FALL 2018
FAULKNER MAGAZINE
ON MISSION: THE FAULKNER FAMILY PUTS VISION INTO ACTION
JUSTIN & ANNA MAYNARD A SMALL PART OF GOD’S BIGGER PLAN
SHAYNE WASDEN
CHANGING THE CULTURE OF FAULKNER FOOTBALL
WELCOME TO FAULKNER MAGAZINE Editorial Staff
Schedule of events December 5
Faulkner Chapel Christmas Concert
February 14
Jazz Ensemble Sweetheart Concert
22-23 MarketPlace Faith Friday Forums & Homecoming Weekend 22
Fred Gray Symposium
March 3-7
Faulkner Lectures
April 5-6 Jamboree 22
Spring Concert
May 3
Annual Commencement
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Faulkner Law Commencement
Publisher Patrick Gregory Editor-in-chief Loren Howell Design Angela Hardgrave Staff Writer Rebecca Burylo Contributors Sarah Kibble Carter Moles Lori Sullivan Izabella Zientek
Administration President Dr. Michael D. Williams Chancellor Dr. Billy D. Hilyer Vice Chancellor Dr. Wayne Baker
Vice Presidents Dr. Keith Mock Wilma Phillips Dr. Dave Rampersad Dr. Jean-Noel Thompson Dr. John Tyson Associate Vice Presidents Billy Camp Jamie Horn Mark Hunt Assistant Vice President Renee Davis College Deans Dr. Jeff Arrington Dr. Leslie Cowell Dr. Scott Gleaves Dr. Dave Khadanga Dr. Charles Campbell General Counsel Dr. Gerald Jones
Board of Trustees
Dr. Billy Lambert, Chair Mr. Ted A. Norton, Vice Chair Ms. Glenda Major, Secretary Mr. Roy Johnson, Parliamentarian Mr. Jason Akins Ms. Libby Jones Ms. Martha Burleson Mr. Dale Kirkland Mr. Terry Cagle Mr. H. Louis Lester, Jr. Mr. Jim Campbell Dr. Mansel Long, Jr. Mr. Ernie F. Chappell Dr. Henri McDaniel Mr. Joseph W. Donaldson Judge Carole Medley Ms. Scherry Douglas Mr. Phil Norton Mr. Michael S. Eubanks Mr. David Phillips Ms. Carlton L. Freeman Mr. Mike Pickens Dr. Justin “Chip” Garrett Mr. Tim Richardson Dr. John W. Hill III Dr. Bud Stumbaugh Dr. Mike Houts Dr. Swaid Swaid Dr. Jason Isbell Sen. J.T. “Jabo” Waggoner Mr. Frank “Butch” Jones Dr. Jack Zorn
Trustees Emeriti
The mission of Faulkner University is to glorify God through education of the whole person, emphasizing integrity of character in a caring, Christian environment where every individual matters every day. 2
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Mr. Dewey R. Barber Dr. E.R. Brannan Dr. Charles W. Britnell Mr. Archie B. Crenshaw Atty. Fred D. Gray Dr. Jess Hall, Jr. Dr. Lamar A. Harrison
Mr. David Howell Mr. Flavil Nichols Mr. B.O. Richardson Mr. Kenneth M. Shumard Mr. Robert W. Walters Ms. Anna Weeks
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On Mission: The Faulkner Family Puts Vision into Action
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Justin and Anna Maynard
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Benefit Dinner 2018
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Students Offered Unique Learning Through Blackstone & Burke Center
Academic & Community News Wasden Changes Culture of Faulkner Football
Hall of Fame Induction Ceremony Alumni News Jere Lynn Burkhart Awarded Honorary Doctor of Human Letters On the cover...
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Alumni Justin (‘10) and Anna (Edwards, ‘10) Maynard are missionaries living and working in Tanzania. Read their story on page 12.
