{"id":4638,"date":"2023-06-21T18:22:04","date_gmt":"2023-06-21T18:22:04","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.northcentral.edu\/blog\/?p=4638"},"modified":"2023-06-21T20:19:12","modified_gmt":"2023-06-21T20:19:12","slug":"academic-partners-summit","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.northcentral.edu\/blog\/academic-partners-summit\/","title":{"rendered":"Academic Partners Summit fosters connection and collaboration"},"content":{"rendered":"

\"\"<\/p>\n

\"\"The Third Annual Academic Partners Summit on March 28\u201329 was a significant milestone for the five-year-old program. The summit was envisioned and executed by Aimee Robertson, Executive Director of Academic Partnerships, and Bill Tibbetts, MBA, Dean of the College of Business & Technology and Digital Education. The pair designed the experience for site directors to help them learn from one another, identify areas where they could collaborate, and provide essential skills to do their jobs more effectively.<\/p>\n

\u201cOne of the unique roles of a site director is that they’re not only leading students through their academic career,\u201d Robertson said, \u201cbut also serving as a recruiter for the program. They guide students through admissions and all the way through to the point of graduation.\u201d However, Robertson pointed out that each site director wears multiple hats at their church, and she frequently receives feedback that they want more support in marketing and sales.<\/p>\n

At the summit, Tibbetts brought his extensive experience in marketing and business to the table through a hands-on marketing training session. \u201cIt was a wild success,\u201d Robertson said. \u201cThe site directors left with confidence, knowing exactly what they needed to do.\u201d<\/p>\n

Robertson plays a vital role in the program as she works with the site directors who run the program at their local churches. She streamlines the communication between the site directors and the university and ensures that they have the tools they need to run the program effectively.<\/p>\n

Power of connection<\/strong><\/h3>\n

Kent Wells, Site Director for NCU with Lakeview in Indianapolis, Indiana, said the annual summit is a valuable experience. \u201cThe Summit is \u2018the\u2019 event I look forward to each year,\u201d Wells said. \u201cIt helps me to realize that I am a part of a group of individuals who really care about the value of education for our future leaders.\u00a0Interacting with the site directors lets me see\/feel what the Holy Spirit is doing across the country. In addition, I can glean best practices to use at my location.\u201d<\/p>\n

Another Indiana Site Director, Sherry Ellis, of Life Church in Noblesville, Indiana, appreciated the support from NCU staff and other directors. \u201cI loved being on the campus of NCU,,\u201d she said. \u201cThe staff, faculty, and students are all so welcoming and uplifting. NCU support, encouragement, and guidance is phenomenal. The Summit was an experience full of socializing with peers, learning from leaders, attending chapel, and leaving with fresh ideas and inspiration!\u201d<\/p>\n

Site Director Bruce Riddle is a committed advocate for the Academic Partners program\u2014he drove from Nebraska to Minnesota with students from The Academy at Christ Place (Lincoln) last fall to help their students create stronger connections with their university. Riddle said, \u201cThe ongoing connection with NCU is vital for me! It\u2019s the reason I chose NCU over another online program!\u201d<\/p>\n

Riddle said this year\u2019s summit provided a powerful time of connection. \u201cI feel incredibly honored to be a part of the leaders of NCU\u2019s Academic Partners program,\u201d Riddle said. \u201cIt feels more like a community than a program that are all focused on helping to equip our students with the best education we can.<\/p>\n

I\u2019m so grateful to be associated with this stellar group!\u201d<\/p>\n

A good fit for different reasons<\/strong><\/h3>\n

The Academic Partners program aims to offer Christian higher ed to people who cannot access traditional education for various reasons. Robertson said traditional college-aged students might participate in the program instead of the residential campus experience because of financial constraints or family dynamics, or they may simply desire to maintain strong ties with their home church and community.<\/p>\n

