Advantage Archives - ��ԭ��

The Campus Chemistry

��ԭ�� — Thu, 29 Feb 2024 23:14:10 +0000

Education is under attack. No matter where you look, education is under intense scrutiny to prove its viability in the culture of tomorrow. This concern is nothing new, really. Education has always needed to balance the needs of the workforce with the construction of the whole being. And Christians are not exempt from this discussion. Let’s consider three specific reasons that campus education will thrive, not just survive. At ��ԭ��, we believe that the arts, athletics, and leadership development are a part of our curriculum. Fine arts primarily refer to theater and music. There are many forms of art represented in our productions on campus. From set design, costuming, and makeup to our Fall Festivals where we integrate public speaking into the musical presentations, ��ԭ�� has a deep affinity for the arts. It goes without saying that group music and theater cannot be done without the campus. ��ԭ�� values the arts for three reasons: art reflects the glory of God, art reflects the beauty of creation, and art communicates the gospel. Humanity gives glory to God when we appropriately and intentionally work toward excellence. A musician maximizing her talents for the Lord instead of selfish gain is a worthy […]

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Missional Leadership for the Next Generation

��ԭ�� — Thu, 01 Feb 2024 21:08:48 +0000

Dr. David Anderson (’86,’22) was named the sixth president of ��ԭ�� in May of 2023 by the Board of Trustees. The Andersons are not strangers to the campus of ��ԭ��. Anderson’s father moved his family to Watertown to receive his theological training prior to going into the pastorate where he served for 42 years. Most recently, David and Abi (Potter) served in Roscoe, Illinois at Heritage Baptist Church. All their adult children graduated from ��ԭ��. Announcing the appointment, Dr. Doug Jackson, the chairman of the Board of Trustees, said: With unity, confidence, and great enthusiasm, the ��ԭ�� board of trustees voted unanimously to call Dr. David Anderson to serve as MBU’s new president. As president, we believe he will successfully carry out our mission, minister effectively to our students and staff, and serve as the public face of our university—the chief student recruiter and promoter of ��ԭ��. Introducing himself to the team, Dr. Anderson encouraged the faculty and staff saying; “I have been a cheerleader for ��ԭ�� from Illinois. Now I will be your cheerleader on campus!” The energy that filled the room that day was electric. Following that morning’s meeting, as I was talking with […]

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Missional Leadership for the Next Generation

��ԭ�� — Mon, 01 Jan 2024 20:55:04 +0000

When Dr. Marriott announced his appointment to the position of Chancellor in May at commencement, many people immediately began praying for what would assuredly be a time of waiting and transition. Thankfully, God ordained Dr. David Anderson to accept the call from the Board of Trustees in the same month to be the new president. Since May, the Board’s decisions have been repeatedly affirmed as Dr. Anderson has been transitioning his ministry to Watertown from Illinois. His pleasant demeanor and warm spirit are a welcome addition to the team. He brings a contagious fire for ministry. You might ask, “How did we get here?” It’s important to understand that reinstating the role of the chancellor and bringing Dr. Anderson on as president is the culmination of leadership structure improvements in this decade. ��ԭ��’s leadership legacy serves as a catalyst for improvement and fosters an environment of sustained growth. Dr. Marriott took the corner office in 2009. Two of his initial programs to reinvigorate ��ԭ��’s work were the strategic Bible & Church Ministry scholarship for students preparing for ministry and the systematic expansion of Online & Distance Learning programs. After announcing the scholarship, Marriott recounts, “The scholarship doubled the number […]

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An Excellent Education

��ԭ�� — Mon, 01 Jan 2024 20:14:27 +0000

��ԭ�� is an institutionally accredited member of The Higher Learning Commission, one of six accrediting organizations in the United States. After 30 years of membership, it might be easy to take accreditation for granted and forget the pathway we have traveled and the blessings we have inherited by God’s gracious hand. So, let’s raise an Ebenezer, remember the journey, and praise God.[1] When ��ԭ�� was founded in 1968, no one thought about academic accreditation. In fact, according to former Academic VP Dr. John Brock, essentially no one at the time thought it was a good idea for a conservative Baptist institution to become accredited by a secular organization.[2] But as ��ԭ�� entered the 1980s, the landscape began to change. ��ԭ��’s administration began to explore the benefits of some type of academic accreditation, and a seven-year journey to institutional accreditation commenced in 1987.[3] At first, progress was slow, and many forms of accreditation were explored. ��ԭ��’s Board of Trustees and ��ԭ�� alumni needed to be reassured that the pursuit of outside accreditation would not lead to institutional compromise or the surrender of biblical principles. At times, sister institutions did not understand ��ԭ��’s intentions.[4] But in January […]

