March 2008 Faculty-Staff News
March 01, 2008 Mr. Bernie Belisle participated in and was accompanied by three students to the Southeastern Theatre Conference in Chattanooga March 6-8. While there, he attended several workshops dealing with topics in acting, technical theatre, theatre camp design, institutional development, faith-based college issues in theatre, and musical theatre performance. The students, Cameron Lane, Justin Winters, and Eve Hildebrandt, attended workshops in acting, technical theatre, and movement.Dr. Scott Jones attended the National Institute for Technology and Liberal Education (NITLE) workshop “Introduction to Teaching with Technology in Liberal Education” held on February 20, 2008. The focus of this conference was to examine available instructional technologies that would be helpful in achieving teaching and learning goals within the context of liberal education. Mr. Stefon Gray also attended this workshop.
Dr. Kennard will address the CORE Journal Club Tuesday, April 1, 5:00 P.M. on the article by Amos Yong, “God and the Evangelical Laboratory” in Theology and Science 5 (2007):203-221. The issues include the relationship between science and the Bible or a method for doing science and theology.
Dr. David Luther attended the Church Music Explosion Conference in Ft. Lauderdale in January. The Chamber Singers schedule this semester includes concerts in Pratville, AL, Decatur, Chattanooga, Middle Valley, Hixson, and a California tour in May. The Chorale spring tour was in Florida
Dr. Sigrid Luther presented a session on keyboard skills for the Knoxville Music Teachers Association January 16, organized and performed for the Ingrid Clarfield Chattanooga workshop and master class February 16, will attend the MTNA national conference March 29-April 2, and will judge for the Knoxville MTA April 19-20 and Cadek Conservatory March 27.
Dr. Jeff Myers will have the following engagements:
- March 25 – Delivers a workshop on Passing the Baton to Catholic school teachers at the National Catholic Educators Association; and
- April 9 – 11 – Hosts a three-day retreat, Wisdom Trek, on leader development at Sandy Cove Conference Center.
- April 18 and 19 – Minnesota Association of Christian Home Educators keynote speaker for the annual Minnesota homeschool convention.
Mr. Scott Perry resigned his position with I.T. Services and returned to his home in Atlanta on March 15.
Miss Christy Rodenbeck has accepted a position beginning the fall of 2008 at the University of Wisconsin at Eau Claire. She will be serving as Lecturer in Kinesiology and Athletic Trainer.
Dr. Ray Smith will travel to the Czech Republic from February 29 to March 10 to teach at Mendel University and a Czech NATO air force base. He will also visit the Anglo American College of Prague to finalize plans to teach there during June of this summer. Dr. Smith will visit with Hayden McCoy, a recent Bryan graduate working with the Hilti Corporation in Prague and Bratislava, Slovakia.
This summer, Dr. Smith will accompany his wife, Dr. Cathie Smith, Associate Professor of the Department of Physical Therapy of the University of Tennessee at Chattanooga, UTC faculty and students on a visit to Eastern European countries. The purpose of this trip is to learn and exchange ideas on how social work
and physical therapy is conducted in other parts of the world. This group will travel to Romania, the Czech Republic, and Slovakia for 23 days, and they will teach, participate in forums, and visit health care agencies that provide care to children with disabilities. Sandra Bunting and Shayne Champion, two of Bryan’s MBA students, will accompany the group and assist Ray Smith in teaching at Emanuel University.
Mr. Ben Williams will be Director of the Worldview Teams, effective fall 2008. Ben has served as Assistant Director for the past two years, and has done a fine job in that leadership capacity.
New Faculty for Fall 2008
Mr. Brian Eisenback (Bryan, ’02) has accepted the full-time position as Assistant Professor of Biology for the 2008-09 school year. He and his wife Ashley currently reside in Blacksburg, VA, where he is completing his doctorate in Entomology (Forest Entomology Concentration).Dr. H. Dwight Page has accepted the position of Associate Professor in Languages and Linguistics. He has been teaching a section of Beginning Spanish at Bryan and will add offerings in French for the 2008-09 school year. Dr. Page resides in Madisonville, and most recently has been on the faculty at Hiwassee College. He has also served at Tusculum College and the University of Memphis. Dr. Page has a rich background and knowledge of European languages, literature, and history, and he has served as editor of the Swiss-American Historical Review since 2001.
Mrs. Katie Abercrombie Saynes (Bryan, ’04) has accepted the full-time position in the Education Department for the 2008-09 school year. She has taught at Rhea Central Elementary for the past four years and holds an M.S. degree in Instructional Leadership from Tennessee Technological University. Mrs. Saynes is currently in a Ph.D. program (Instructional/Curriculum Leadership) at North Central University. She resides in Soddy-Daisy with her husband and two children.