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On Mission: The Faulkner Family Puts Vision into Action Forward by Mike Williams Stories by Rebecca Burylo
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he essence of a Faulkner education is so much more than educational attainment. It transcends professional development. It cannot be measured by salary data or career progression. The value of a Faulkner education is based on the contribution we make to broken humanity. Therefore, our ambition is not merely to help our students find their career path and chosen major. It is to help them find their chazown. Chazown is a Hebrew term that means vision. The Bible says “when the people do not have vision, they perish.� Craig Groeschel gives us the best definition of chazown. It is the intersection between what you love and what you hate. The point at which your Godgiven ability collides with something that needs to be fixed. The place where your profession encounters human need.
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Chazown occurs when your deepest convictions prompt you to run towards brokenness. At Faulkner University, we absolutely aspire to prepare students for professional accomplishment. But our Christian mission compels us to prepare them to do so much more! We challenge our faculty and staff to lead by example by identifying their chazown and staying true to their mission. We seek programs that provide the Faulkner family, students, faculty, alumni, and beyond, with opportunities to be the hands and feet of Jesus. And the Faulkner family is rising to the challenge. Turn the page to see for yourself.
Matt Hangen: From Missionary to CEO
Matt Hangen
Matt Hangen was a high school senior in rural Alabama when he found Jesus and decided to pursue a degree in youth and family ministry at Faulkner University. When a professor invited him to go on mission trips to Honduras and Kenya, Hangen found his calling and switched his major.
Two years later Hangen and his wife Grace bought one-way tickets to Togo, West Africa to become missionaries. While there, Hangen noticed that the people he was trying to teach weren't receptive, not because of the message, but because he hadn't earned the right to be heard. Hangen witnessed the great need for drilling wells in the area. Water was sparse and clean water was nearly impossible to find. People had to walk for miles to obtain enough for daily use; laundry, washing and quenching the thirst of a whole family. Even then much of the water was contaminated. “We began drilling wells as a means of outreach and service and were looking for better technology to use,” Hangen said. Hangen discovered Water4, a non-profit based out of Oklahoma City, Okla. that worked to give people access to the Gospel and safe water through drilling,
maintaining, and rehabilitating wells. Using Water4's drill kits and pump systems, Hangen worked alongside the men of a village during the day, developing a camaraderie. After work, while they shared a meal, Hangen shared the Gospel. Before leaving a village, he taught the men how to build their own kits and pumps so they could earn a living drilling and maintaining wells in neighboring villages. One of those men was Benjamin Liringa Koli, who Hangen now counts as one of his close friends. “Koli grasped the vision of what we were doing,” said Hangen. “Since then, he has trained people in seven countries on well drilling, discipleship, health and hygiene, while at the same time building a business with dozens of employees who have started churches in unreached people groups, baptizing a hundred people. He has fought for and won the recognition of human rights for the enslaved Mbuti Pygmy people there.” In 2011 Hangen became ill and had to return to the states for treatment. It was a traumatic time, and Hangen’s future was uncertain. That’s when Water 4 asked him to join them as the director over training for Africa. Hangen would travel to Africa several times a year, training people all over the continent to do what he did in Togo. In a very clear example of the strength of Christ made perfect in our weakness (2 Corinthians 12:9), God used Hangen’s illness to expand the scope of the work, and to multiply the number of workers. Today, Hangen is at the helm as CEO of Water4. The company works in 14 countries and continues to create local enterprises and sustainable business models to establish countywide water coverage and empower local churches in the process. “I can’t imagine giving my life to anything else than seeing the Gospel shared,” Hangen said. “It’s a dream come true for my life’s work to be such a big part of the integration of serving the marginalized, building locally owned sustainable businesses, and sharing the Gospel in everything we do.” “Faulkner was such a gracious campus to me. Every teacher invested in me and despite being a new believer with rough edges, I was welcomed and mentored by leaders who have permanently influenced my life.”
Several men work to set up a drill in their African village to provide fresh, clean water through Water4
Matt Hangen graduated from Faulkner in 2006 with a Bachelor of Arts in New Testament Theology. In 2008, he was the first Faulkner student to graduate with a Master of Arts in Missions.
