A new program at Franciscan University of Steubenville in Ohio puts faith, God, and new connections first in a fascinating way for today’s times. The program will offer scholarships to students to put their smartphones down to better connect with religion, prayer, and each other.

During an appearance on “Fox & Friends Weekend,” Lauren Green, the chief religion correspondent for Fox News Channel, discussed the details of the continuing experiment at the Catholic college in Steubenville, Ohio, saying, “This is really an amazing thing.” She continued, “Over the last year, there’s been a ‘pilot program.’ A bunch of alumni got together and said, ‘We’re going to offer these scholarships to students who will ditch their smartphones, not for a semester, not for a year, but for the entire four years they’re at Franciscan University.’”

Green said 30 students receive tuition assistance as part of the program but added, “But 50 more students who did not receive assistance also got rid of their phones. She says the students created a group called Humans Engaging Reality. Students are on an honor code or system regarding ditching their phones during this time. On that point, Green said one of the students related a funny story that resulted from this program.

She shared that a student was in an airport and had to ask someone for directions since they didn’t have their smartphone. Green also discussed the depression rate in the online generation and how it’s linked to this college experiment. She said 30 percent of 15-34-year-olds have been diagnosed with depression. However, one young woman said her depression diagnosis disappeared after she ditched her smartphone.

Franciscan University of Steubenville is a Catholic college in Ohio. Its website says, “Franciscan University of Steubenville is no ordinary university, and a Franciscan education is no ordinary education. Rather, it’s an education as rigorous and demanding as it is faithful — an education that challenges you intellectually, forms you professionally, and feeds you spiritually.” The students “are finding that they have this different kind of life because they don’t have a smartphone,” said Green about the pilot program.

Green also pointed out that so many kids today are on social media regularly, with another person pointing out, “And yet, it’s more like ‘social isolation.’” Green said Franciscan University hopes to attain partners in this new program. She said, “They don’t want to be the only ones. People are meant to have relationships with each other and with God. And when you ditch your smartphone, that encourages that kind of relationship, not only for the students at Franciscan but for the world. They’re going to change the world.”

She also said, “Remember all the stories about indoctrination on college campuses? They’re trying to turn that around.”