Photo 1: Mile Two Reunion April 27, 2019 with alumni from 2015-2019
After much serious consideration, the Board of Providence University College and Theological Seminary have decided to discontinue Mile Two Discipleship School. Jeff Banman and Angelle Arinobu have provided Mile Two students with an exemplary program of biblical instruction, spiritual formation, and practical discipleship. Mile Two graduates who made their way into the University College proved themselves to be model students as well as leaders of character and excellence. The broader community of Providence supporters have been encouraged by the way in which Mile Two has carried forward an important part of Providence’s educational legacy.
In the coming year, Providence is committed to incorporating something of the Mile Two experience into all of the University College’s programming. To start, the Biblical and Theological Studies Department have reorganized the core requirements for all degrees. Beginning in fall 2020, all incoming students will participate in a series of five required courses that will give them a solid introduction to the Bible and to the Christian theological tradition. The Student Development Department has been developing a Campus Living and Learning philosophy that will focus on creating an even stronger experience of community. The process of academic learning and social learning will combine in a holistic experience of formation that moves seamlessly from the classroom to the residence, from the lab to the volleyball court, and from the chapel to field education. Finally, an additional focus of the University College curriculum in the coming years will be on providing every Providence graduate with a professional learning experience in the form of internships, practica, and a variety of professional learning opportunities. Our goal is to see every Providence graduate not only intellectually prepared to face the future, but also equipped with the kinds of skills that will make them the transformative leaders we are preparing them to be.
Mile Two was all about students finding the connections between being informed by Scripture, life in community and outward focused service orientation. Mile Two may not be a part of the Providence experience in coming years, but its spirit and ethos will most certainly continue to live on.
Photo 2: Mile Two students at Caesarea Philippi, Israel
