Biola Center for Christian Thought Conference Video Available
"Neuroscience and the Soul"

5/15/13 12:08PM - E. Ponder

Biola University Center for Christian Thought has provided free access to recordings from their 2012-2013 Conference with the Research Theme: "Neuroscience and the Soul."  Among the questions considered are: Are neuroscience and Christian beliefs compatible? Does the soul exist? Are we free? What moral challenges does neuroscience raise? What does Scripture teach us about human persons? to name a few. Twenty-five scholars weigh in on the discussion in these recorded sessions presented at the conference in November, 2012. Also available freely on the Open Biola website are the recordings of the 2012 Research Theme: Christian Scholarship in the 21st Century.

To access these video recordings, go to http://cct.biola.edu/resources/.

Center for Research in Adult Learning (CRAL) Hosts Social Media Webinar

4/17/13 9:22AM - E. Ponder

From the CCCU eAdvance Newsletter April 2013:

"The Center for Research in Adult Learning (CRAL) is hosting as its next webinar speaker Dr. Tanya Joosten, discussing the topic, Social Media for Educators. Her presentation is full of useful “how-to” knowledge on integrating social media into the learning setting to enhance student outcomes." Read more.

Webinar Information

Title: Social Media for Educators
When: May 15, 2013; 1 p.m. (EST)
Cost: Individual: $50
Institution: $150

To register visit: http://www.indwes.edu/CRAL/Webinars/

Calvin Kuyers Institute Issues Call for Papers

3/28/13 11:24AM - E. Ponder

The following information has been provided to the CECS via email posting:

Conference and Call for Papers: “Virtues, Vices, and Teaching” Calvin College, October 3-5, 2013

"Discussions of virtues and vices direct our attention away from rules and consequences and toward the role of character. The Kuyers Institute for Christian Teaching and Learning will host a conference in October 2013 on virtues, vices, and teaching. The purpose of this conference is to explore the implications of a focus on virtues and vices for the way Christian teaching and learning are approached. The scope of the conference is not restricted to moral education per se; papers are invited on topics that connect virtue/vice in general or specific virtues and vices with learning in any discipline or area of educational activity. Papers should focus on some aspect of pedagogy; both theoretical studies and accounts of practice are welcome. Questions that might be explored include, but are not restricted to, the following:

What virtues and vices are evident in, or influence, our teaching and students’ learning?
Can we teach virtues? Do we teach vices?
How might a focus on virtues and vices help students in their vocation as Christian learners?
How might a focus on virtues and vices affect our approach to curriculum and pedagogy?
In what ways might the question of virtues and vices arise within the pedagogy of various disciplines?

Paper proposals of 1-2 pages, including 100-word abstracts‚ should be sent via e-mail to seminars@calvin.edu no later than May 15, 2013. Notification of acceptance will be made by June 3, 2013. Additional information regarding the conference will be available soon under the Conferences section at www.calvin.edu/scs/."

CECS Offers Intersection of Faith & Reflection Grant

2/28/13 10:08AM - E. Ponder

The Center for Excellence in Christian Scholarship offers ETBU faculty an opportunity to participate in the Intersection of Faith and Reflection grant iniative for Fall 2013. Grant recipients will be taking part in reflecting on their personal faith, teaching and learning styles, and how Christian scholarship permeates throughout their classroom environment. Reflections will be posted weekly on the inaugeral blog of the CECS which will be available freely to the community via the ETBU website.To learn more about this grant or the process of critical reflection, visit the CECS Grant Opprortunities page or contact Elizabeth Ponder at cecs@etbu.edu.

ETBU School of Humanities receives Lilly Fellows Grant

11/16/12 - E Ponder

Dr. Sherilyn Emberton presents (left) a small grant from the Lilly Fellows Program in Humanities and the Arts at Valparaiso University to Dean of the School of Humanities, Dr. Jerry Summers. This small stimulus grant will help to establish a campus-wide emphasis during the 2013-2014 academic year on "Human Rights, Reconciliation, and Restorative Justice: East Texas and the World."

Read more about this award via Marshall News Messenger

Read more about the Lilly Fellows Program in Humanities and the Arts

Dr. Susan Felch @ ETBU

10/09/12 12:57 PM - E Ponder

The CECS will welcome Dr. Susan Felch, Director of the Calvin Center for Christian Scholarship and Professor of English at Calvin College, on Monday, November 12, 2012. Throughout the day Dr. Felch will be sharing with various groups on campus her thoughts and expertise in the area of faith and learning.

