LA MIRADA, CALIF. — Biola University announced on Dec. 1, 2021 that the Student Congress on Racial Reconciliation (SCORR) Conference will transition to become a national, independent conference that will continue to be led by Dr. Glen Kinoshita, the founder of the conference, alongside a community of Christian college professionals across the United States.

“For the past 25 years, the Student Congress on Racial Reconciliation (SCORR) has existed to empower attendees to become catalysts for racial reconciliation through transformational learning and growth as they engage the diversity of the Kingdom of God,” said Dr. Barry H. Corey, President of Biola. “In addition to the Biola community, SCORR has drawn attendees from Christian colleges and universities from across the nation and continues to expand as a national gathering of students and colleagues who are committed to develop as leaders who promote diversity and inclusion from a biblical perspective. As we reflect upon SCORR’s history and embrace the current season, we recognize that it is an ideal time to cast new vision and strategically plan for the conference’s future.”

This decision was made after years of prayer and discussion between Kinoshita, Corey and Chief Diversity Officer Tamra Malone, and a number of key leaders from Biola and other Christian colleges around the country. This decision does not diminish the commitment to diversity at Biola University.

Biola remains committed to actively living out the value of biblical reconciliation and diversity, grounded in our conservative theological position and our board-approved university statements, such as Unity Amidst Diversity, Diversity of Thought Statement, Articles of Faith, and Statement of Biblical Principles. One key initiative that will be launched in Fall 2022 is the development of a more robust curriculum that will be integrated into First Year Seminar for all incoming students to begin developing skills in cultural humility, biblical justice, loving our neighbor, Christian hospitality and approaching all aspects of intercultural conversations.

Although the conference is now independent, Biola students, faculty, staff and alumni will still be able to be involved in SCORR. Due to the pandemic, the 2022 conference will be held virtually in Fall 2022. More details are forthcoming.

If you would like to be on the SCORR email list, or want to continue to be a part of SCORR, please email scorrconference4@gmail.com.

Biola University is a leading Christ-centered university in Southern California that offers a premier, nationally ranked education and has been named one of the nation's “up and coming” universities by U.S. News & World Report four times in five years. Founded in 1908, Biola is committed to the mission of biblically centered education, scholarship and service — equipping men and women in mind and character to impact the world for the Lord Jesus Christ. With more than 6,300 students at its Los Angeles-area campus and around the world, the university offers more than 150 academic programs through its nine schools, ranging from the B.A. to the Ph.D. For more information, visit www.biola.edu.

For more information, please contact internal.communications@biola.edu.