Academic Partnerships allow students to access accredited Christian education through their church and participate in the practicum portion, which is an internship-style program through which they serve the church. They not only get an education but also pour back into their church.<\/p>\n

Another group that benefits from the program includes non-traditional students, such as single parents or career professionals who need the flexibility of online education Robertson noted that the program is affordably priced, offered through their church, which they trust, and it offers them a chance to pursue their education without disrupting their work or family life.<\/p>\n

A third group attracted to the program includes church staff members who may be newer Christians or individuals who want to deepen their knowledge and understanding of the Christian faith. They receive education from a Christian perspective while they build connections with their local church.<\/p>\n

Aggressive growth trajectory<\/strong><\/h3>\n

Since its beginning in 2018, the Academic Partners program has grown to now include an associate\u2019s degree, eight bachelor\u2019s degrees, and two master\u2019s degrees. There are currently 19 Academic Partner sites across the U.S. Robertson said she expects the program to continue on an aggressive growth trajectory in the next few years. \u201cWe are talking to more than 20 churches right now, exploring if this is a fit for their goals and what we offer.\u201d<\/p>\n

The Academic Partners program enhances relationships and creates partnerships between the university and churches nationwide, while providing students with a North Central education in a unique, local church setting.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

The Third Annual Academic Partners Summit on March 28\u201329 was a significant milestone for the five-year-old program. The summit was envisioned and executed by Aimee Robertson, Executive Director of Academic Partnerships, and Bill Tibbetts, MBA, Dean of the College of Business & Technology and Digital Education. The pair designed the experience for site directors to […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":14,"featured_media":4643,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[29,47,38,49],"tags":[222,171,224,223,225,226],"class_list":["post-4638","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-academic-programs","category-alumni-friends","category-ncu-news","category-pastors-churches","tag-academic-partner-summit","tag-academic-partners","tag-indiana","tag-lakeview-in-indianapolis","tag-life-church-in-noblesville","tag-the-academy-at-christ-place-in-lincoln"],"yoast_head":"\nAcademic Partners Summit fosters connection and collaboration - Table Salt | NCU Blog<\/title>\n<meta name=\"description\" content=\"The Academic Partners Summit at NCU is a time where church site directors come together to enhance education opportunities. This program fosters student success in a local church setting and fuels an aggressive growth trajectory. Explore the impact of this unique partnership between North Central University and churches nationwide.\" \/>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/www.northcentral.edu\/blog\/academic-partners-summit\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"Academic Partners Summit fosters connection and collaboration - Table Salt | NCU Blog\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"The Academic Partners Summit at NCU is a time where church site directors come together to enhance education opportunities. This program fosters student success in a local church setting and fuels an aggressive growth trajectory. Explore the impact of this unique partnership between North Central University and churches nationwide.\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:url\" content=\"https:\/\/www.northcentral.edu\/blog\/academic-partners-summit\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:site_name\" content=\"Table Salt | NCU Blog\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:published_time\" content=\"2023-06-21T18:22:04+00:00\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:modified_time\" content=\"2023-06-21T20:19:12+00:00\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:image\" content=\"https:\/\/www.northcentral.edu\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2023\/06\/partners-blog.jpg\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:width\" content=\"1683\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:height\" content=\"1122\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:type\" content=\"image\/jpeg\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:card\" content=\"summary_large_image\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:label1\" content=\"Written