Learn more about Dr. Felch and see the full schedule for her visit >>

CECS Welcomes New ETBU Faculty

08/08/12 9:37 AM - E Ponder

The Center for Excellence in Christian Scholarship is delighted to introduce the ETBU community to several new faculty members who will be joining us this Fall 2012 Semester. Each new faculty member listed below was kind enough to supply us with their biographical information and to answer a few questions so that we could begin to get to know each other as we continually strive to sharpen each other as iron sharpens iron through the integration of faith in our disciplines. To our newest faculty members, we look forward to welcoming you on campus this fall and hope you will truly find that ETBU is a place where we can work together to "embrace faith, engage minds, and empower leaders."

East Texas Baptist University New Faculty Fall 2012

 Jennifer Bashaw, Ph.D.

Assistant Professor of Religion

Learn more about Dr. Bashaw's Academic & Professional Experience

1. What is your academic background or area of expertise?
I am trained as a New Testament scholar but I also dabble in Early Church History, Old Testament, Biblical Interpretation, and Homiletics.
2. What brings you to ETBU?
The desire to teach a new generation of Baptist students how to responsibly interpret our Scriptures.
3. Why do you believe the integration of faith and learning are important with respect to your academic discipline?
As Christians, we cannot study and interpret the Bible outside of the context of our faith in God. We need guidance from the Holy Spirit to understand the beauty and complexity of the Bible and the community of faith to learn how God wants us to apply the truth of Scripture in our lives.

Joseph Brown, Ph.D.

Associate Dean of the School of Education

Learn more about Dr. Brown's Academic  & Professional Experience 

Dr. Brown shares his educational philosophy:

"Within the classroom, the faculty is the communicator of truth. As a faculty member I seek excellence to the glory of God, and am not be satisfied with anything less than being superior in the knowledge of my academic field. A faculty member is creative in their efforts to bring faith into the classroom. Classroom dynamics create contexts in how this is done and must be accompanied by grace and patience.

I believe that as a teacher I must use multiple learning approaches; provide a challenging criterion; and use reliable, appropriate, and fair methods of evaluation for each course taught.

As a kinesiology professional, it is my responsibility to mold a genuine practitioner in the science of human movement; preparing them to assume professional roles in education, or in fields aligned with rehabilitation and prevention, or within the environments of sport and exercise. Successful training of this practitioner is proven through the individual’s display of expert knowledge; proficiency in academic and movement competencies, and displays a professional disposition suited for success in the profession of kinesiology."  

Sarah Bussard, MFA

Assistant Professor of Theatre

Learn more about Ms. Bussard's Academic & Professional Experience

1. What is your academic background or area of expertise? As a theatre technician and designer, I do have a lot of “practical” experience outside of academia; however, I have taught both school drama and undergraduate classes (as a graduate assistant) and given workshops to various schools and universities about my specialty (Wig Building and Prosthetic Makeup). In general, I’m a bookworm.
2. What brought you to ETBU? Definitely the people. I really love the atmosphere here, especially (and obviously) in the Fine Arts Department. I felt very welcomed and as though I could contribute something, but be stretched and challenged as well. There also seems to be such a concern for students, in general and for their spiritual welfare - and the campus feels very family oriented as opposed to a rigid academic institution. Ironically though, my interview was the first time I had set foot in the state of Texas, even though I’d lived and traveled across the country and overseas!
3. Why do you believe the integration of faith and learning are important with respect to your academic discipline? Well, the performing arts are often brutal, not only professionally, but on one’s ethics and personal faith. (I’m sure this is true with many other disciplines as well, so I’m not discounting them). You routinely make choices not just about your artistic performance or design, but on how to respond and behave in very high-stress situations. It’s easy to want to compromise in order to get on with a certain director or casting agent in order to please a designer’s taste because someone tells you, “You’ll never work again if you don’t X, Y, & Z …," etc. It’s also very easy to be sort of wishy-washy about your faith in order not to offend or “rock the boat” (again, not unique just to the performing arts). I think it’s important that students know WHAT they believe and how to practically live that out. 

