The Carl Spain Center was founded to be a voice of hope that speaks to the hearts, minds, and souls of all Christians. Inspired by the same Spirit that emboldened Carl Spain’s courageous and prophetic speech 65 years ago, we have sought to renew his original call to the Christian community today by boldly engaging in the work of racial unity. Since 2018, under the direction of our Founding Director, Dr. Jerry Taylor, the Carl Spain Center has created imaginative spaces where spiritual formation, engaged research, and diverse community happen together. We are proud of this work, and are immensely grateful for the visionary leadership provided by Dr. Jerry Taylor. We are also excited to share with you an exciting development in what will be a new chapter of the center’s burgeoning story!
Last year, Dr. Jerry Taylor worked collaboratively with leadership at ACU to develop and implement a transition of leadership– sensing a call to follow God in a new direction in his life, work, and ministry. Together, our center and university leadership invited and welcomed Tryce Prince (‘18) to be the new Executive Director of the Carl Spain Center. Tryce previously served as the Founding Executive Assistant to the Carl Spain Center from 2018-2020, and has continued to serve the center as a consultant, helping manage various research projects and programming.
Same Story, New Chapter
Tryce Prince graduated from ACU in 2018, earning a Bachelor of Science degree in Sociology. Tryce is currently a Ph.D. Candidate in Sociology at the University of Illinois-Chicago (UIC), where he studies how race shapes individual experiences and religious communities. He is the co-author of “Religion and Race: A Double-Edged Sword,” which appears in Religion Matters: What Sociology Teaches Us About Religion In Our World. In his studies at UIC, Tryce has been advised by and worked alongside Dr. Michael O. Emerson, author of Divided By Faith: Evangelical Religion and the Problem of Race in America. He is also a Center for the Study of Religion and Society Affiliate at the University of Notre Dame (2024-25), where he has served as a consultant on research projects directed by Dr. Kraig Beyerlein and Dr. Christian Smith. Tryce, his wife Erin, and their three daughters currently live in Chicago, IL as he works towards the completion of his doctoral program.
A Note From Tryce:
“We find ourselves in what many consider to be an unprecedented time in our nation’s history. Partisanship, polarization, and fragmentation abound. Conversations across social groups have become increasingly contentious, and the church remains fractured. Observing the current moment reveals a desperate need for leadership that can model the boundary-defying and unifying teachings of Jesus to the Church and nation. I believe the Carl Spain Center is uniquely equipped to help meet this need and lead the ACU community and Christian church towards unity. I am excited to work with our partners as we strive towards unity, and continue to write our story that began almost seven years ago. Together, we will be catalysts for spiritual formation and social change in our religious communities.
To do such important work, we need your support!
We welcome all those who pray for and seek a future marked by racial unity to show their support by participating in the 2025 ACU Gives campaign. Help bridge the future of the Carl Spain Center!”
– Tryce Prince, Carl Spain Center Executive Director
Support Our New Chapter
The Carl Spain Center is excited to be participating in the ACU Gives 2025 April 29th-30th: https://alumniassociation.acu.edu/s/1565/dog20/interior-cf.aspx?sid=1565&gid=1&pgid=3667
By giving to the Carl Spain Center you are supporting:
- Bridging the Future Fund
- Description: This operational fund will help strengthen the foundation of the Carl Spain Center, funding our staffing and programming needs as we seek to bridge the divides in our religious communities.
- Student Research Opportunities: Carter G. Woodson Student Lectureship
- Description: The annual student lecture series hosted by the Carl Spain Center gives students the opportunity to showcase their research. In preparation for this lecture series, students have an opportunity to participate in a funded, faculty-guided project where they will be mentored in research, writing, and public speaking.
- Student Scholarships: Larry Bonner & Billy Curl “Trailblazer” Scholarship
- Description: This scholarship honors the legacies of Dr. Billy Curl and Larry Bonner, the first two African American undergraduate students to enroll in and graduate from ACU (then ACC), by blessing young scholars who will epitomize Curl’s and Bonner’s historical and living legacies for many years to come.
Thank you for supporting our work as we seek to live out the teachings of Jesus by participating in the hope of racial unity!
You can give online at: https://alumniassociation.acu.edu/s/1565/dog20/interior-cf.aspx?sid=1565&gid=1&pgid=3667 For donations by check, write “Carl Spain Center” in your memo line and mail to ACU Gift Records, RE: Carl Spain Center Operations, ACU Box 29132, Abilene, TX 79699. If convenient, please send a courtesy email to advancement@carlspaincenter.org to alert us to watch for your contribution.