North Greenville University (NGU) has signed a partnership agreement with OneLife Institute, offering college credit to students taking part in the organization’s 9-month gap year program.
“We are excited about this strategic partnership,” said NGU Provost Dr. Nathan Finn. “Our respective organizations share so much ‘kingdom DNA,’ in addition to geographical proximity. The students who enroll in OneLife’s gap-year program will get the best of both institutions and will enjoy a great launch to their college career.”
OneLife operates four locations in the United States, with two sites in Pennsylvania, one in West Virginia, and one at Camp Sakanaga, in Marietta, South Carolina, approximately 11 miles from North Greenville University’s Tigerville campus.
“Every student that enrolls in our South Carolina location, starting in 2024, will be a North Greenville University student and will earn a transcript from NGU,” said OneLife President Josh Beers. “Students can earn up to 30 college credits, so it’s more than just a gap year program. For students who continue on with university studies, it’s their first-year college experience.”
Started 11 years ago with the vision of helping students navigate their next steps through experiential learning, OneLife has continued to grow.
“We think God is more interested in who we’re becoming rather than where we’re going, and that puts an emphasis on growing your character. We want students to take whatever they do in life and use it to serve God and serve others,” Beers said. “The desire for us is to help students identify who they are and launch them out. We put a strong emphasis on service and an emphasis on taking ownership and responsibility. That’s something we bake into everything we do.”
Over the course of the OneLife gap year, students participate in hands-on learning experiences outside the classroom, assist with local service projects, and take trips across the United States and around the world.
“Our goal for the students is to make the world their classroom,” Beers said. “A number of students come to us thinking that they don’t want to go to college, but they leave excited to further their education because they’ve found a joy in learning.”
NGU will offer OneLife participants the opportunity to embrace campus life and see what their future might look like in Tigerville as part of their gap-year experience, extending invites to concerts, symposiums, athletic events on campus. Beers said the partnership is a natural fit.
“North Greenville University is doing much more than helping students figure out what they want to do in their careers. They’re helping students figure out who they are. We want to be an on-ramp for students to experience life-changing education at NGU,” he said. “North Greenville University understands the uniqueness of OneLife and embraces that. We know what God is doing on NGU’s campus, and we can’t wait to more intentionally connect our students with North Greenville University while they’re at OneLife, and hopefully post-OneLife.”
In addition to the first year, 9-month gap year program, NGU and OneLife Institute also partner together on a second-year program, OneLifeX, which aims to help students develop leadership skills and pursue entrepreneurship, media, ministry, and trade. As with the first-year program, OneLifeX is located at Camp Sakanaga, in Marrietta, SC.
To learn more about the organization and opportunities, visit onelifepath.org. To learn more about NGU, visit ngu.edu.
