actually see this institutional identity 00:03:13.960 --> 00:03:16.699 crisis reflected in their name changes. They 00:03:16.699 --> 00:03:19.300 started out as the Wesleyan Methodist Bible Institute 00:03:19.300 --> 00:03:22.379 from 1906 to 1908. Then they realized they needed 00:03:22.379 --> 00:03:25.360 a broader appeal. So for 50 years, they operated 00:03:25.360 --> 00:03:28.819 as Wesleyan Methodist College. Then in 1959, 00:03:29.319 --> 00:03:31.860 they pivot again to Central Wesleyan College. 00:03:32.460 --> 00:03:34.699 And they hold on to that until 1994, when they 00:03:34.699 --> 00:03:36.979 finally settle on Southern Wesleyan University. 00:03:37.120 --> 00:03:40.099 Four distinct names. Four distinct names. And 00:03:40.099 --> 00:03:43.300 each name change tracks with a major shift in 00:03:43.300 --> 00:03:45.280 what they were actually delivering to the students. 00:03:45.419 --> 00:03:48.280 Yeah, the demographics kept shifting. By 1928, 00:03:48.400 --> 00:03:51.080 they realized the all -in -one model was unsustainable, 00:03:51.120 --> 00:03:53.560 so they started operating as a two -year junior 00:03:53.560 --> 00:03:56.659 college while keeping a four -year theological 00:03:56.659 --> 00:04:00.639 program. And it wasn't until 1958 that they finally 00:04:00.639 --> 00:04:03.159 phased out those pre -college programs entirely. 00:04:03.360 --> 00:04:05.719 Wow, so that lasted a long time. Yeah, over 50 00:04:05.719 --> 00:04:08.860 years, meaning no more elementary or high school 00:04:08.860 --> 00:04:13.099 students on campus after 1958. That same year, 00:04:13.259 --> 00:04:15.900 the junior college gets accredited. But the climb 00:04:15.900 --> 00:04:18.579 to become a full -fledged university was slow. 00:04:18.660 --> 00:04:21.459 It took a while. It took until 1973 for them 00:04:21.459 --> 00:04:23.920 to be accredited to award bachelor's degrees 00:04:23.920 --> 00:04:26.399 by the Southern Association of Colleges and Schools. 00:04:26.519 --> 00:04:29.610 Which is a huge milestone. They were constantly 00:04:29.610 --> 00:04:32.230 tweaking the formula, you know, to find out what 00:04:32.230 --> 00:04:35.689 the market actually needed. And that leads to 00:04:35.689 --> 00:04:37.550 what I think is their most brilliant tactical 00:04:37.550 --> 00:04:40.889 pivot. Of the 80s program. Yes. In 1986, they 00:04:40.889 --> 00:04:43.110 launched something called the EE Key Program. 00:04:43.230 --> 00:04:45.009 Leadership education for adult professionals. 00:04:45.290 --> 00:04:48.720 Exactly. And for you listening... Think about 00:04:48.720 --> 00:04:51.040 the logistics of that for a second. In 1986, 00:04:51.319 --> 00:04:54.240 there is no internet. Right. There is no easy 00:04:54.240 --> 00:04:56.259 distance learning. If you want to get a degree, 00:04:56.439 --> 00:05:00.699 you physically go to a campus. But SWU creates 00:05:00.699 --> 00:05:03.300 a non -traditional program geared specifically 00:05:03.300 --> 00:05:05.620 toward working adults. Yeah, they expand to offer 00:05:05.620 --> 00:05:08.439 associate, bachelor's, and master's degrees in 00:05:08.439 --> 00:05:11.300 an evening class format. To me, this LEP program 00:05:11.300 --> 00:05:14.279 is essentially the 1980s equivalent of our modern 00:05:14.279 --> 00:05:16.500 asynchronous work from home culture. Oh, I like 00:05:16.500 --> 00:05:19.959 that comparison. Right. You have a small rural 00:05:19.959 --> 00:05:22.480 religious college recognizing decades ahead of 00:05:22.480 --> 00:05:25.420 the curve that the traditional 18 to 22 year 00:05:25.420 --> 00:05:27.939 old living in a dorm wasn't the only way to deliver 00:05:27.939 --> 00:05:29.879 an education. They saw the writing on the wall. 00:05:30.009 --> 00:05:32.370 They realized working professionals needed a 00:05:32.370 --> 00:05:35.350 flexible model to upskill. So you'd have adults 00:05:35.350 --> 00:05:37.810 working a nine to five, driving to campus in 00:05:37.810 --> 00:05:41.050 the evening, taking intensive classes, and probably 00:05:41.050 --> 00:05:43.870 hauling physical binders of coursework back home 00:05:43.870 --> 00:05:46.029 to study on the weekends. Yeah, literal binders. 