by\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data1\" content=\"\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:label2\" content=\"Est. reading time\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data2\" content=\"5 minutes\" \/>\n<script type=\"application\/ld+json\" class=\"yoast-schema-graph\">{\"@context\":\"https:\/\/schema.org\",\"@graph\":[{\"@type\":\"Article\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.northcentral.edu\/blog\/academic-partners-summit\/#article\",\"isPartOf\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.northcentral.edu\/blog\/academic-partners-summit\/\"},\"author\":{\"name\":\"\",\"@id\":\"\"},\"headline\":\"Academic Partners Summit fosters connection and collaboration\",\"datePublished\":\"2023-06-21T18:22:04+00:00\",\"dateModified\":\"2023-06-21T20:19:12+00:00\",\"mainEntityOfPage\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.northcentral.edu\/blog\/academic-partners-summit\/\"},\"wordCount\":854,\"commentCount\":0,\"publisher\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.northcentral.edu\/blog\/#organization\"},\"image\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.northcentral.edu\/blog\/academic-partners-summit\/#primaryimage\"},\"thumbnailUrl\":\"https:\/\/www.northcentral.edu\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2023\/06\/partners-blog.jpg\",\"keywords\":[\"academic partner summit\",\"academic partners\",\"Indiana\",\"Lakeview in Indianapolis\",\"Life Church in Noblesville\",\"The Academy at Christ Place in Lincoln\"],\"articleSection\":[\"Academic Programs\",\"Alumni & Friends\",\"NCU News\",\"Pastors & Churches\"],\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"CommentAction\",\"name\":\"Comment\",\"target\":[\"https:\/\/www.northcentral.edu\/blog\/academic-partners-summit\/#respond\"]}]},{\"@type\":\"WebPage\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.northcentral.edu\/blog\/academic-partners-summit\/\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/www.northcentral.edu\/blog\/academic-partners-summit\/\",\"name\":\"Academic Partners Summit fosters connection and collaboration - Table Salt | NCU Blog\",\"isPartOf\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.northcentral.edu\/blog\/#website\"},\"primaryImageOfPage\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.northcentral.edu\/blog\/academic-partners-summit\/#primaryimage\"},\"image\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.northcentral.edu\/blog\/academic-partners-summit\/#primaryimage\"},\"thumbnailUrl\":\"https:\/\/www.northcentral.edu\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2023\/06\/partners-blog.jpg\",\"datePublished\":\"2023-06-21T18:22:04+00:00\",\"dateModified\":\"2023-06-21T20:19:12+00:00\",\"description\":\"The Academic Partners Summit at NCU is a time where church site directors come together to enhance education opportunities. This program fosters student success in a local church setting and fuels an aggressive growth trajectory. Explore the impact of this unique partnership between North Central University and churches nationwide.\",\"breadcrumb\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.northcentral.edu\/blog\/academic-partners-summit\/#breadcrumb\"},\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"ReadAction\",\"target\":[\"https:\/\/www.northcentral.edu\/blog\/academic-partners-summit\/\"]}]},{\"@type\":\"ImageObject\",\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.northcentral.edu\/blog\/academic-partners-summit\/#primaryimage\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/www.northcentral.edu\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2023\/06\/partners-blog.jpg\",\"contentUrl\":\"https:\/\/www.northcentral.edu\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2023\/06\/partners-blog.jpg\",\"width\":1683,\"height\":1122,\"caption\":\"Academic Partners Summit\"},{\"@type\":\"BreadcrumbList\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.northcentral.edu\/blog\/academic-partners-summit\/#breadcrumb\",\"itemListElement\":[{\"@type\":\"ListItem\",\"position\":1,\"name\":\"Home\",\"item\":\"https:\/\/www.northcentral.edu\/blog\/\"},{\"@type\":\"ListItem\",\"position\":2,\"name\":\"Academic Partners Summit fosters connection and collaboration\"}]},{\"@type\":\"WebSite\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.northcentral.edu\/blog\/#website\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/www.northcentral.edu\/blog\/\",\"name\":\"Table Salt | NCU Blog\",\"description\":\"A University blog with a Christian