New Faculty Join Campus
Oklahoma Christian University has expanded its academic horizons by hiring new faculty in various departments.
This fall, the College of Professional Studies welcomes three new members: Assistant Professor of Education Allison Cassady, Assistant Professor of Business Dan Sorenson and Assistant Professor of Engineering Kenneth Bell.
“I saw the job posting on the Chronicle for Higher Education,” Miller said. “[I] emailed Dr. Miller, who gave me an interview, and things just happened really quickly. But I love it. I really do.”
Assistant Professor of Business Dan Sorensen holds an MBA from Vanderbilt University and is a doctoral student at Anderson University. He came to Oklahoma Christian from Detroit, Mich., where he taught at Rochester College. His 20 years of industry experience with businesses ranging from Toyota to Arthur Anderson make him a perfect fit for the role of instructor.
Allison Cassady is a former public school teacher who will graduate from the University of Texas this year. Cassady will be teaching three courses this fall: Orientation to Teacher Education, Human Relations and Behavioral Management and The School In American Culture. Cassady says she is very encouraged by her students’ desire to learn.
“My students have been fantastic,” Cassady said. “They’re very enthusiastic, interested and engaged. And I try to make it fun. I believe learning should be fun.”
The College of Biblical Studies has introduced two new lecturers – Assistant Professor of Bible Charles Rix and Assistant Professor of Bible Grant Testut.
Assistant Professor of Bible Charles Rix said he was looking for a position teaching Bible – more specifically, a position at one of the colleges associated with the Churches of Christ. When he was contacted about the position at Oklahoma Christian, he applied without hesitation, and anyone who asks him about his time here so far can see he is happy with his decision.
“It’s wonderful,” Rix said. “The faculty is good, the students are great, and everyone’s been so friendly. Honestly…people have been so helpful and welcoming. I’m really enjoying my colleagues, the College of Bible. I’m just very happy to be here.”
Rix holds his doctorate in Biblical Studies from Drew Theological School and will be teaching three undergraduate and two graduate courses this fall, including Story of the Old Testament.
“I am hopeful that, through being associated with students and teaching classes, that I can help people be more excited about reading the Old Testament,” Rix said. “It really is life-changing material. The greater a grasp you have on what the Old Testament says, the more sense you can make of what’s written in the New Testament.”
Assistant Professor of Bible Grant Testut, who graduated from Hebrew Union College with a doctorate in Comparative Semitics, will be teaching Story of the Old Testament, Elementary Hebrew and Old Testament Prophets.
“I heard about it through the grapevine, as it were,” Testut said. “I had heard the name a few times in the past [and] I decided to look into it. I love the campus.”
He has an overarching goal to teach the Bible as a relevant tool for everyday life.
“I hope to foster in my students a knowledge of the Bible, particularly going back to the Bible in its original context and the ancient perspectives, and then relating it to our world today: how is this still applicable?” Testut said. “How do these texts, as the Word of God, continue to speak to us today? At the same time, I hope to share some of my own enthusiasm with my students.”
The College of Arts and Sciences is welcoming Instructor for Psychology and Family Studies Sada Knowles to its psychology faculty. Now a doctoral student at Oklahoma State University’s Department of Human Development and Family Science, Knowles originally graduated from Oklahoma Christian.
Oklahoma Christian welcomes these new additions to the faculty and staff, and looks forward to their unique contributions.
Photo by: Nick Conley