Amanda Chesshir, MS

Instructor of Communications

Learn more about Ms. Chesshir's Academic & Professional Experience

1. What is your academic background or area of expertise?
The study of communications is fascinating to me. I enjoy the various areas of this field, especially public speaking, nonverbal communication, intercultural communication, and interpersonal communication. I received a Bachelor of Science in Speech Communication from the University of Texas at Tyler and a Master of Science in Communication Studies with an emphasis in Rhetoric, Public Speaking, and Persuasion from the University of North Texas.
2. What brings you to ETBU?
ETBU had an opening for an Assistant Professor in Communications. The fact that ETBU is a Christian school appealed greatly to me.
3. Why do you believe the integration of faith and learning are important with respect to your academic discipline?
Communication is such a wide field, but with all communication skills comes the responsibility to use them wisely. By integrating faith into the study of speech and communciation one learns the importance of ethics. Not all strong speakers are communicating good messages. Christian scholars must learn to critically think about not only composing their message in the most effective manner, but also analyze whether the things they communicate are messages that promote the teachings of Christ; goodness, mercy, forgiveness, meekness, and love.

 Lawrence Clark, Ph.D.

 Associate Professor of English

Learn more about Dr. Clark's Academic & Professional Experience

1. What is your academic background or area of expertise? Creative Writing; Motivational and Inspirational Speaking and Writing; American Literature; Classical Rhetoric; Persuasive, Marketing, and Business Writing; Literary Theory and Criticism
2. What brought you to ETBU? 1. Small, Christian, family-like atmosphere similar to my alma mater, William Carey University and 2. Absence of Houston traffic and smog.
3. Why do you believe the integration of faith and learning are important with respect to your academic discipline? In my area, I come in contact with a lot of freshman who are still trying to figure out who they are, where they came from, and what their purpose and place is in this world. By exposing them to ideas from the great literary minds and thinkers of the ages, I hope to challenge them to consider how these ideas affirm or contrast with their faith, with the end goal of strengthening it. I also believe that writing about their inner feelings, goals and aspirations, and reactions to course material will create a habit of introspection that creates a constant state of awareness and improvement of all aspects of their lives: emotional, physical, mental, relational, and spiritual. 

Ken Fairweather, Ph.D.

Associate Professor of Marketing

Learn more about Dr. Fairweather's Academic & Professional Experience

1. What is your academic background or area of expertise?
My academic preparation was in the areas of cross-cultural ministry and business/marketing. My teaching experience includes over 20 years in the areas of Business Management and Marketing. As Associate Professor of Marketing, I will continue with my passion for marketing as well as ethics in business.
2. What brought you to ETBU?
I was first attracted to ETBU by its mission, administration, and faculty, and this has been enhanced by the students as I have had the opportunity to meet a number of them over the summer. All these together provide me the opportunity to contribute to the development of Christian young men and women to go out and impact the workplace for the Lord.
3. Why do you believe the integration of faith and learning are important with respect to your academic discipline?
I strongly believe in the integration of faith and learning in respect to the study of business. First of all, I believe that business “platforms for ministry” as we all are obedient to “go into all the world and make disciples.” Second, we are preparing the “leaders of today” as our graduates seek to lead both their business operations and in changing the moral direction of individuals and corporations.

Tom Haygood, Ph.D., LPC-S, LMFT

Associate Professor of Psychology and Counselor Education

Learn more about Dr. Haygood's Academic & Professional Experience

1. What is your academic background or area of expertise?
BA English, two master's and a PhD in Educ Psych.; Assistant Professor at Union University in Sociology; 35 years in private practice as marriage and family therapist
2. What brought you to ETBU?
The Lord used Dr. Emberton and a vision to make a difference for His kingdom for the next generation
3. Why do you believe the integration of faith and learning are important with respect to your academic discipline?
Without a transformation of how we communicate with diverse and "different" Americans, I fear (greatly fear) the future of our blessed America. I want to offer new conversations and not "positions that divide."

