World Student Day: A Story and a Few Stats

As most of you know by now, I headed up communications for World Student Day in the United States this year-- especially to our students and staff. But wasn't I surprised when I got a phone call from... Jamaica? 

Yes, it was Love 101 Christian radio station calling from Kingston, asking if they could interview some American participants of World Student day!  I knew who to call-- my friend and coworker Geoff at Northern Arizona University.  I knew the International student chapter (ISM) and the undergrad chapter had both celebrated the day with prayer, Bible study and a potluck (ISM) and fasting, worship in 7 languages and prayer stations (undergrad), and that an International student made a decision for Christ at one of the events.

Although they didn’t get to tell the whole story on the radio show, Brittany Kurtz, the ISM staff, and an undergrad student, Katie Budd, were interviewed by Love 101 for their regular segment ‘Campus Connection,' along with students from Jamaican and St. Lucian IFES movements, and the Caribbean regional secretary. They all talked about the day and about why and how they were reaching their campuses for Jesus. The regional secretary wrapped it up with explaining that we help each other bring Christ to our universities.
 

A FEW STATS

 

Although I know that more staff ans students celebrated world student day than signed up, we did look at who signed up. This year the US had 97 staff, 190 students, and 58 supporters sign up on the IFES world site (often representing chapters or churches), compared to overall world numbers of 388 staff, 1130 students, and 419 supporters around the world. Although our sign-ups for WSD are far, far lower than those of our movement as a whole, this year we were the movement with the most sign-ups! 

 

Also, from the video, we see we have from the US, more than 9,412 loads and 458 plays, the most of either from any country. Total video loads are 23,126 and total plays in 1,405, for the English video. There are completed plays in 105 countries, plays or loads in 150 countries--global reach!

Here are a few of the American campuses that participated:

San Diego State University, Harvard University, Tufts University (Fletcher School) with grad students and faculty, University of Iowa, Ohio State, Illinois State University, Georgia State University, Northern Arizona University, Vanier College, WVU, Cal State University of East Bay, UTEP, Lewis & Clark, Northwestern, University of Oklahoma, Portland State University in Oregon, USA, Emory University, Middlebury College, MIT, Wellesley College and Boston College, PSU, UC Berkeley, UNI, Oberlin College, University of Kentucky, Texas A&M, and North Dakota.