00:05:46.129 --> 00:05:48.970 And that 1980s evening program is the direct 00:05:48.970 --> 00:05:52.250 ancestor of the fully online undergraduate, graduate, 00:05:52.370 --> 00:05:54.670 and doctoral programs they run today. What's 00:05:54.670 --> 00:05:57.050 fascinating here is how this academic evolution 00:05:57.050 --> 00:06:00.430 shows an incredible institution pragmatism. Tell 00:06:00.430 --> 00:06:03.029 me more about that. Well, to survive an entire 00:06:03.029 --> 00:06:05.329 century of economic depressions, world wars, 00:06:05.709 --> 00:06:08.430 and shifting cultural landscapes, a niche religious 00:06:08.430 --> 00:06:10.689 school just cannot be rigid in its operations. 00:06:10.750 --> 00:06:13.009 Right. They break. Exactly. It has to look at 00:06:13.009 --> 00:06:15.589 its community and ask, what is the actual utility 00:06:15.589 --> 00:06:18.449 we provide today? Yeah. In 1906, the utility 00:06:18.449 --> 00:06:21.589 was teaching first graders to read. In 1986, 00:06:21.689 --> 00:06:24.050 it was giving a working manager an evening path 00:06:24.050 --> 00:06:27.170 to a master's degree. And today? Today, it's 00:06:27.170 --> 00:06:29.769 offering online doctoral degrees. The academic 00:06:29.769 --> 00:06:32.410 machinery constantly adapted to ensure the institution 00:06:32.410 --> 00:06:34.610 didn't go bankrupt. So they have this booming 00:06:34.610 --> 00:06:36.990 adult learning program, paying the bills and 00:06:36.990 --> 00:06:40.029 expanding their reach. But working 40 year olds 00:06:40.029 --> 00:06:42.589 taking evening classes aren't exactly living 00:06:42.589 --> 00:06:45.629 in dorms, painting their faces on Saturdays and 00:06:45.629 --> 00:06:48.300 building a traditional campus culture. No. Definitely 00:06:48.300 --> 00:06:51.100 not. If you want to keep your traditional 800 00:06:51.100 --> 00:06:54.019 undergraduates engaged, you need a completely 00:06:54.019 --> 00:06:57.439 different engine. Which brings us to their athletics 00:06:57.439 --> 00:07:01.019 and the warrior spirit. The athletics program 00:07:01.019 --> 00:07:03.579 is a massive piece of the Southern Wesleyan puzzle. 00:07:03.860 --> 00:07:06.620 Yeah, it is. Their teams are the Warriors and 00:07:06.620 --> 00:07:10.069 their mascot is Ty the Warrior. but the mechanics 00:07:10.069 --> 00:07:12.649 of their athletic footprint are highly unusual. 00:07:12.689 --> 00:07:15.589 How so? They utilize a dual membership structure. 00:07:15.670 --> 00:07:18.949 They compete in the massive NCAA Division II, 00:07:19.110 --> 00:07:21.069 specifically within the Conference Carolinas, 00:07:21.470 --> 00:07:23.990 while simultaneously competing in the NCAA. And 00:07:23.990 --> 00:07:25.829 that's the National Christian College Athletic 00:07:25.829 --> 00:07:27.589 Association, right? Yes, and they compete there 00:07:27.589 --> 00:07:29.170 at the Division I level. And they don't just 00:07:29.170 --> 00:07:32.209 show up to play. They dominate in the NCAA. They 00:07:32.209 --> 00:07:36.209 really do. The sources show 17 NCAA national 00:07:36.209 --> 00:07:39.490 championship titles since 2007. Just to give 00:07:39.490 --> 00:07:41.990 you a sense of the scale here the women's basketball 00:07:41.990 --> 00:07:44.910 team took the national championship in 2007 awesome 00:07:45.160 --> 00:07:47.939 