Ascend is a remote project-based higher education program that trains students in Christian leadership and teaches them to translate their studies and experiences into practical, actionable steps that equip them for life.
Ascend is an intense leadership and professional development program that trains students in core life skills and foundational Biblical leadership, provides opportunities for hands-on experience in fields they are interested in, and plugs them into a powerful Christian community and network. Ascend offers students both degree and non-degree paths to fit their educational and professional goals.
When you enroll in Ascend, you are placed on a team of up to 10 other students that is led by a highly trained team leader. You will attend a monthly expert-led webinar with the greater Ascend class and have a monthly team meeting with your fellow teammates and team leader - both of these will happen on an online video platform. You will also have access to your fellow students, your team leader, and staff on a daily basis through our online chat platform, Slack. Three times throughout the year, we bring all our students together for live community and training events. The first event is APEX, our orientation event for the year held in Michigan during mid-August. The second is Basecamp, a hands-on life skills intensive held in Florida or a nearby state at the end of January. And the third is Capstone, a leadership intensive held in Colorado in either April or May. Your registration for the events, room, and board are all covered in your tuition for Ascend. And travel costs for the first event, APEX, is also included as a bonus.
During your first year, your classes will consist of a three-course leadership elective series taught by the President of Summit Ministries, Dr. Jeff Myers, and general education courses offered through Bryan College. We enroll students for 9, 15, or 30 credits for the year. If you enroll for just 9 credits, you will only be taking the leadership courses. If you enroll for 15 or 30, you will also have 2 or 7 general education courses respectively.