twist\",\"publisher\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.northcentral.edu\/blog\/#organization\"},\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"SearchAction\",\"target\":{\"@type\":\"EntryPoint\",\"urlTemplate\":\"https:\/\/www.northcentral.edu\/blog\/?s={search_term_string}\"},\"query-input\":{\"@type\":\"PropertyValueSpecification\",\"valueRequired\":true,\"valueName\":\"search_term_string\"}}],\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\"},{\"@type\":\"Organization\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.northcentral.edu\/blog\/#organization\",\"name\":\"Table Salt | NCU Blog\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/www.northcentral.edu\/blog\/\",\"logo\":{\"@type\":\"ImageObject\",\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.northcentral.edu\/blog\/#\/schema\/logo\/image\/\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/www.northcentral.edu\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2026\/03\/blog-logo.avif\",\"contentUrl\":\"https:\/\/www.northcentral.edu\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2026\/03\/blog-logo.avif\",\"width\":576,\"height\":153,\"caption\":\"Table Salt | NCU Blog\"},\"image\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.northcentral.edu\/blog\/#\/schema\/logo\/image\/\"}},{\"@type\":\"Person\",\"@id\":\"\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/www.northcentral.edu\/blog\/author\/\"}]}<\/script>\n<!-- \/ Yoast SEO plugin. -->","yoast_head_json":{"title":"Academic Partners Summit fosters connection and collaboration - Table Salt | NCU Blog","description":"The Academic Partners Summit at NCU is a time where church site directors come together to enhance education opportunities. This program fosters student success in a local church setting and fuels an aggressive growth trajectory. Explore the impact of this unique partnership between North Central University and churches nationwide.","robots":{"index":"index","follow":"follow","max-snippet":"max-snippet:-1","max-image-preview":"max-image-preview:large","max-video-preview":"max-video-preview:-1"},"canonical":"https:\/\/www.northcentral.edu\/blog\/academic-partners-summit\/","og_locale":"en_US","og_type":"article","og_title":"Academic Partners Summit fosters connection and collaboration - Table Salt | NCU Blog","og_description":"The Academic Partners Summit at NCU is a time where church site directors come together to enhance education opportunities. This program fosters student success in a local church setting and fuels an aggressive growth trajectory. Explore the impact of this unique partnership between North Central University and churches nationwide.","og_url":"https:\/\/www.northcentral.edu\/blog\/academic-partners-summit\/","og_site_name":"Table Salt | NCU Blog","article_published_time":"2023-06-21T18:22:04+00:00","article_modified_time":"2023-06-21T20:19:12+00:00","og_image":[{"width":1683,"height":1122,"url":"https:\/\/www.northcentral.edu\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2023\/06\/partners-blog.jpg","type":"image\/jpeg"}],"twitter_card":"summary_large_image","twitter_misc":{"Written by":"","Est. reading time":"5 minutes"},"schema":{"@context":"https:\/\/schema.org","@graph":[{"@type":"Article","@id":"https:\/\/www.northcentral.edu\/blog\/academic-partners-summit\/#article","isPartOf":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.northcentral.edu\/blog\/academic-partners-summit\/"},"author":{"name":"","@id":""},"headline":"Academic Partners Summit fosters connection and collaboration","datePublished":"2023-06-21T18:22:04+00:00","dateModified":"2023-06-21T20:19:12+00:00","mainEntityOfPage":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.northcentral.edu\/blog\/academic-partners-summit\/"},"wordCount":854,"commentCount":0,"publisher":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.northcentral.edu\/blog\/#organization"},"image":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.northcentral.edu\/blog\/academic-partners-summit\/#primaryimage"},"thumbnailUrl":"https:\/\/www.northcentral.edu\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2023\/06\/partners-blog.jpg","keywords":["academic partner summit","academic partners","Indiana","Lakeview in Indianapolis","Life Church in Noblesville","The Academy at Christ Place in Lincoln"],"articleSection":["Academic Programs","Alumni & Friends","NCU News","Pastors & Churches"],"inLanguage":"en-US","potentialAction":[{"@type":"CommentAction","name":"Comment","target":["https:\/\/www.northcentral.edu\/blog\/academic-partners-summit\/#respond"]}]},{"@type":"WebPage","@id":"https:\/\/www.northcentral.edu\/blog\/academic-partners-summit\/","url":"https:\/\/www.northcentral.edu\/blog\/academic-partners-summit\/","name":"Academic