Imago Dei Center

In its 2022-2026 strategic plan, the Board of Trustees of Grove City College established the following objective and initiatives:

Objective: Strengthen the structures of support for international, multicultural, and minority students.

Initiative: Review, develop, and sustain reliable channels of communication for increasing awareness of student experiences and perceptions within the College community, and remediate concerns where appropriate.

Initiative: Encourage the development of genuine unity among the entire campus community rooted in the biblical vision of Revelation 7:9 in which “every nation, tribe, people, and language” worship God in everlasting fellowship.

In addition, in May 2022, the Board issued a statement addressing concerns about Critical Race Theory that included this commitment:

Grove City College will continue actively to recruit qualified minority students. And the College will likewise continue to cherish and support minority students with the same care and respect that it affords to all students in relation to their particular needs. The College’s rejection of Critical Race Theory’s politicized worldview must not be confused with indifference to racial minorities or racial discrimination. To the contrary, we cheerfully embrace the biblical teaching that God’s kingdom includes people of all nations, races, cultures, and ethnicities. By God’s grace, Grove City College may become a foretaste of that kingdom.

Our Mission
Inspired by the biblical vision of unity of the body of Christ, and pursuant to the Board’s strategic directives and policy commitment, the Imago Dei Center provides support and programming for Grove City College students, especially for those from diverse ethnic and cultural backgrounds, and seeks to glorify God by promoting a campus community that is marked by its hospitality, care, and love of neighbor. 

Our Philosophy
The center’s desire is to practice, promote and encourage a wholistic view of human flourishing. This occurs through a right view of God, ourselves, our neighbors, and creation.

• God: We believe in the supremacy of Christ and in His reconciling work to unify believers from every tribe, language, people, and nation. (Colossians 1:15-20, John 17: 20-23, Revelation 5: 9-10)
• Ourselves: We believe that all people are made in the image of God, flawed and broken by sin, but all still retain and reflect God’s image. (Genesis 1:26-27)
• Neighbors: We recognize that our neighbor has inherent worth and dignity because they are made in the image of God and we are called to love them. Through Christ’s sacrifice on the cross, we are reconciled to Him and called and empowered to reconcile with our fellow image bearers. (Luke 10:27, Ephesians 2:11-22, Galatians 3:26-29)
• Creation: We acknowledge that creation while fallen was initially good in nature and still reflects, to a lesser extent, the Creator’s goodness.  Ethnicity and culture are not good in themselves but, as with all creation, still maintain reflections of His glory and reveal the marvels and wonders of God’s design. (Genesis 1:31, John 1:3, Colossians 1:16)

Events & Programs
The Imago Dei Cultural Center is responsible for organizing, facilitating, and providing experiential and relational initiatives designed to connect students and facilitate community. Events include our new student welcome, conferences, the annual bus trip, ethnic food excursions, and social gatherings, often in partnership with S.E.A.D.