The men's soccer team won the Division I national 00:07:47.939 --> 00:07:52.439 titles in both 2013 and 2015. Wow. Their head 00:07:52.439 --> 00:07:55.620 coach, Camila Rodriguez, was named NCCAA Coach 00:07:55.620 --> 00:07:59.100 of the Year in 2013. And that very same year, 00:07:59.540 --> 00:08:01.819 Zach Moore won the individual national title 00:08:01.819 --> 00:08:03.879 for men's golf. That's a huge year for them. 00:08:03.959 --> 00:08:06.339 Right. Add to that multiple titles in women's 00:08:06.339 --> 00:08:09.000 indoor and outdoor track and field, men's baseball. 00:08:09.079 --> 00:08:11.920 I mean, they managed to do this across 12 intercollegiate 00:08:11.920 --> 00:08:14.379 varsity sports with a relatively small student 00:08:14.379 --> 00:08:16.519 body. The competitive drive is definitely baked 00:08:16.519 --> 00:08:18.839 into the culture. Yeah. And it extends well beyond 00:08:18.839 --> 00:08:20.920 the varsity level. Yeah. Oh, yeah. The campus 00:08:20.920 --> 00:08:23.060 life operates at a very high frequency. They 00:08:23.060 --> 00:08:25.459 run intramural sports open to everyone, flag 00:08:25.459 --> 00:08:27.720 football, ping pong, sand volleyball. Right. 00:08:27.920 --> 00:08:30.100 But crucially, all of this activity is blended 00:08:30.100 --> 00:08:32.179 with their service and spiritual mission. Right. 00:08:32.220 --> 00:08:34.440 It's not just sports for sports sake. Right. 00:08:34.779 --> 00:08:37.779 Exactly. Student life organizes an annual day 00:08:37.779 --> 00:08:40.289 of service. where students and staff physically 00:08:40.289 --> 00:08:43.429 go out into the local community to run food drives, 00:08:43.830 --> 00:08:46.169 clear brush, and handle local cleaning projects. 00:08:46.269 --> 00:08:48.769 They even have a coed base fishing club sport, 00:08:48.950 --> 00:08:51.269 which I just... It's so specific. It perfectly 00:08:51.269 --> 00:08:54.009 roots them in their rural South Carolina geography. 00:08:54.599 --> 00:08:58.240 You also see the spiritual life explicitly integrated 00:08:58.240 --> 00:09:01.200 into the extracurriculars. Definitely. The university 00:09:01.200 --> 00:09:03.539 funds recreation ministry teams where students 00:09:03.539 --> 00:09:06.019 spend June and July working at various Christian 00:09:06.019 --> 00:09:09.240 summer camps. There is also the university singers, 00:09:09.500 --> 00:09:11.919 a traveling vocal group that performs contemporary 00:09:11.919 --> 00:09:14.139 and traditional gospel music at churches and 00:09:14.139 --> 00:09:16.539 events across the region. Very active. So you 00:09:16.539 --> 00:09:19.399 have this incredibly active traditional campus 00:09:19.399 --> 00:09:21.220 heartbeat. But wait, hold on. Here's where it 00:09:21.220 --> 00:09:22.720 gets really interesting. Because I have to look 00:09:22.720 --> 00:09:24.539 at this dual sports league strategy with a bit 00:09:24.539 --> 00:09:27.259 of skepticism. Okay, weigh it on me. They joined 00:09:27.259 --> 00:09:31.600 the massive, highly regulated NCAA Division II 00:09:31.600 --> 00:09:35.950 machinery in the 2014 -2015 academic year. doesn't 00:09:35.950 --> 00:09:38.710 plugging into that secular athletic complex risk 00:09:38.710 --> 00:09:41.429 completely diluting their core mission. It's 00:09:41.429 --> 00:09:43.950 a fair question. The sources state their goal 00:09:43.950 --> 00:09:46.649 is to cultivate, quote, strong men and women 00:09:46.649 --> 00:09:48.809 who desire to embody the character of Christ. 