Dr. James Ayers (’80), Professor Emeritus in the Church & Ministry Leadership Department, published the “Imagine Pilgrimage Guidebook” to complement the public and private tours he is leading to the Holy Lands in the Middle East. Earlier in 2023, he led a group of 39 to Israel and Palestine with President Emeritus Dr. Peter W. Teague to celebrate the 25th anniversary of Jessica & Friends Community in York, Pa. Four Imagine Pilgrimage tours are scheduled for 2024; visit jamesayers.org for details.
Dr. Casey Barton, Pastoral Ministry Program Director in the Church & Ministry Leadership Department, was selected to present a paper at the annual meeting of the Evangelical Homiletics Society at Anderson University, in Anderson, S.C., titled “Core Fears, Motivations and Leading Toward Integration: Undervalued Aspects of the Enneagram For Preaching.” Barton was also invited to develop and lead a workshop at the Lester Randall Preaching Conference in Toronto, Ontario, titled, “Preaching Grace from Graceless Texts.”
Dr. Timothy Bertolet (’02), Adjunct Professor in the Bible & Theology Department, published his dissertation, “The Obedience of Sonship: Adamic Obedience and the Heavenly Ascension in Hebrews,” with Fontes Press.
Kendra Bigley, Adjunct Professor in the Music, Worship & Performing Arts Department, completed the Master of Music in Collaborative Piano/Opera Coaching at Temple University in May 2023. Within MWPA, Bigley teaches coursework related to piano studies and coordinates the staff and student accompanists. She served as music director, rehearsal pianist, vocal coach and conductor for LBC’s fall 2023 production of “Cinderella.”
Eric Brandt (’07), Director of Digital Learning and Assistant Professor, presented at the Association of Baptists for World Evangelism (ABWE) International Theological Education Summit in May on “Practicing Faith in Learning Design and Delivery” and contributed to a panel discussion on “Building Collaboration, Partnership and Networking for Theological Education.”
Dr. Daniel Carver (’09 & ‘11), Associate Professor in the Bible & Theology Department, published an original research article on an important aspect of visionary literature in the Aramaic texts of Daniel and the Dead Sea Scrolls. The article, titled “The Semantics and Functions of a Visionary Formulaic Construction in Biblical and Qumran Aramaic,” is a contribution to a volume published by Gorgias Press in the fall of 2023, honoring his doctoral advisor, Edward M. Cook. The book is titled “Mallephana Rabba: Aramaic Studies in Honor of Edward M. Cook.”
Ryan Geesaman, Academic Dean for the Arts & Sciences, Communication & Media Arts and Music, Worship & Performing Arts departments, served as a co-producer, first assistant director, second unit cinematographer and visual effects artist on a faith-based thriller short film titled, “Night Voices.” The film is currently on the film festival circuit and has gathered over 50 awards so far. In September 2023, the film won six awards, including Best Short and Best Cinematography, at the Content Christian Film Festival in Texas.
Dr. Justin Harbin, Associate Professor in the Education Department and Director of the Center for Teaching & Learning, presented at the Lancaster Learns Conference, a higher education regional teaching and learning conference involving all colleges and universities in the county. A Lancaster Learns committee member, his presentation, “Learning from Experiential Learning: Lessons from a Study Abroad Course for Transforming Traditional Classrooms,” reflected on a study abroad course he taught the previous summer with Oxford University, exploring how meaningful learning is embodied, embedded, enactive, emotive and extended (Stilwell & Harman, 2019). Other presenters from LBC included: Robin Jeffers, Instructional Designer and Adjunct Faculty in the Arts & Sciences Department on “Building Classroom Community Through Theatre Improv;” as well as Josh Swartz (’15), Manager of Instructional Technology and Adjunct Faculty, and William Illingworth (’14), former Instructional Technologist, who presented on “Podcasting for Democratizing Higher Education.”
Dr. Debra Johnson-Cortesi (’11 & ’17) has been named the Assistant Director of the LBC | Capital Church & Ministry Leadership doctoral programs, serving PhD in Leadership and Doctor of Ministry faculty and students alongside Director Dr. Kevin Gushiken. Johnson-Cortesi also teaches in both programs and serves on numerous dissertation committees. Additionally, she has served as a consultant and trainer at numerous colleges and as an adjunct professor in several master’s programs at LBC | Capital.