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Degree Title vs. Skill Advantage

��ԭ�� — Fri, 01 Dec 2023 20:41:39 +0000

The title of your degree does not dictate your career field. Now before you irritatedly turn the page – because of course if you want to be a politician, you must have a degree in political science – calm down and keep reading because no, you don’t. Don’t get me wrong; your degree is important. But higher education is more about honing skills and who you become than what you do in your career. When he arrived at ��ԭ��, Shane Saxon (‘14, English) was a typical freshman student. He wasn’t sure what he wanted to study, but he jumped into college with both feet. “I started as a Bible major thinking that I might want to be a pastor. If I was going to be a pastor, I thought I would need classes in counseling, Biblical languages, and other skills required for the pastorate. Thankfully, I was required to take a British literature course with Mr. Huffstutler,” Saxon shared. That class changed the course of his life. “In that class,” Saxon continued, “he made the point that we fail to make the most of our education if all we’re concerned with is the vocational skills it can […]

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Community On Mission

��ԭ�� — Sun, 01 Oct 2023 20:22:48 +0000

Each year, a new group of faculty, staff, and students are welcomed to the ��ԭ�� family. At the same time, parents and students are starting to think about college more intentionally. Usually, they are familiar with our community through the experience of alumni, pastors, or friends. So, becoming a part of this intricate machine, whether on campus or virtual has a relationship to thank for its beginning. This is the way we like it. In this edition of the Advantage, you are going to explore the heartbeat of the ministry. But before you immerse yourself in stories of God’s grace or alumni faithfulness, let us direct your attention back to why ��ԭ�� exists. Dr. Davis, in his address to the faculty and staff at the beginning of the school year, announced the theme for the year to be “Community on Mission.” If you have been listening to our podcast, you’ll hear echoes of those conversations because it’s grabbed a hold of our hearts. Education is in constant flux for a variety of reasons but there are a couple of key ways it stays the same in our minds: community and mission. A question we regularly receive is, “how big is […]

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Benefit Concert Raises Money for Grand Piano

��ԭ�� — Mon, 16 Feb 2015 00:00:00 +0000

On Saturday, February 7, ��ԭ�� family and alumni gathered with guests from the community at First Baptist Church in Troy, Michigan to hear internationally-renowned piano duo Diana Shapiro and Stanislava Varshavski. Drs. Shapiro and Varshavski have taught as adjunct piano faculty at ��ԭ�� for private lessons and group repertoire classes since 2009. They desired to show their appreciation for the students at ��ԭ�� by raising money to buy a new grand piano for ��ԭ��’s recital hall, Burckart Hall. The pianists proposed the idea of a benefit concert and planned the evening’s program, which drew from standard two-piano and one-piano/four-hand works by Schubert, Saint-Saëns, Ravel, Debussy, and Milhaud. Shapiro and Varshavski grew up in Russia and Ukraine, respectively. They met at the Jerusalem Rubin Academy in Israel. There they were encouraged by Professor Alexander Tamir to join talents as a piano duo, something they have continued since 1998. The Varshavski-Shapiro Duo won the Murray Dranoff Two Piano Competition—the most significant competition in their field—and have appeared in concert on three continents. Both artists have earned their Doctor of Musical Arts degrees from UW-Madison and have received the “Extraordinary Abilities in the Arts” permanent visa from the U.S. government. “The concert was […]

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Advantage Archives - ����ԭ��

The Campus Chemistry

Missional Leadership for the Next Generation

Missional Leadership for the Next Generation

An Excellent Education

Degree Title vs. Skill Advantage

Community On Mission

Benefit Concert Raises Money for Grand Piano

Advantage Archives - ��ԭ��