00:09:48.889 --> 00:09:52.570 Right. How do you chase NCAA glory without pulling 00:09:52.570 --> 00:09:55.710 focus from that highly specific spiritual goal? 00:09:56.129 --> 00:09:59.129 It is the central tension for any religious institution 00:09:59.129 --> 00:10:02.309 trying to scale up. But the dual wielding of 00:10:02.309 --> 00:10:05.470 the NCAA and the NCCAA memberships is actually 00:10:05.470 --> 00:10:07.529 a brilliant recruiting mechanism. How does that 00:10:07.529 --> 00:10:12.129 work? By joining NCAA Division II, SWU significantly 00:10:12.129 --> 00:10:14.899 elevates its national profile. Think about the 00:10:14.899 --> 00:10:17.460 recruiting pitch. It allows them to attract top 00:10:17.460 --> 00:10:20.139 -tier athletic and academic talent who want the 00:10:20.139 --> 00:10:23.080 prestige of competing at a recognized mainstream 00:10:23.080 --> 00:10:25.759 national level. That makes sense. But by actively 00:10:25.759 --> 00:10:28.740 maintaining their NCAA division of status, they 00:10:28.740 --> 00:10:31.000 explicitly ring -fenced their Christian identity. 00:10:31.600 --> 00:10:34.700 I see. The NCCAA provides a platform to compete 00:10:34.700 --> 00:10:37.220 against peer institutions that share their foundational 00:10:37.220 --> 00:10:39.620 values. It is a way to step into the broader 00:10:39.620 --> 00:10:42.580 secular collegiate arena for exposure without 00:10:42.580 --> 00:10:44.600 surrendering the specific spiritual character 00:10:44.600 --> 00:10:47.220 that defines their daily campus life. That makes 00:10:47.220 --> 00:10:49.639 perfect sense from a marketing and growth perspective, 00:10:49.960 --> 00:10:52.759 but it has to create a massive amount of internal 00:10:52.759 --> 00:10:55.519 friction. Oh, without a doubt. Because maintaining 00:10:55.519 --> 00:10:57.899 that traditional Christian character in the middle 00:10:57.899 --> 00:11:01.559 of a modern athletic and academic expansion requires 00:11:01.559 --> 00:11:04.860 drawing incredibly hard lines in the sand regarding 00:11:04.860 --> 00:11:07.700 how students and faculty actually behave. Yes, 00:11:07.799 --> 00:11:10.320 it does. Which brings us to the most defining 00:11:10.320 --> 00:11:13.019 part of the Southern Wesleyan University ecosystem, 00:11:13.559 --> 00:11:15.899 their social codes. Right. And for you listening, 00:11:16.039 --> 00:11:18.580 I need to make something perfectly clear. We 00:11:18.580 --> 00:11:21.190 are looking at these source documents. purely 00:11:21.190 --> 00:11:23.370 as observers today to understand the mechanics 00:11:23.370 --> 00:11:25.809 of this campus. Exactly. We aren't here to debate 00:11:25.809 --> 00:11:28.129 the morality of these policies, to endorse them 00:11:28.129 --> 00:11:31.009 or to condemn them. We are entirely neutral. 00:11:31.269 --> 00:11:34.049 Our job is simply to look at the undeniable reality 00:11:34.049 --> 00:11:36.490 of how this university functions and the boundaries 00:11:36.490 --> 00:11:40.029 it sets. The policies at SWU are unambiguous, 00:11:40.350 --> 00:11:42.549 strictly enforced, and they serve to put the 00:11:42.549 --> 00:11:44.470 theological boundaries of the Wesleyan Church 00:11:44.470 --> 00:11:46.929 into daily practice. The best way to understand 00:11:46.929 --> 00:11:49.409 it is to look at enrollment as signing a highly 00:11:49.409 --> 00:11:53.029 specific Behavioral contract. Behavioral contract, 00:11:53.090 --> 00:11:55.470 yeah. Unlike a public state university where 00:11:55.470 --> 00:11:58.090 the social environment is largely secular and 00:11:58.090 --> 00:12:00.929 permissive, a student or a faculty member at 00:12:00.929 --> 00:12:05.710 SWU is deliberately opting into a strict, predefined 00:12:05.710 --> 00:12:09.490 moral ecosystem. Yes. According to the university's 00:12:09.490 --> 00:12:12.350 student handbook and their internal faculty policies, 00:12:12.850 --> 00:12:15.789 there is a strict prohibition on premarital sex, 00:12:16.009 --> 00:12:18.629 