INNOVATIVEACU
eConnections offers low-cost Bible courses online that give our graduates an advantage as they begin their careers,” Weaver said. 䊱
Riley named vice president of student life Dr. Chris Riley (’00), ACU’s associate general counsel and legal compliance coordinator since 2006, has been chosen to serve as vice president of student life. “After attracting a number of highly qualified candidates, we found the right person to fill the position was already working right here among us. Chris is a talented, spiritually mature leader who will do great things working with our Student Life professionals and the student body,” said executive vice president Dr. Allison Garrett. “This is truly an honor,” said Riley. “My wife, Rachel (Smith ’99), and I love ACU and we believe its unique Christcentered community provides unlimited opportunities to strengthen faith-forming relationships both in and out of the classroom. I’m humbled by the opportunity to lead those in Student Life and simply want to be a good steward of the work God has given me to do.” Riley earned his Juris Doctor from Texas Tech University School of Law in 2003 and in addition to his work with ACU Legal Services, has been an adjunct faculty member in the Department of Political Science and the Honors College since 2008. He is a member of the Student Life Behavior Intervention Team, has assisted with annual revision of the Student Handbook, and has represented the administration as its liaison to the Student Disciplinary Review Board. 䊱
For many years, ACU has provided continuing education for ministers, elders and other church leaders through conferences such as Summit, ElderLink, and other courses and workshops offered in a weekend or weeklong format. Starting this winter, ACU’s Siburt Institute for Church Ministry began partnering with ElderLink and the College of Biblical Studies to introduce a new learning opportunity: online eConnections courses for $200 each on topics of interest to anyone in today’s churches. “One of our ongoing conversations in the College of Biblical Studies is how we maintain connections with local (and not so local) congregations,” said Dr. Mindi Thompson, director of distance education in the Graduate School of Theology. “The connections fostered by eConnections are much broader than simply tying ACU to a local church.” Designed for those who are unable to attend an in-person conference, or who want to extend their learning beyond a weekend workshop, eConnections courses focus on topics such as teaching the Bible, short-term missions and church leadership. “Not everyone desires to be in a graduate program or to earn another degree. They just want some intellectual and spiritual stimulation about issues that mean a lot to churches,” said Dr. Royce Money (’64), ACU chancellor and executive director of the Siburt Institute. The inaugural offerings earlier this year included a course on short-term missions taught by Dr. Chris Flanders (’89), associate professor of missions in
Johnson elected to lead Students’ Association Elected in April as officers of the ACU Students’ Association for the 2014-15 school year were president Rodney Johnson, senior marketing and pre-law major from Odessa; vice president Beau Carter, senior political science major from Farmers Branch; and treasurer Andrew Tate, senior biology major from Abilene.
PAUL WHITE
Johnson
University Marketing wins six regional CASE awards ACU’s Office of University Marketing won six regional awards in April from the Council for Advancement and Support of Education at the CASE District IV conference in Fort Worth. Four were related to marketing work on behalf of
the Graduate School of Theology and director of the Halbert Institute for Missions, and a reading group for ministers led by Randy Harris, ACU instructor of Bible, missions and ministry. “I was so pleased with the diversity of congregations represented by these entrepreneurial students,” Thompson said. “Too often, we are isolated geographically or vocationally. We have so much to learn from and share with the larger body of Christ.” This fall, eConnections will offer three courses: Confessing Jesus Christ: Preaching the Faith with Dr. Danny Mercer (D.Min. ’13), preaching minister of Friendswood Church of Christ in Houston; What to Teach: Curriculum Choices for Children’s Ministry with Shannon (Clarkson ’98) Rains, children and family minister at Kingwood (Texas) Church of Christ; and Leading Churches Through Change, Transition and Conflict with Dr. Barry Stephens, senior minister of Lubbock’s Monterey Church of Christ. Courses are open to anyone with Internet access. Classes this fall begin Oct. 13 with registration open until Sept. 29. “We’re talking to folks who would be good class leaders for future topics, like elder training, youth ministry, spiritual formation, pastoral counseling and organizational leadership, to name only a few,” said Thompson. “Really, the sky’s the limit when it comes to eConnections topics. If it will help church leaders or church members, it’s on the list of potential classes.”䊱 To register: acu.edu/econnections
ACU’s new Wildcat logo and athletics identity. Two of the six were first-place winners in advertising campaigns and website design, including liveup.acu.edu, a special project for Admissions and Enrollment Marketing. CASE represents higher-ed professionals in fundraising, alumni relations, marketing and communication. District IV includes universities in Texas, Oklahoma, Arkansas, Louisiana and New Mexico. ACU has won 126 regional CASE awards since 1983. Errata Ken Ferguson of Tucson, Ariz., was in the 1977 plane crash that killed Dr. Lowell Perry (’47), not Jim Ferguson, as reported in our profile of 2013 Outlive Your Life Award winner Earline Perry in the Spring-Summer 2013 issue. Hal Frazier of West Monroe, La., was the other passenger who did not survive. The three were scouting locations for a radio tower for World Christian Broadcasting. AC U TO D AY
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