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Student Finds Direction in New Speech Language Pathology Program got to see his progress when he worked with a speech pathologist and that really drew me.” “The field is so interactive and you get to do so much one-on-one with the patient. I think that’s really neat that you can build that connection and help them and serve them.” She was especially impressed with Faulkner’s program and its mission to serve the whole person, not just their disability. The faculty’s goal is to train speech and language Esther Barahona with a patient at the new Faulkner pathologists who have a humanitarian heart for Speech and Language Pathology Clinic serving others. Esther Barahona’s heart is in Honduras. As a student at Faulkner University, she plans to take what she learns in Montgomery, Ala. and share it with the people of Central America. As one of the first students studying in Faulkner’s new department of speech and language pathology (SLP), Barahona is on track to become a licensed speech and language pathologist and return home to Honduras to serve. “I am really looking forward to taking what I learn back home to Honduras,” she said. “It’s not something that you can find a lot there, so I think it’s going to be really cool to go back and provide this service.” When Barahona came to Faulkner three years ago, she knew she wanted to go into the health profession, but wasn’t quite sure where to start. She learned that Faulkner was adding a speech and language pathology program at just the right time. Barahona will spend much of her time in the newly-opened SLP clinic, gaining crucial hours of hands-on clinical experience. It is that hands-on interaction that first drew Barahona to the program. “I was looking for a profession where I could have a lot of patient interaction,” Barahona said. “I had experience with my nephew where I
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"Interacting with the faculty I can just see that they are excited to serve the community and to teach us, and that makes me excited to be a part of the program,” Barahona said. Esther Barahona is a senior at Faulkner University and will graduate with a Bachelor of Science in Communication Sciences and Disorders in May and will begin her Master of Arts and Master of Science in Speech and Language Pathology in 2019. She is also a member of the Great Books Honors program.
Esther Barahona swings a patient in the Physical Therapy room of the Faulkner Speech & Language Pathology Clinic
Professor Builds Houses and Relationships in Mexico “You can see something that you are actually accomplishing, which is very nice,” Brown said in regard to his mission work in Mexico. “In education you may see the results of teaching students years later, but when I help those like Nelly or build one or two small houses, families are able to move in right away and it’s easy to see the progress being made. At the end of a hard day, we may be exhausted, but we are euphoric. We get a wonderful feeling of accomplishment.” Fast forward to today and Perez is set to graduate from adult school, a government adult education program for adults over 25 years old that extends beyond primary education. (l-r) Nelly Perez and Terry Brown
The checkered ball bounced across the dirt lot, kicking up dust in the fading afternoon sun. The question came up about school. The ball rolled to a stop. Terry Brown’s Spanish was a little broken. Nelly Perez’s English was about the same. Their game of soccer on the bare dirt lot in Maneadero, Mexico halted as 12-year-old Nelly looked down shyly. No answer. Their paths continued to cross each year as Brown visited Perez’s town to work with missionaries and help build sustainable homes for the impoverished people of Maneadero. Their friendship grew despite the differences in language, culture, ethnicity and age. Each time, the same question would come up. Each time Perez had the same response. Brown finally realized the little girl was playing in the middle of the day and was not going to school. Her family of eight, which consisted of a mother and seven brothers and sisters, had no money or resources to enroll. The need for an education paled in comparison to the need to feed eight mouths. Yet, a mere $100 would solve the problem and get Nelly a seat in a classroom. Brown knew what he had to do.
The year Brown met Perez, he had almost decided not to go to Mexico with his church’s mission team, but relented after listening to the teams’ stories from prior years. Ten years and 25 trips later, Brown continues to visit the dusty roads of Maneadero each January and June, hammering nails, raising walls and installing appliances for new homes and schools or dishing up thousands of hot meals to the villagers and their children. “After I went on my first trip, there was no way in my mind not to go,” Brown said. “I have to, and now my wife, my children and my some of my grandchildren come with me.” Terry Brown is a professor of kinesiology and exercise science at Faulkner and has served the university for more than 34 years.
Terry Brown, top center, stands on one of the many homes he helped build in Mexico with his mission team from Vaughn Park Church of Christ
Many families like Perez’s, lived in cheaply made slums, which were visited and served by the mission team Brown is a part of through Vaughn Park Church of Christ and Baja Missions. The homes were little more than makeshift walls of scrap wood and tarp roofs. Brown could not see how those families lived and turn away. His heart broke for them. He decided to serve them however he could, even if all he did was get Perez into school.