homosexual acts, and with the policies specifically 00:12:18.629 --> 00:12:21.750 termed sexual perversions. And those behavioral 00:12:21.750 --> 00:12:23.789 contracts are legally insulated. What do you 00:12:23.789 --> 00:12:26.710 mean by insulated? In 2015, Southern Wesleyan 00:12:26.710 --> 00:12:29.309 University was granted a specific exception to 00:12:29.309 --> 00:12:31.870 Title IX. Okay. To understand how that works, 00:12:32.289 --> 00:12:34.789 Title IXs is the federal civil rights law that 00:12:34.789 --> 00:12:37.450 prohibits sex -based discrimination in any school 00:12:37.450 --> 00:12:40.370 or education program that receives federal funding. 00:12:40.529 --> 00:12:42.350 Right, most schools have to follow that. Normally 00:12:42.350 --> 00:12:44.149 if a school violates that, they lose their federal 00:12:44.149 --> 00:12:47.029 money. But the law has provisions for religious 00:12:47.029 --> 00:12:51.009 institutions. The exception granted to SWU allows 00:12:51.009 --> 00:12:53.129 the university to legally discriminate against 00:12:53.129 --> 00:12:56.470 LGBT students for religious reasons. This legal 00:12:56.470 --> 00:12:58.789 mechanism ensures that their institutional policies 00:12:58.789 --> 00:13:00.990 can remain perfectly aligned with their doctrinal 00:13:00.990 --> 00:13:04.409 beliefs without risking massive federal financial 00:13:04.409 --> 00:13:08.120 penalties. And we can see the real -world application 00:13:08.120 --> 00:13:10.159 of these boundaries and the friction they cause 00:13:10.159 --> 00:13:13.279 by looking at an event from 2013. Right, the 00:13:13.279 --> 00:13:15.899 SuiUnity group. Exactly. At the time, there was 00:13:15.899 --> 00:13:19.740 an unofficial LGBT student organization operating 00:13:19.740 --> 00:13:22.899 on campus called SuiUnity. Unofficial being the 00:13:22.899 --> 00:13:25.580 key word there. Right. Because they were an unofficial 00:13:25.580 --> 00:13:28.700 group existing within this strict moral framework, 00:13:29.059 --> 00:13:31.919 it created an inevitable collision. It was bound 00:13:31.919 --> 00:13:33.779 to happen. That collision came to a head with 00:13:33.779 --> 00:13:36.590 the group's faculty. sponsor, Beth Stewart. In 00:13:36.590 --> 00:13:39.470 2013, the university fired her specifically because 00:13:39.470 --> 00:13:41.990 she refused to withdraw her support for community. 00:13:42.210 --> 00:13:44.389 This raises an important question about the complex 00:13:44.389 --> 00:13:46.529 reality of running a religiously conservative 00:13:46.529 --> 00:13:49.230 university in the 21st century. It really does. 00:13:49.409 --> 00:13:51.490 On one hand, you have an institution that is 00:13:51.490 --> 00:13:53.690 aggressively expanding. I mean, they're offering 00:13:53.690 --> 00:13:56.250 modern online MBAs. They are traveling for NCAA 00:13:56.250 --> 00:13:58.690 tournaments. They're recruiting a diverse range 00:13:58.690 --> 00:14:01.289 of adult learners from all walks of life. They 00:14:01.289 --> 00:14:03.889 are heavily engaging with the modern world. Exactly. 00:14:04.029 --> 00:14:07.110 But on the other hand, they are rigidly enforcing 00:14:07.110 --> 00:14:09.649 traditional religious doctrines that conflict 00:14:09.649 --> 00:14:12.110 sharply with the broader cultural shifts happening 00:14:12.110 --> 00:14:15.389 just outside their gates. The firing of a faculty 00:14:15.389 --> 00:14:18.309 member over an unofficial student group demonstrates 00:14:18.309 --> 00:14:21.509 that when push comes to shove between modern 00:14:21.509 --> 00:14:24.549 cultural inclusion, and their behavioral contract, 00:14:24.950 --> 00:14:27.470 the university will definitively protect its 00:14:27.470 --> 00:14:30.149 doctrinal borders. The theoretical rules have 00:14:30.149 --> 00:14:32.710 immediate severe consequences for those who step 00:14:32.710 --> 00:14:35.350 outside the lines. They do. It is a true crucible. 