Andrew Keenan (’14), Adjunct Professor in the Bible & Theology Department, published an article in the Journal for the Study of Judaism titled “Additional Evidence of Semantic and Syntactic Sensitivity in the Septuagint.” The piece was published with colleagues Tyler Horton, Timothy Lee, Robert Walker, Travis Wright and Dr. Marieke Dhont. The paper seeks to situate the Greek of the Septuagint within this historical context of the Post-Classical Greek period. Even more, it is dedicated to the authors’ late mentor and friend, Professor James K. Aitken (1968-2023).
Dr. Melissa Lee, Assistant Professor in the Counseling & Social Work Department and Director of the Bachelor of Science in Psychology and Master of Education in Professional School Counseling programs, earned a Doctor of Education from Neumann University. She successfully defended her dissertation titled, “Perceptions of School Counselor Trainees and Site Supervisors: Leadership Practices of School Counselor Trainees.”
Dr. Jeffrey Martin, Assistant Professor in the Music, Worship & Performing Arts Department and Director of Vocal Studies, successfully defended his dissertation titled, “The Verdi Baritone: A Training Manual for a Unique Voice Type.” He was awarded his Doctorate of Musical Arts from the University of Minnesota.
Dr. Tom Randolph, Professor of Health & Physical Education, Dr. Michael Ross, Adjunct Professor in the Business Administration Department, and Amanda Zuschmidt (’03), Sport Management Program Director, sat on a panel at the 2024 Commission on Sport Management Accreditation (COSMA) conference in Montgomery, Ala., to discuss the topic of “Enhancing Cultural Equity in Sport Management: Empowering Students Through Study Abroad Experiences.” Zuschmidt also conducted a one-day virtual site visit for Winthrop University’s Master’s degree in Sport Management on behalf of COSMA in December 2023.
Dr. Geoffrey Reiter, Associate Chair of the Arts & Sciences Department and Program Director for Christian Thought in the Humanities, published his story, “Adept,” and poem, “Through Enchantment,” in the 2023 volume of Penumbra. His poem, “The Doom,” appeared in the Winter 2024 volume of Spectral Realms, while his essay, “‘The Dream of Stars:’ Judith and Garfield Reeves-Stevens and the Star Trek Epic,” appeared in the book “Strange Novel Worlds: Essays on Star Trek Tie-In Fiction.” In March 2024, he spoke on “Absolute Truth and the Call to Discipleship” for the C. S. Lewis Institute and also gave a talk called, “Jack’s Junk Food: Lewis’ Lesser-Known Genre Influences,” at the 2024 Square Halo Conference, “Return to Narnia.”
Thom Scott, Assistant Professor in the Communication & Media Arts Department, earned a Master of Business Administration from Corban University. He was awarded a Certificate in Artificial Intelligence and Machine Learning from the University of Virginia, Darden School of Business, and also spoke about the “Hidden Power of Artificial Intelligence That Most Businesses are Overlooking” at the Impact Business Conference in Philadelphia in April 2024.
Catherine Walker, Adjunct Professor in the Music, Worship & Performing Arts Department, was named the Prosser Mellon Arts and Culture Fellow for the Richard King Mellon Foundation. As a Fellow, Walker will lend her perspective and expertise as a performing artist to the Foundation’s ongoing efforts to support arts and culture organizations in Southwestern Pennsylvania through its economic development grant-making. Additionally, she performed at 54Below in New York City in October 2023, singing the role of Phoebe D’Ysquith for the 10-year reunion of the Tony Award-winning Broadway musical, “A Gentleman’s Guide to Love and Murder.”
Jessica Whitmore, Adjunct Professor in the Communication & Media Arts Department, was a panelist on a doctoral student panel discussing “Leadership is Timeless: A Review of Situational Leadership Across Industry” at the second annual Business, Communication and Leadership Conference hosted by Alvernia University’s College of Business, Communication and Leadership in Reading, Pa., in April 2024. Her remarks on “technology advancements” focused specifically on artificial intelligence by examining historical context, pop culture references, human emotions, bias concerns and overall leadership implications. Whitmore is a student in Alvernia’s PhD in Leadership program.