Faculty & Staff Archives - ��ԭ��

New Office of Graduate Studies

��ԭ�� — Thu, 02 Jan 2025 13:58:45 +0000

The Board of Trustees has approved the creation of The Office of Graduate Studies, and unanimously voted to appoint Dr. William Licht as the Dean of Graduate Studies. In his role, Dr. Licht will focus on ensuring the sustainability and growth of MBU’s non-seminary graduate programs through collaboration with the Vice President for Academic Affairs (VPAA) and Deans of the Schools of Business and Education. He will report directly to the Assistant Vice President for Online and Distance Learning (ODL). No stranger to campus, Dr. Licht retired as MBU’s Vice President of Academic Affairs in 2024. Prior to that, he chaired the Humanities Department, served as Dean of the School of Education, and taught history. He holds an EdD in Curriculum and Instruction from Liberty University, an MA in History from Indiana University of Pennsylvania, and an MS in Educational Administration from Bob Jones University. His consummate professionalism and leadership will be invaluable to the success of the new office.

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��ԭ��’s Fall 2024 Guest and Faculty Concerts

��ԭ�� — Fri, 01 Nov 2024 18:23:28 +0000

��ԭ�� musicians enjoy music performances not only by students, but also by faculty and guest performers. As accomplished musicians, they offer music students a glimpse of their potential if they continue to apply themselves to their musical studies. In addition, the guest performers provide everyone – music student or otherwise – a time of refreshment as they listen to beautiful music. Dr. Phil Gingery On September 13, Dr. Phil Gingery presented “Songs of Resurrection and New Life.” This concert featured both classical and modern works that meditate on Christ and His victory over the grave. Composers ranged from Bach, Telemann, and Handel to David Parker, Ron Hamilton, and even Gingery himself. ��ԭ�� faculty member Carol Ruffin appreciated “Dr. Philip Gingery’s sense of balance in choosing his repertoire… And, as always, Dr. Gingery’s delivery of all his selections provided stellar vocal technique worthy of emulation.” For accompaniment, Gingery included sister Christa Gingery Habegger on piano, Charis Dwire on violin, and Lucas Moffit on cello. For thirty years, Gingery has served as the assistant pastor and minister of music at Bible Baptist Church and West Chester Christian School. Holding a BA and M.Mus. in Voice Performance, he enjoys singing as a serious […]

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Advice for the Next Generation of Musicians

��ԭ�� — Thu, 24 Oct 2024 16:08:13 +0000

University musicians have such busy schedules! While music is a rewarding major, sometimes it can be overwhelming. Hearing advice from mature musicians who have “been there, done that” challenges and inspires those aspiring to be professional musicians. At ��ԭ�� (MBU), Dr. Ledgerwood is a music legend. Recently, I had the privilege of interviewing Dr. “Ledge,” as his students affectionately call him, who shared fatherly advice for the next generation of musicians. Advice for High School Musicians High schoolers are still considering college and career options. Will they go to college? Where should they go to college? What should they study at college? Dr. Ledgerwood advises that if students want to pursue a music degree, “they have to really want it… don’t enter the field if you think it is an easy thing to do.” Students should strongly desire to use their musical gifts to serve God and others. Most importantly, however, students should seek God’s will—does God want them to study music? Knowing they are pursuing God’s will for their life can help them persevere when challenges tempt them to take an easier path. If a student plans to study music in college, Dr. Ledge offers several ways […]

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MBU Welcomes New Nursing Faculty

��ԭ�� — Fri, 19 Jul 2024 16:22:36 +0000

WATERTOWN, Wis., July 19, 2024—��ԭ��’s School of Nursing is delighted to introduce both Dr. Sarah Urban and Mrs. Birgitta Donovan, who will be joining the nursing faculty this fall. Dr. Urban brings with her a wealth of experience and a deep commitment to nursing education based on a Christian worldview. She has more than fourteen years of dedicated service in the field of nursing. She is a Certified Nurse Educator with experience teaching Certified Nursing Assistant (CNA), Associate Degree in Nursing (ADN), and Bachelor of Science in Nursing (BSN) courses. Her career has included service as a registered nurse, nurse educator, and nursing department chair/director. Although much of her career as an educator has focused on teaching and leadership, Dr. Urban values both scholarship and research. While mentoring students, faculty, and fellow nurses, she has emphasized research-informed, critically reflective nursing practice which has helped her be successful in a variety of educational and clinical environments. Dr. Urban’s decision to join ��ԭ��’s School of Nursing is rooted in her passion for nursing education based on Christian values. She looks forward to serving the Lord with her talents and helping grow nurses who practice a biblical worldview. She expresses her enthusiasm stating, […]