00:14:35.870 --> 00:14:40.110 You have this intense pressure cooker blend of 00:14:40.110 --> 00:14:42.629 practical adult learning, high level sports, 00:14:43.269 --> 00:14:46.289 required community service, and uncompromising 00:14:46.289 --> 00:14:48.309 religious codes. It's a very unique environment. 00:14:48.590 --> 00:14:50.269 So who actually comes out of this environment? 00:14:50.429 --> 00:14:53.399 Let's look at the output. The notable alumni 00:14:53.399 --> 00:14:55.539 that have emerged from Southern Wesleyan University 00:14:55.539 --> 00:14:57.940 are surprisingly diverse in the impact they've 00:14:57.940 --> 00:15:00.100 had on the world. They really offer a perfect 00:15:00.100 --> 00:15:02.500 cross section of the university's various missions. 00:15:03.120 --> 00:15:05.019 Well, reflecting their athletic pedigree, you 00:15:05.019 --> 00:15:07.139 have Peter Campbell, who went on to become a 00:15:07.139 --> 00:15:09.139 professional golfer. Okay, makes sense with the 00:15:09.139 --> 00:15:12.460 sports focus. Right. Then, reflecting their deep 00:15:12.460 --> 00:15:15.360 foundational theological roots, you have Gareth 00:15:15.360 --> 00:15:18.539 Lee Cockerill and Ken Schenck, both of whom became 00:15:18.539 --> 00:15:21.799 noted theologians and professors. Got it. You 00:15:21.799 --> 00:15:24.279 also see graduates entering the secular public 00:15:24.279 --> 00:15:27.379 sphere, like Davey Hyatt, who became a South 00:15:27.379 --> 00:15:30.440 Carolina state representative. But the name on 00:15:30.440 --> 00:15:32.860 the notable alumni list that completely stopped 00:15:32.860 --> 00:15:35.559 me in my tracks is Shannon Faulkner. Yeah, that's 00:15:35.559 --> 00:15:37.200 a big one. For those of you listening who might 00:15:37.200 --> 00:15:39.539 not know the history, Shannon Faulkner became 00:15:39.539 --> 00:15:42.320 a massive national figure when she became the 00:15:42.320 --> 00:15:45.299 very first woman admitted into the Citadel, the 00:15:45.299 --> 00:15:47.919 historically all -male military college in South 00:15:47.919 --> 00:15:50.580 Carolina. She was a pioneer. She was the absolute 00:15:50.580 --> 00:15:53.720 focal point of a grueling, highly publicized 00:15:53.720 --> 00:15:56.799 legal and cultural battle over gender integration 00:15:56.799 --> 00:15:59.860 in military academies. So what does this all 00:15:59.860 --> 00:16:02.899 mean? How do we reconcile this incredibly specific 00:16:02.899 --> 00:16:05.799 list of people coming from this incredibly specific 00:16:05.799 --> 00:16:08.100 school. If we connect this to the bigger picture, 00:16:08.720 --> 00:16:11.820 it highlights the beautiful, unpredictable irony 00:16:11.820 --> 00:16:15.279 of higher education. Irony. A university can 00:16:15.279 --> 00:16:18.120 build the strictest walls imaginable. It can 00:16:18.120 --> 00:16:20.820 mandate the clearest behavioral contracts, secure 00:16:20.820 --> 00:16:23.879 federal exemptions, and enforce rigid theological 00:16:23.879 --> 00:16:26.970 doctrines. Right. but it cannot ultimately control 00:16:26.970 --> 00:16:29.389 the trajectory of the human minds it educates. 00:16:29.409 --> 00:16:32.009 Wow, that's true. Southern Wesleyan University 00:16:32.009 --> 00:16:34.409 successfully produces exactly who you would expect 00:16:34.409 --> 00:16:37.389 it to produce, dedicated rigorous theologians 00:16:37.389 --> 00:16:39.710 who carry on the traditional work of the church. 