New campus minister already feeling at home at Schreiner

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Nancy Deever joined Schreiner as the new campus minister this fall. Deever lives on campus with her husband, Chuck Huff, and their three Welsh Corgis.


You came to Schreiner from Albuquerque, N.M., and you’ve lived
and worked in Minnesota. What
brought you to Schreiner?
I really wanted to return to campus ministry...I was ordained to an ecumenical campus ministry position at the University of MN, Duluth, right out of seminary and it has always been a wonderful “fit” for me in terms of my strengths and interests.

What are your impressions so far
of Schreiner?
I have found Schreiner to be a very welcoming, friendly place and I can see why students really appreciate the
“personal touch” they experience here. The larger state universities I have served in Campus Ministry over the years are pretty much “sink or swim” when it comes to student survival and believe me, MANY students at bigger places go through a lot of floundering and sinking, without a supportive community to help pick up the slack. That is certainly a strength of a church-related school; it provides a more “grounded” experience for students, along with strong academics.

What do you see as your primary job
as campus minister?
I suppose my most important “job” on campus is to be an available and compassionate “presence” for those in
need, whether it is students, staff, or faculty. If we really see this place as a caring, supportive community, then the campus minister needs to model inclusiveness and acceptance of a diverse community's strengths and joys, foibles and follies. Today’s college students deal with a lot of pressures.

How can you help Schreiner students deal with these pressures?
Probably the first thing to do is to be available—to be there in their time of need whether it is a short-term crisis or a longer-term problem, such as a student facing
addiction or depression. Supply them with resources: a listening ear, a book or a reading, encourage them to find relaxation in nature or exercise or mediation or a better diet (self-care is very important but often ignored by college students!)

However, the most long-lasting way is to help the student assess and use their own inner strengths. I believe in trying to encourage them to learn to identify and trust their strengths and draw upon them when facing problems and pressures. Did they have wise, loving supportive friends or family back home? Talk to them! Do they have intense faith questions or vocational doubts? Help them see that is how God is trying to work in their life, and that wrestling with questions and pressures is how they will mature into wise, caring people. The alternative is turn to alcohol, drugs or whatever in an effort to “block out” the lessons life is trying to teach us.

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