Our Relationship to Covenant College
The origin of the Chalmers Center is intricately connected to the birth of the Department of Economics and Community Development at Covenant College, a Christian liberal arts college located in Lookout Mountain, GA (www.covenant.edu). Starting in 1997, the College embarked on an ambitious journey to initiate an undergraduate program and an associated research and training center that was externally focused. The founding professors of that undergraduate department also started the Chalmers Center and continue to work for the Center in part-time capacities.
Dynamic synergies between the undergraduate department and the Chalmers Center are numerous. Students in the department undertake research internships that relate to the Center’s work across North America and around the globe. The churches and organizations which host these student interns are often part of the Chalmers Center’s constituency. Lessons from the Chalmers Center’s work feed into the classroom, and the professors bring leading research to bear on the work of the Chalmers Center. Visitors to the Center often end up visiting an undergraduate class, and vice versa. The end result is a vibrant learning community that unites all of the following into an exploration of the implications of the Lordship of Jesus Christ: professors, researchers, college students, practitioners, churches, missionaries, non-profits organizations, relief and development agencies, and people who are poor.
From its inception in 1999, the Chalmers Center was legally owned and operated by Covenant College. In July 2010--with the full support of the College's board and administration--the Center separately incorporated from the College and is now recognized by the U.S. government as a legal, non-profit (501c3). This separate incorporation provides greater flexibility for the Center to function on a number of levels, thereby enhancing its ability to serve the kingdom more effectively.
However, despite its legal independence, the bylaws for the Center are designed to maintain a vibrant partnership between the Center and the College, a partnership that is reflected in our name: “The Chalmers Center for Economic Development at Covenant College.” In fact, the partnership between the Center and the College is stronger than ever before.
Learn more about the related programs at Covenant College:
