AS the preface has indicated, this book is a celebration and analysis of the achievements of Liverpool Hope University College and of the opportunities now presenting here. The ‘college’ designation is as important as its prefixes. The modern single institution is, as we shall see, derived from much older collegiate establishments that have meant so much to students and staff over the years. It focuses on the importance of personal interaction and development in the educational endeavour. Christians believe that all human beings are created in the image of God, but that for whatever reason that image in every individual is marred. Restoring that image is the central work of all Christian ministry. Christian education is a formalised part of that. While personal development of such a kind does, of course, occur in secular and larger institutions by dint of the commitment of individual staff members and in, for example, some halls of residence, it is that much easier to achieve and maintain in smaller ones. (The danger here, however, is that it can degenerate into an effete and ineffectual cosy intimacy. In these days of external accountability and endless inspection this can be a serious weakness.) To work in a college like Hope is to experience the Christian mission at work in education. It is something to be celebrated and cherished. The challenge, of course, is to develop this at every opportunity. This is not always easy to achieve as the college grows numerically (which it has to do for its own good and viability) but it is always possible. As we shall see in later chapters, many of the modern facilities for student support, welfare and enjoyment of leisure at Hope are based on antecedent collegiate ones. They are also part of the fulfilment of Hope's shorter mission statement: ‘Educating the whole person in mind, body and spirit’. This formulation is a constant and convenient reminder that higher education is a deeply personal and, at its best, life-changing experience. But even at times when we are most disposed to recognising this, we can scarce pinpoint its happening. All manner of influences, even serendipitous ones, interplay during the educational process, and it might be years later before we can even begin to identify, unravel and appreciate them for what they were.