On a late September evening inside Gaither Fellowship Hall, nearly 90 Montreat College students gathered for an energetic discussion on the topic of abundance, the latest major event of the college’s Think 2 Impact series.
“It’s not a rock concert, but there’s sort of an electric environment that elevates critical thought on campus,” said Benjamin Brandenburg, the Director of Critical Thinking at Montreat College.
Formally titled The Economics of Enough: Can Generation Z hope for abundance in an age of uncertainty?, the event featured an “all-star business lineup” of Dr. Tate Fegley, Assistant Professor of Business and Economics; Dr. Timothy Shanahan, Assistant Professor of Business; Tara Kenyon, Assistant Professor of Business (Finance and Accounting), and President Paul Maurer. Together, they examined a national debate sparked by journalists Ezra Klein and Derek Thompson, who argue that America faces crises in affordability, innovation, and infrastructure, and our youngest generations may bear the brunt of these difficulties. After roughly 40 minutes of discussion among the faculty panel, students took over for a lively 30-minute question-and-answer session.
“One thing I’ve been pleased with is the consistently high level of questions from students,” Brandenburg reflected. “It offers students leadership opportunities to step up and ask the president or the faculty a question in front of 90 peers.”
Think 2 Impact is a signature initiative of Montreat’s Quality Enhancement Plan, the college’s campus-wide effort to advance critical thinking. Each year, Brandenburg identifies national issues that resonate with both faculty and students. Recent events have explored the future of artificial intelligence and Christianity’s role in civic life.
“Montreat College is not afraid of the questions and the problems of the world, but we approach them from a Christian perspective,” Brandenburg said. “We’re engaging all the world’s questions and we’re doing so from a Christian framework.”
Along with cultivating critical thinking, Think 2 Impact emphasizes “gracious impact,” the ability to engage others with humility and respect, grounded in the inherent dignity of every person made in the image of God. For Brandenburg, the program reflects Montreat’s mission to shape students who engage the world thoughtfully, faithfully, and with confidence.
“Before this program started, there weren’t that many spaces outside convocations where these conversations can happen,” he emphasized. “It’s providing more tools for Montreat to mature as a college and have a strong tradition of critical thought in a world where critical thought is ebbing away.”
In addition to the fall event, Montreat College hosts a science-focused forum each spring, with next year’s event scheduled for April 3, 2026. Throughout each semester, Brandenburg also facilitates around a half-dozen smaller faculty-student conversations over meals in Black Mountain or Asheville, encouraging curiosity, thoughtful listening, and meaningful community.
About thirty-five faculty-nominated students take part in Think 2 Impact’s small-group conversations, organized into three teams of roughly a dozen students each. These groups are intentionally diverse, bringing students from different corners of campus together to build understanding and strengthen community.
“We have a vibrant Honors program and healthy athletic team cultures, but we want people across these worlds to meet,” Brandenburg explained. “These groups are a cross section, and I particularly love this because we have a lot of bright students who aren’t necessarily in Honors, and it gives them a chance to have high-level conversations.”
Eventually, three or four standout leaders from these groups are selected each year as Think 2 Impact Student Fellows. Their role shifts from contributing to facilitating as they design and guide their own student-led conversations that bring 20 to 30 classmates together for respectful dialogue on complex issues.
“Montreat is wonderful. It’s cozy and tucked away up here in the cove, but we’re still part of the world,” Brandenburg said. “My mission is that when graduates leave Montreat, they can really understand what it means to think critically and engage in critical conversations.”
Brandenburg is quick to express gratitude for the administration’s active support of Think 2 Impact and the fall faculty forums, which give students a space to practice thoughtful engagement with real-world ideas.
“Hopefully we’re nurturing and guiding them in a way that shows the Christian tradition has an awesome set of answers to all of life’s questions,” he said. “We’re giving them the tools so they can be strong Christians and know what it means to be as Christ in the modern world.”