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Raymond Steinbart Retiring

��ԭ�� — Fri, 28 Jun 2024 15:34:31 +0000

WATERTOWN, Wis., June 28, 2024—After twenty-two years of service at ��ԭ��, Raymond Steinbart is retiring. Before joining ��ԭ�� in 2002, Steinbart had retired from 24 years of active duty at Fort Leavenworth, Kansas. Reflecting on his transition, he shares, “Upon my retirement from the Army, the Lord opened up a position at ��ԭ��, fulfilling a desire to become involved in some sort of full-time Christian service.” Originally hired as an Information Technology Office Help Desk worker, Steinbart’s role expanded as the university’s technological needs evolved and his skills proved in demand. When MBU began providing virtual classes in earnest in 2008, Steinbart stepped in as virtual Classroom Admin and teacher for the School of Applied Science. His versatility and expertise played a vital role in ensuring the smooth operation of MBU’s technological infrastructure, impacting the daily lives of students, faculty, and staff. Beyond his technical responsibilities, Steinbart’s commitment to ministry and service have challenged both co-workers and students. He serves as deacon, treasurer, and junior church worker in his local church, celebrated his 49th wedding anniversary in May, and is grandfather to fourteen (almost fifteen). His integration of technology with ministry has inspired many students to consider innovative […]

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Davis Appoints New Vice President of Marketing: Todd Valeria

��ԭ�� — Fri, 12 Apr 2024 17:11:04 +0000

��ԭ�� welcomes Todd Valeria as the incoming Vice President of Marketing. With over thirty years in the world of marketing, project management, and corporate identity, Valeria brings a wealth of experience to this vital role within the university’s executive leadership team. Valeria is a proven leader in the workplace and his local church. He is transitioning into ministry at MBU from his position as Vice President of Creative Marketing for Colony Brands, Inc. of Monroe, Wisconsin. At Colony Brands, he provided strategic administrative creative marketing oversight of branding, budget, organization, and operations for all 16 multi-channel retail brands and mentored a team of more than 90 creative marketing professionals. In his extensive career, he has excelled in nearly every possible marketing position, from art & photography direction to web design, creative direction, and ultimately to senior executive leadership. Throughout his career, Valeria has balanced his work with a priority commitment to serving the Lord in his local church. Todd and his wife, Brenda, were instrumental in planting a church in their hometown in 2009, even offering their home for that church to meet in during the early years. As a part of local ministries, he has served as a member […]

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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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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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Faculty Spotlight | Dr. Tracy Foster, Dean of the School of Business

��ԭ�� — Mon, 23 Oct 2023 16:18:26 +0000

Dr. Tracy Foster is the Dean of the School of Business at ��ԭ��. As a dean and professor, Foster manages business degree programs and teaches accounting classes. He also chairs the Finance Committee and sits on the Leadership Council. You might know him as a professor or colleague, but a look at his previous occupations will reveal he is much more than that. Foster’s broad range of experiences—from retail food management to financial support for the Pentagon—is bound to amaze and inspire you. Pre-Military and Early Military Foster became serious about joining the military while participating in the Junior ROTC program at his high school. (The program was a Naval ROTC program—in the middle of Montana!) God closed the door to the Navy but allowed Foster to marry his wife, whom he had met in the ROTC program. After approximately ten years working for a local grocery store (and becoming second in management of the store) Foster decided to pursue an accounting degree. “I took that first accounting class and loved it,” Foster says. It just so happened that his university also offered an Army ROTC program, though he wasn’t so sure about the “Army” part. “I didn’t […]

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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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Faculty & Staff Archives - ����ԭ��