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FROM THE COLLEGES: Boyce adds classical education emphasis; Mobile to connect churches & students


Boyce College adds classical education, vocation office, 2 profs

LOUISVILLE, KY. (SBTS) — With classical education on the rise, Boyce College will offer a minor in classical education starting in this academic year.

The undergraduate arm of Southern Baptist Theological Seminary in Louisville, Ky., also has opened a vocation and career development office and added an assistant professor of Old Testament and an assistant professor in biblical counseling to the fulltime faculty.

The classical education initiative will be led by Melissa Tucker, chair of Boyce’s teacher education program; Tyler Flatt, assistant professor of humanities; and Kevin Jones, assistant professor of teacher education.

The minor will be an emphasis within the teacher education program and also will be open to other Boyce students.

“The resurgence of classical education is one of the most promising developments on the broader American education landscape in quite some time,” said Matthew J. Hall, dean of Boyce College. “Christian institutions are rightly at the forefront of this recovery of ancient wisdom, answering basic questions about what it means to be human, what it means to truly learn, and the very essence of education itself. However, few Christian colleges have taken on the task of preparing graduates to teach this way.”

The minor, Tucker said, will equip students to teach the classes and thus have “a step up” on teachers who have not been trained classically, “so that wherever they go, they are able to walk into a classroom — public, Christian and, now, classical and ESL schools — and teach with no difficulty from a biblical worldview.”

Among its bachelor of science degrees, Boyce College offers a teacher education major in which students take a general studies class load and classes in biblical studies in addition to their professional education studies. But each student also has approximately 15 to 18 extra hours and may apply those to a classics emphasis. Classics is the second emphasis within the education program, after an ESL emphasis was instituted two years ago.

Because students hoping to teach classically should be prepared to teach the ancient languages of Greek and Latin, Flatt, a classicist by training and Ph.D. graduate of Harvard University, will handle the classical programming for students enrolled in the program. Currently, two semesters of classical Latin are required, with the aim to add classical Greek and more advanced language courses.

Flatt currently is preparing an edition and translation of Erasmus’ “Annotations on the Gospel of John” for the Collected Works of Erasmus. His articles have appeared or are forthcoming in The Classical Journal, Classical World, The Journal of English and Germanic Philology, and Vigiliae Christianae. Before studying at Harvard, he had earned a master’s degree at the University of Toronto and a bachelor’s degree at the University of Waterloo.

Office of Vocation and Career Development

Hall said the college’s new Office of Vocation and Career Development will help students determine their calling and “identify strategic opportunities to pursue that vocation in a way that serves the Kingdom of Christ and honors God.”

Ben Hussung, a master of divinity student at Southern Seminary, will lead the office in advising and counseling students as well as acting as a liaison between companies and employers to connect students with internships and entry-level jobs.

“So many students in their 20s graduate from college and either move back home or take several years to find a job,” Hussung said. “This position is an opportunity to help students think about vocation and career from a biblical worldview.”

Hall noted, “We want to begin laying the groundwork so we can say, ‘OK, in your freshman year, what are some opportunities that not only pay the bills while you’re a college student, but provide you with experiences and skills that you’ll be able to leverage for the rest of your life?'”

The office also will provide Boyce students with skills to network and hunt for jobs, from writing a cover letter and updating a resume to job interviews, along with workshops and a career and internship expo with businesses, ministries and nonprofit organizations.

New fulltime profs

Joining Boyce College’s fulltime faculty this academic year are Old Testament scholar Adam Howell and counselor Andrew Rogers.

Howell, a master of divinity and doctor of philosophy graduate of Southern Seminary, has served as an adjunct instructor of biblical studies at Boyce since 2013 and an adjunct instructor of Old Testament interpretation at Southern since 2014. He has taught Hebrew extensively at both the college and seminary level. His research has appeared in several academic publications, including the Journal for the Study of the Old Testament and the Journal of Biblical Manhood and Womanhood.

Rogers, who also will serve as program coordinator for the biblical counseling major, is completing his Ph.D. in biblical counseling at Southern after earning an M.Div. and master of arts in biblical counseling from The Master’s Seminary in Sun Valley, Calif. He is a fellow and board member with the Association of Certified Biblical Counselors and has served in several ministry positions, including as pastor of soul care at College Park Church in Indianapolis. Rogers was an adjunct professor at Boyce in 2014 and recently worked as an adjunct at three separate institutions, including Trinity Evangelical Divinity School in Deerfield, Ill. His scholarly writing has appeared in the Journal of Biblical Counseling.

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Mobile’s Ministry Resources to connect churches & students

MOBILE, Ala. (BP) — Churches may now request worship bands, interns, Disciple Now leaders and preachers through the University of Mobile’s new Ministry Resources initiative.

Representatives from churches across Alabama and the region can fill out a request form at www.umobile.edu/ministry-resources to post employment and volunteer opportunities to be advertised to students, primarily in the School of Christian Studies. Churches with mission trips or projects for ministry teams also can post those needs.

“We hope to provide our students with opportunities to serve in and through the local church,” said Chase Alford, director of university ministries. “Ultimately, we want to assist in helping churches advance the Kingdom of God.”

While there is no guarantee that Mobile students will be able to fill all positions, Alford is hopeful that the fall semester will allow many students the opportunity to serve.

The University of Mobile, online at www.umobile.edu, is affiliated with the Alabama Baptist State Convention.