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Ashley Ingwersen: “Love was our common language.” Ashley Ingwersen poses with children she served in the Mtendere Village in Malawi
up in her arms and squeezed them tight, without ever saying a word. Love was their common language. “The kids don’t care how you dress or what you look like. They get to know you for who you are if you speak their language or not,” Ingwersen said. “That’s why our connection is so close. I gravitated toward them and their simplicity. We broke down barriers. We laughed. They got to be kids and they got to see my goofy side.” Ingwersen visited area hospitals and saw first-hand the effects of poverty on the sick and dying. She saw their bondage to local witch doctors for physical and spiritual healing.
When Ashley Ingwersen left Malawi, Africa in 2017, she left a piece of her heart there in the safekeeping of the children of Mtendere Village. In exchange, the children’s smiles and warm embraces are now a part of who she is - a Montgomery girl serving God’s littlest ones. After returning to life as a student at Faulkner, she watched for a chance to return to Malawi. It came this summer when she joined fellow student, Katie Goodson and Faulkner graduates Makenzie Anthony, Brittnay Renfo, Kassie Beck, Jordan Hudspeth and others through Landmark Church of Christ.
Ingwersen is invested in helping the children of Mtendre Village have a brighter and healthier future. “The sick in the villages have resigned themselves that they are always going to be sick. It’s indescribable the level of hopelessness they have or their full dependence on witch doctors to heal them,” she said. “What we do is embrace them, build trust, bring them medical care directly and show them love through Christ.” Ashley Ingwersen is a junior English major at Faulkner University. She plays on the volleyball team and is a student in the Great Books Honors program.
“I felt God was leading me to go to Malawi when the chance came up at my church,” Ingwersen said. “I went again this year, because the Mtendere children just became a part of my heart.” There are nearly 150 children in the Mtendere Village, supported through the Malawi Project and Blessings Hospital, who receive medical care, food, a home and education in a loving Christian environment. They live in the midst of poverty in a rural area of the country. Many at the village are orphaned; many have AIDS, leukemia or malaria. Despite these brutal realities, the children continued to smile. They laughed. They played. They learned. Ingwersen wrapped them
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Ashley Ingwersen surrounded by a crowd of children in Malawi, Africa
Access to the Gospel Brings Hope to Desperate Men tell other inmates of that hope.” Conley joined the prison ministry through University Church of Christ “to serve the Lord and spread the borders of the kingdom.” He has been instrumental in the baptism of more than 3,000 inmates. Hunt joined Conley after hearing about the lives that were being transformed. “I kept hearing Matthew talk about the ministry and decided it was an area where I could contribute,” said Hunt. “After seeing his dedication to the ministry, and the need for participants, I couldn't walk away and avoid an opportunity to share God's Word, even if it was inside a prison.” “It's an entirely different world. They desperately need to hear about the good news of Jesus Christ, but they're incarcerated. It takes considerable effort to gain access to them."
(l-r) Matthew Conley and Mark Hunt
A large metal door clanged loudly behind the two ministers, shutting them inside the prison. The sound echoed off the walls of the bare hallway as Matthew Conley and Mark Hunt were led down the corridor. Their mission - to bring hope to those locked inside. Conley, an assistant professor of Bible, and Hunt, associate vice president for executive and professional enrollment, have been working with the prison ministry for over 20 years, bringing the Gospel to the prisoners at Kilby Correctional Facility, Easterling Correctional Facility and Red Eagle Work Center. They have seen desperation, fear and hopelessness on the faces of thousands of men, including murderers, sexual predators, robbers and thieves, and all have the same question: Is there hope for me?
“Their circumstances sometimes cause them to open their hearts and minds to a new way of living,” Hunt added. For Conley, his joy comes from seeing lives transformed both inside prison and inside his classroom. “I find such joy when I see not only the lives of inmates prospering after knowing God, but when my students begin to blossom spiritually,” Conley said. “I get emails from students who have said their eyes were opened to Jesus Christ.”