00:16:39.809 --> 00:16:42.230 Yeah, that's their stated goal. But out of that 00:16:42.230 --> 00:16:44.809 exact same strict traditional environment, comes 00:16:44.809 --> 00:16:47.470 a massive barrier -breaking figure like Shannon 00:16:47.470 --> 00:16:49.990 Faulkner. It's amazing. Someone who took her 00:16:49.990 --> 00:16:52.629 education and used it to challenge and dismantle 00:16:52.629 --> 00:16:55.490 a centuries -old patriarchal tradition at an 00:16:55.490 --> 00:16:58.129 entirely different institution. Right. It proves 00:16:58.129 --> 00:17:00.570 that even within a highly controlled, deeply 00:17:00.570 --> 00:17:03.269 conservative environment, an education still 00:17:03.269 --> 00:17:05.549 equips people with the tools to go out and make 00:17:05.549 --> 00:17:07.519 radically different marks on the world. That 00:17:07.519 --> 00:17:10.160 is such a fantastic insight. So to bring all 00:17:10.160 --> 00:17:12.339 of these threads together for you today, Southern 00:17:12.339 --> 00:17:14.960 Wesleyan University is a fascinating study in 00:17:14.960 --> 00:17:17.920 paradoxes. It really is. It's the survival story 00:17:17.920 --> 00:17:20.960 of an institution that was pragmatic enough to 00:17:20.960 --> 00:17:23.799 transition from teaching first graders in a rural 00:17:23.799 --> 00:17:27.460 1906 schoolhouse to delivering asynchronous online 00:17:27.460 --> 00:17:30.579 doctorates to modern working professionals. A 00:17:30.579 --> 00:17:33.759 huge leap. It is a school that aggressively pursued 00:17:33.759 --> 00:17:36.339 mainstream athletic glory, plugging into the 00:17:36.339 --> 00:17:39.960 NC AA and racking up 17 national titles while 00:17:39.960 --> 00:17:43.759 simultaneously utilizing federal Title IX exemptions 00:17:43.759 --> 00:17:46.980 to strictly gatekeep its moral and social borders. 00:17:47.039 --> 00:17:50.319 It manages to be highly adaptable in how it delivers 00:17:50.319 --> 00:17:53.119 education, yet incredibly rigid in its cultural 00:17:53.119 --> 00:17:55.180 boundaries. And as we close out today's deep 00:17:55.180 --> 00:17:56.759 dive, I want to leave you with a final thought 00:17:56.759 --> 00:17:59.819 to mull over. OK. As mainstream culture and strict 00:17:59.819 --> 00:18:02.059 religious doctrines continue to diverge further 00:18:02.059 --> 00:18:04.900 and faster in the 21st century, how will niche 00:18:04.900 --> 00:18:07.529 institutions like Southern Wesleyan University 00:18:07.529 --> 00:18:09.869 navigate the tension between expanding their 00:18:09.869 --> 00:18:12.470 reach and guarding their gates? That's the million 00:18:12.470 --> 00:18:14.609 dollar question. As they try to attract more 00:18:14.609 --> 00:18:17.369 modern students and athletes to survive in a 00:18:17.369 --> 00:18:20.410 highly competitive educational market, will this 00:18:20.410 --> 00:18:24.109 uncompromising, highly specific model thrive 00:18:24.109 --> 00:18:26.829 as a sought after refuge for those seeking a 00:18:26.829 --> 00:18:29.390 strict moral framework? Or will it ultimately 00:18:29.390 --> 00:18:31.849 struggle to adapt as the cultural gap continues 00:18:31.849 --> 00:18:35.279 to widen? It is a fundamental question that every 00:18:35.279 --> 00:18:38.059 single institution with a fixed ideology is going 00:18:38.059 --> 00:18:40.460 to have to answer in the coming decades. Absolutely. 00:18:40.759 --> 00:18:42.579 Thank you so much for joining us on this deep 00:18:42.579 --> 00:18:45.019 dive into Southern Wesleyan University. We hope 00:18:45.019 --> 00:18:48.200 you walk away seeing the complex, sometimes contradictory, 00:18:48.440 --> 00:18:50.579 machinery operating just behind the glossy college 00:18:50.579 --> 00:18:52.400 brochure. Until next time, keep questioning, 00:18:52.740 --> 00:18:54.579 keep learning, and we'll see you on the next 00:18:54.579 --> 00:18:55.160 deep dive.