Dear Institute family,

What a time to be a college student! Everyone is trying their best to return to "normal" despite changing variables related to work, travel, and even eating at a restaurant. Tensions that long existed under the surface have emerged in our nation and many others. As families struggle economically, college students struggle to stay afloat mentally, emotionally, and socially.

As Institute staff, we have been very thankful our college students have risen above our nation's trends. Our students are happy, healthy, and motivated to continue their education with their friends. We didn't have a single student choose at-home learning during the pandemic and had a less than 1% withdrawal rate. This is unheard of in higher education during the COVID era!

However, COVID has still marked us all. Unfortunately, college students fall into a slim bracket that received little government assistance during the pandemic. For that reason, Institute President Gregg Garner has initiated a COVID Relief Scholarship available to all full-time Institute students in the Fall of 2021. This $3,000 scholarship will keep tuition costs manageable for our full-time students with little change from the previous academic year. In addition, part-time students will receive a prorated amount of that total towards their tuition.

We are also pleased to announce that the 2021-2022 Academic Year will transpire in the new educational space! The new 12,000 square-foot Institute for G.O.D. International building provides large classrooms, a meeting room for group projects, a meeting/event space capable of accommodating 500 guests, a large mezzanine, and an exceptional amount of indoor and outdoor study space. We are still wrapping up the final pieces of this project, but you can count on most of the year happening in this new building!

This move is a bright and much anticipated moment in our college history. At the same time, a new building doesn't change who we are. As Institute President Gregg Garner reminds us often, God's project is never about buildings. It's always the building of the human being that he cares about, so people should be our focus. It's our students inside the building -- studying the Scriptures, dialoguing with their professors, laughing with their friends -- that gives us the greatest joy.

With hope, we are looking forward to a deeply satisfying academic year. As you know, we recently lost one of our beloved faculty members, Robert Muñoz. Despite our grief, you'll find us sitting at the feet of Jesus, humbly ready to learn again, just as Rob would do. Please join us in prayer, anticipating the Lord's goodness to be felt at the Institute this year.

1 Peter 5:10 And after you have suffered for a little while, the God of all grace, who has called you to his eternal glory in Christ, will himself restore, support, strengthen, and establish you.