Walking into the prison for the first time was eyeopening, Conley said.
“The prison is my mission. My classroom is also my mission. I don’t need the paycheck. My reward is seeing those young minds blossom in knowing the Lord.”
“When those electric gates slam shut, you’re at the mercy of the person in control of security,” said Conley. “There is no need to fear because Christ has defeated death for me.”
Matthew Conley is an assistant professor of Bible in undergraduate studies of both Old and New Testament courses.
Using a program based on the New Life Behavior Ministries program in Corpus Christi, Texas, Conley and Hunt conduct worship services on Sunday evenings at the prison and teach monthly Bible classes.
Mark Hunt is the associate vice president for Executive and Professional Enrollment.
“When we preach to those men inside, we can see the change in their eyes. They are enlightened. They begin to look at scripture differently. They begin to study and
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Words Work: Teaching Young Minds the Power of the Tongue (l-r) Law student Michael Foster, Attorney & Faulkner Law Alumna DaLee Chambers, Professor Elyce C. Morris, law student Cale Ransom
we looked to incorporate conflict resolution in an authentic way,” said Camille Anderson-Finley, director, Family and Community Engagement MPS. “Our previous work with Faulkner Law students in other activities led us to believe they would be consistent and caring with our students and they have been just that.” The Words Work collaboration with MPS aligns with Faulkner Law’s ethos of serving the needs of the community and the commission’s charge to provide dispute resolution education and training to the bar, the judiciary and the public.
This fall members of the Faulkner Law community stepped outside their classrooms and into the Montgomery Public Schools (MPS) to help equip students with communication and conflict resolution skills through Words Work, a program designed to promote learning and civility among youth. As part of the program, law students, professors and commission members volunteer for an hour and a half once a week. “Following our mission at Faulkner Law to learn law and teach justice, we aim for our students to become moral agents in the world not only in formal court settings, but also as peacemakers,” said Elyce Morris, associate professor of law, director of the Kenneth F. Dunham Mediation Clinic and director of Dispute Resolution Programs. Morris serves on the Alabama Supreme Court Commission on Dispute Resolution (Commission). “As lawyers, we want to help bring stability to society in ways that better life for everyone. When students are given tools to communicate better with others, there is less potential for conflict at school, at home and in the community and more opportunity to focus on academics and personal growth,” she said. One of the goals of the undertaking is to encourage students who participate to share what they learn with others at school, in their homes and in their neighborhoods. “In response to the rising levels of school conflict,
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“These skills are great for solving legal disputes, but they also are general principles good for daily life with family and friends,” said Bill Coleman, a lawyer, mediator, arbitrator and member of the commission. “Even with tremendous and never-ending advances in technology, words continue to be a necessary part of most of our communications. Words are powerful. They can hurt and they can heal. Teaching children how to use words to express themselves in positive ways such as problems solving and dispute resolution is a commendable endeavor,” said commission member and Tuscaloosa attorney Cooper Shattuck. Sixth and eighth grade students at Bellingrath Middle School are the first to participate in Words Work in Montgomery and discussion continues about additional ways to bring conflict resolution and mediation skills to more public schools and the community. “Conflict happens. It’s a normal part of our lives and is an opportunity for us to grow into better people if we have the tools to respond productively,” Morris said.
