In our work with Christian colleges, we often hear employees reminisce about what used to make their institutions special.
They remember beloved student traditions, faculty lunches where relationships were built, programs that brought people together, and community events that gave their campuses personality.
Often, these were simple things that helped students feel connected and employees feel part of something special.
But over time, many disappeared.
Budgets were cut and leaders changed. COVID disrupted routines that never returned. Sometimes activities were eliminated in the name of efficiency. Others faded away because nobody owned them anymore.
And I wonder how often we realize what we’ve lost only after it’s gone.
Christian colleges aren’t alone in this.
Starbucks is spending more than $1 billion to bring back the very things it spent years eliminating.
For years, Starbucks focused on making it faster and easier to buy coffee. Mobile ordering expanded, stores were redesigned for pickup, and comfortable chairs disappeared to make room for people waiting on drinks.
It made sense on a spreadsheet.
But somewhere along the way, Starbucks forgot why people loved Starbucks in the first place.
It wasn’t just the coffee. It was the experience.
Starbucks was a place to meet a friend, work for an hour, or sit with a book. It was the “third place” between home and work.
Now Starbucks is investing in comfortable seating, warmer lighting, and the small touches that made its coffeehouses special.
There’s a lesson here for Christian colleges.
We may have saved money while eliminating some of the very things that made our institutions special.
I’m not suggesting we bring back every tradition or fund programs simply because we’ve always had them. Some things need to change.
But how often do we consider what we’re losing?
The relationships and shared experiences that shape a college’s culture are difficult to measure. Yet they can be among the reasons students choose a college, employees love working there, and alumni stay connected decades later.
They are part of the promise we deliver.
Starbucks spent years figuring out how to get customers their coffee faster. Now it’s spending a billion dollars giving them reasons to stay.
Maybe Christian colleges need to spend less time asking what else we can eliminate and more time asking what we need to bring back.
If you’re an alum, what student tradition or experience do you wish still existed? If you’re an employee, what once made your institution a great place to work?
Would you bring it back? Tell us in the comments.
At TG Three, we help Christian colleges make, communicate, and deliver a promise that matters. If your college needs to rediscover what makes it special, let’s talk.