Robin McClaran, MS

 Instructor of Mathematics

Learn more about Ms. McClaran's Academic & Professional Experience

1. What is your academic background or area of expertise? BSE (Mathematics and CIS) from ETBU 1985, MS (IS – Mathematics) from the University of Texas at Tyler 1995, Doctoral candidate at the University of Kentucky (Mathematics education); Mathematics education (K-16) is my area of expertise. My research interests include the following: (1) finding effective ways to use technology in the teaching and learning of mathematics, (2) closing representation and achievement gaps in advanced mathematics, and (3) examining the impact of hands-on and technology-based activities on at-risk students.
2. What brings you to ETBU? Many doors have been opened for me to have this opportunity to teach at ETBU. My husband attended at session at the 2001 NCTM Annual Conference in Orlando, Florida, and learned about a non-traditional doctoral program in mathematics education called ACCLAIM. Although the program was targeting rural mathematics educators in the Appalachian region, the presenters alluded to the possibility of accepting applications from rural areas outside of the Appalachian region. My husband continued to check the ACCLAIM website and in 2006 found that ACCLAIM was accepting applications from rural mathematics educators outside of Appalachian region. I applied and was one of 17 from across the United States selected from cohort III. The ACCLAIM program allowed me to keep my job teaching mathematics at Marshall High School while working on a doctorate. Although I was still working on my dissertation proposal when Dr. Steve Capehart retired, I applied for the position in the department of mathematics at ETBU. I successfully defended my proposal one week prior to my interview at ETBU and I am so thankful that I was offered the position. I graduated from ETBU in 1985 and loved my time as a student at ETBU. I am certain that I will love my time teaching and serving at ETBU. How wonderful it is to be home again “on the hill”.
3. Why do you believe the integration of faith and learning are important with respect to your academic discipline? In the same way that proof in high school mathematics should not be limited to Geometry classes, faith integration at a Christian university should not be limited to religion classes. The integration of faith and learning in all disciplines lays the foundation for students to integrate faith and living.

Marila Palmer, Ph.D.

Assistant Provost & Assistant Professor of Education

Learn more about Dr. Palmer's Academic & Professional Experience

1. What is your academic background or area of expertise? My fourteen years in K-12 public schools as secondary teacher and assistant principal helped me understand today’s millennial student and learner-centered teaching. In my fifteen years in higher ed, I have primarily worked with institutional effectiveness, strategic planning, and accreditation, which provided broad experience with all facets of university life. However, it is a genuine blessing when I am able to guide young women as they search for God’s permission to lead, especially when I can direct them to biblical examples of women in leadership.
2. What brings you to ETBU? At this point in my career, I was ready for a change. I wanted to have a stronger role in Academic Affairs, to impact the next generation of secondary teachers, and to interact more closely with students. As an East Texan myself, I had always heard good things about ETBU from its alumni and friends in the community. When I first drove up the hill, the brick columns with class leaders from 1928 named Ella, Ruth, and Doris served as a welcoming affirmation. The kindness, extended by ETBU’s caring and capable faculty and staff, makes me think I should have made it to Tiger Drive long ago!
3. Why do you believe the integration of faith and learning are important with respect to your academic discipline? Public elementary and secondary schools are a mission field, because for some students a Christian teacher may be the only Christ-like person visible in their lives. Without faith, an education remains shallow and incomplete. With the integration of faith, mere facts transform into critical thinking, problem solving…revelation. When secondary teachers are called and well-equipped, they have great opportunity to sow seeds of God’s wisdom.

Carol Rizer, CRNA, MSN

Assistant Professor of Nursing

Learn more about Ms. Rizer's Academic and Professional Experience

1. What is your academic background or area of expertise? I have a Bachelor of Science in Biomedical Science from Texas A&M University, a Bachelor of Science in Nursing from the University of Texas at Tyler and a Master of Science in Nursing from the University of Texas Health Science Center at Houston with an Anesthesia certification. I come from a background in critical care nursing and 18 years of anesthesia practice in an acute care setting. I continue to work in my practice as a CRNA in several East Texas hospitals on a part-time basis in addition to my new opportunity here at ETBU.
2. What brings you to ETBU? I have always had an interest in teaching and have mentored many students as a part of my clinical practice over the years. When I began to learn about the exciting vision that was evolving at ETBU, I felt that this might be the time to become a part of something special. I am very excited to participate in envisioning the future of nursing through the Academic opportunities here at ETBU.
3. Why do you believe the integration of faith and learning are important with respect to your academic discipline? My faith and hope in Jesus Christ provides the foundation of all my strengths and abilities. I depend on the presence of the Holy Spirit to give direction to my life and believe without a doubt that it has been through God’s guidance that I am joining ETBU at this particular time in my life. I pray for His continued presence and influence as the Fall semester commences and for each and every student who commits themselves to beginning or furthering their Nursing education at ETBU.