Growing and Sustaining the CSCA for the Next Generation
Since 1973, the CSCA, as the expression of the American Scientific Affiliation (ASA) in Canada, has engaged Christians in the sciences in interpreting, integrating, and communicating the discoveries of science with the insights of Christian theology. Building on this 50-year legacy, our strategic vision is to extend our impact. We aim to capitalize on our reputation for providing serious scholarly reflection in science and faith to be a nurturing place of support, encouragement, and professional & leadership development for Christians in the natural sciences and social sciences. We aspire to become widely known in Canada as a valued and reliable source of commentary on and engagement with connections between science and faith both for the general public and the church.
The Challenge of Reaching the Next Generation with Sustainability
Despite significant progress, there is much more we can and should do. We desire to expand our impact on members, the scientific community, the church, and society at large. In the years ahead, we intend to:
Expand Disciplinary Programming – We seek to continue our focus on the natural sciences, while expanding our connections to the social sciences and theology.
Expand Professional Formation – Working with the ASA, we are planning programs that serve our members in leadership, scholarly and professional development, and spiritual formation throughout their careers, and that equip our members to make strong connections with local churches and universities.
Expand Student and Early Career Efforts – With an intentional investment in scholarships and fellowships, we will make programming readily available to students and early career scientists.
Addressing the Challenge
The CSCA is prioritizing student and early career participation.
- Sizeable funds have been distributed to students in scholarship funding over the last five years to attend annual meetings.
- Each of our student members receives free membership.
- Significant dollars are raised each year to fund student memberships.
- Student membership continues to grow, and has doubled over the last ten years.
- We have been building relationships with partner organizations. The ASA office has dedicated staffing to direct these efforts, and through collaboration with CSCA, we plan to advance the impact of these partnerships with similar Canadian organizations as well as international organizations that have a presence in Canada.
- The new ASA Career Center, including Canadian listings, is one way we are increasingly helping students and early career scientists.
- We have a three-year position for a student and early career representative on our Executive Council, keeping us informed of their interests and needs.
Investing in the next generation is vital, and we are committed to this strategic endeavour.
The Canadian Focus
Culturally, the post-secondary scene in Canada is quite different than in the US. For example, there are far fewer (per capita) Christian colleges and universities in Canada, and a much larger component of government-supported secular institutions. A Canadian focus will be the promotion of the CSCA and its values with the students and faculty of these institutions. This may involve a dedicated CSCA staff person and tangible support for local chapter leaders to reach out through university chaplaincies, Christian clubs, local CSCA chapters, divinity colleges, churches, etc. The goal is to develop mutual relationships and provide support, resources, and networking for Christian undergraduate and graduate students, postdoctoral fellows, and faculty in the sciences.
As a registered charitable organization in Canada, donations to the CSCA Legacy fund are fully tax deductible.
Funding will be leveraged to support Canadian student attendance at annual meetings of the ASA/CSCA. Student fellowships will be awarded to allow students to take courses in science and faith, and actively contribute to local chapter events.
To make a donation to our Legacy Fund, you may use any of the methods noted in our “Support CSCA” page. However, to reduce the impact of transaction fees on large contributions, a cheque to our P.O. Box would be best, designated “Legacy Fund” in the memo line. Please be in touch with our treasurer Andy Sebetyen at [email protected].
Note: For our friends in the US, please visit the ASA Legacy Campaign site. Our campaign has been designed in concert with the ASA.