On August 15, a little less than 60 years after Mr. Herbert W. Armstrong started the new Ambassador College in 1947 with an initial student body of four on site, Living University opened its virtual doors to more than 210 students enrolled online.
Students from 18 countries have signed up for courses. Although the instructors and the University’s computer equipment reside in the United States, the first semester’s students are from Australia, Barbados, Bermuda, Brazil, Canada, El Salvador, Germany, Ghana, Malaysia, Mexico, Myanmar, New Zealand, the Philippines, South Africa, Trinidad & Tobago, the United Kingdom and Zambia, as well as the U.S.—all able to participate in the online distance learning program and interact with each other though they are thousands of miles apart.
As Dr. Roderick C. Meredith wrote in his March 2007 co-worker letter: "This is an exciting development! It should genuinely strengthen God’s people and God’s Work. It should help prepare more leaders for the future of God’s Work as it grows. Your prayers are solicited that God will guide and bless this exciting endeavor."
Satan has tried to block the progress of Living University in various ways, but God has delivered one blessing after another to help the University move forward. Even a series of early software problems, caused by a vendor’s failure to meet promised specifications, turned into a wonderful opportunity, when the Headquarters Information Technology staff were able to modify a widely used open-source course delivery system for the University’s needs. Instead of having to rely on an expensive proprietary solution, course management can now be adapted far more easily to Living University’s unique needs.
For the fall semester, Dr. Roderick C. Meredith, who started at Ambassador College 58 years ago, is teaching the Living University class THL 135, "The Life, Ministry and Teachings of Jesus." His course has 134 students enrolled. There are currently 60 students enrolled in THL 200, "Principles of Christian Living," taught by Dr. Douglas S. Winnail. Mr. Richard Ames is presenting THL 332, "The Biblical Text," to 57 students.
Though there are more than 50 Living Church of God elders, deacons and deaconesses enrolled in Living University courses, the majority of students are Church members with widely varying backgrounds—some with previous degrees, others with little or no previous exposure to college- level coursework. What they all share, of course, is a zeal to deepen their understanding of God’s Truth.
If you are thinking about taking courses in the spring semester, there is still time to register and get ready. Spring semester courses begin on Wednesday, January 16; registration for spring courses ends on Friday, January 18.
Three courses will be offered in the spring:
- THL 136: Acts and the Writings of Paul
- THL 250: Introduction to Biblical Doctrines
- THL 326: Christian Leadership
These are the final three courses in the one-year sequence leading to a Certificate in New Testament Studies. However, students do not need to be pursuing the Certificate to enroll in one or more of the courses.
Students should realize that while Living University is a distance-learning institution, it is not offering "self-paced" coursework. Those who enroll should be prepared to complete course assignments on schedule, and should be familiar enough with computers that they can participate in online discussion forums comfortably. The course material is rigorous, but rewarding.
Basic typing proficiency is key for success in the Living University distance- learning format. Some potential students, instead of jumping right in to take a Living University course, are spending several weeks brushing up on their typing skills, so that when they later decide to enroll, they will be able to "hit the ground running" and not feel limited by inadequate typing skills.
As Dr. Meredith wrote last March: "This will be an outstanding opportunity for thousands of young people— and for some of you ’older’ ones—to obtain more ’in-depth’ training in theology and in the liberal arts than most of you have ever had. Many of you know that I, personally, was used by Christ to teach more theology classes at Ambassador College than any other man. Along the way, I was blessed in obtaining a doctorate in Theology from Ambassador College. I thank God for those opportunities which I did not deserve, but which He provided. I sincerely want to share much of that knowledge and teaching experience with thousands of additional students by personally teaching a number of the Theology classes offered by the Living University."
To learn more about Living University, visit its Web site: www.livinguniv.com.