Partners Summit fosters connection and collaboration - Table Salt | NCU Blog","isPartOf":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.northcentral.edu\/blog\/#website"},"primaryImageOfPage":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.northcentral.edu\/blog\/academic-partners-summit\/#primaryimage"},"image":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.northcentral.edu\/blog\/academic-partners-summit\/#primaryimage"},"thumbnailUrl":"https:\/\/www.northcentral.edu\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2023\/06\/partners-blog.jpg","datePublished":"2023-06-21T18:22:04+00:00","dateModified":"2023-06-21T20:19:12+00:00","description":"The Academic Partners Summit at NCU is a time where church site directors come together to enhance education opportunities. This program fosters student success in a local church setting and fuels an aggressive growth trajectory. Explore the impact of this unique partnership between North Central University and churches nationwide.","breadcrumb":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.northcentral.edu\/blog\/academic-partners-summit\/#breadcrumb"},"inLanguage":"en-US","potentialAction":[{"@type":"ReadAction","target":["https:\/\/www.northcentral.edu\/blog\/academic-partners-summit\/"]}]},{"@type":"ImageObject","inLanguage":"en-US","@id":"https:\/\/www.northcentral.edu\/blog\/academic-partners-summit\/#primaryimage","url":"https:\/\/www.northcentral.edu\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2023\/06\/partners-blog.jpg","contentUrl":"https:\/\/www.northcentral.edu\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2023\/06\/partners-blog.jpg","width":1683,"height":1122,"caption":"Academic Partners Summit"},{"@type":"BreadcrumbList","@id":"https:\/\/www.northcentral.edu\/blog\/academic-partners-summit\/#breadcrumb","itemListElement":[{"@type":"ListItem","position":1,"name":"Home","item":"https:\/\/www.northcentral.edu\/blog\/"},{"@type":"ListItem","position":2,"name":"Academic Partners Summit fosters connection and collaboration"}]},{"@type":"WebSite","@id":"https:\/\/www.northcentral.edu\/blog\/#website","url":"https:\/\/www.northcentral.edu\/blog\/","name":"Table Salt | NCU Blog","description":"A University blog with a Christian twist","publisher":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.northcentral.edu\/blog\/#organization"},"potentialAction":[{"@type":"SearchAction","target":{"@type":"EntryPoint","urlTemplate":"https:\/\/www.northcentral.edu\/blog\/?s={search_term_string}"},"query-input":{"@type":"PropertyValueSpecification","valueRequired":true,"valueName":"search_term_string"}}],"inLanguage":"en-US"},{"@type":"Organization","@id":"https:\/\/www.northcentral.edu\/blog\/#organization","name":"Table Salt | NCU Blog","url":"https:\/\/www.northcentral.edu\/blog\/","logo":{"@type":"ImageObject","inLanguage":"en-US","@id":"https:\/\/www.northcentral.edu\/blog\/#\/schema\/logo\/image\/","url":"https:\/\/www.northcentral.edu\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2026\/03\/blog-logo.avif","contentUrl":"https:\/\/www.northcentral.edu\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2026\/03\/blog-logo.avif","width":576,"height":153,"caption":"Table Salt | NCU Blog"},"image":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.northcentral.edu\/blog\/#\/schema\/logo\/image\/"}},{"@type":"Person","@id":"","url":"https:\/\/www.northcentral.edu\/blog\/author\/"}]}},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.northcentral.edu\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/4638","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.northcentral.edu\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.northcentral.edu\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.northcentral.edu\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/14"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.northcentral.edu\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=4638"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.northcentral.edu\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/4638\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.northcentral.edu\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/4643"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.northcentral.edu\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=4638"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.northcentral.edu\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=4638"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.northcentral.edu\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=4638"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}