Spreading the Gospel in Italy and Beyond James (‘10) and Meredith (Botes, ‘10) Thompson met at Faulkner University, married, graduated and six months later embarked on a journey to Italy to teach. It was a decision that began in 2015 while they were still students traveling over Europe as a part of the study abroad program led by Terry Edwards, professor of Humanities at Faulkner. “Though we had an interest in teaching overseas before, it was during this trip that we first became aware of the possibility there. We had interactions on our trip with people and through those experiences, Dr. Edwards’ passion for Italy and the different programs offered there, the idea of serving there became a serious consideration for us,” Meredith said. Faulkner’s curriculum encourages every student to envision their desired profession as a way to serve others. “We have both used the knowledge we acquired
in our classes at Faulkner to help us develop curriculum, lead studies and in general have conversations with people in differing cultures from our own,” Meredith said. “James has been able to use his training from Faulkner and has been very involved with teaching youth.” A few months after the Thompsons married in July, they came to live in Italy and settled in a suburb of Florence and began newly wedded life in a foreign country. It was new and exciting for them and working there gave them experience with the culture and way of life there. For the first year, they taught English and created a curriculum to teach them with. In December 2018, they finished their two-year teaching commitment and returned to the United States. James and Meredith Thompson are alumni of Faulkner University. Meredith graduated in 2015 with a degree in forensic psychology and James graduated in 2016 with a degree in youth and family ministry. Meredith and James Thompson stand in front of the city center in Prato, Italy
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Justin & Anna Maynard:
A Small Part of God’s Bigger Plan by Anna Maynard
Editor’s note: I was first introduced to Anna (Edwards, ‘10) Maynard via Facebook when she answered my request for alumni updates. She joyfully shared the good news of one friend after another, eager to celebrate the accomplishments of others. Inspired by the story of how she and her husband Justin (‘10) became missionaries, I asked if she would be willing to share it with all of you and she graciously agreed. As a child I never day dreamed about the home I would live in as an adult. I never dreamed of white picket fences or a house in the suburbs. In fact, if there were
any real, logical thoughts pertaining to that, they came to my head in high school/college and those daydreams were of dirt floors, one room homes, native children running in and out with the name of Jesus excitedly being exclaimed from their lips. The only home I ever imagined for myself was one in a third world country teaching and preaching the Gospel of Christ. I was a farmer’s daughter who had never had an interest in farming or animals. My husband Justin was a baseball player, a pre-pharmacy student turned middle school science teacher, who left it all to be a contractor. I never thought I would find myself back home in Villanow, Georgia, especially as an owner of a small farm. Yet, I found myself so strangely thrilled with the life that has been thrust upon Justin and me. Neither of us can tell you why we chose this life; it is almost as if it sought us out itself. I am quirky and I have lots of random obsessions. I decided I wanted a goat; I just pulled the thought out of thin air. For some reason I wanted a milk goat to learn to make cheese. I honestly never even knew I liked animals, until I bought a goat. One goat led to a herd of goats, dogs, ducks, chickens, and even bees. Our friends and family thought it was crazy. We thought it was crazy. Yet we loved it. Every part of us loved farming and our animals. It brought us closer to our Maker – gave us a better understanding of how He loves and cares for us.
Anna Maynard
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Still there was the question of why. Why did we suddenly want goats? Why did we suddenly want chickens? Ducks? Pyrenees? A giant garden? Bees? It was so unlike us to want these things and to find such joy in it all.
People asked if I was jumping on the homesteading movement and the answer was no. Am I an all organic person? No. None of it seemed to make sense. God has a funny way, if you let Him lead your life, of showing you what you really want vs. what you thought you wanted. We saw God’s plan unfold so clearly before us. He had been preparing us all along. Justin and I were asked to join a small group of adults going to Tanzania, Africa in July 2014 on a ten day mission trip to spread the gospel and to assess the needs for a larger group trip in 2015. When we returned, I found myself unable to write or talk about the trip. Africa was an eye-opener for me, but not in the way I thought it would be. I had heard horror stories about third world countries, and it is not all rainbows and sunshine. But it is a lot of joy, kindness, and Jesus. Did most of the people we met have more than one change of clothes? No. Were their bellies full? No. But they were a people of rejoicing.
So we moved to Tanzania, yes, to teach the Gospel, but also to farm at the Andrew Connelly School of Preaching and to teach the locals about sustainable farming. Are you seeing how great God is? Are you seeing how all things work for good for those that love the Lord? We learned a lot from farming in Georgia, and pole, pole (pronounced poe lee-poe lee – means slowly) we learned from our surroundings. We have diligently worked on the shamba (farm) to improve it, making plans for expansion, and eventually turning every aspect of the farm over to the Tanzanians. We have spent our last three years doing evangelism with our Tanzanian brethren throughout the Arusha region, but especially in our local village of Kisongo. Justin and I have heavily focused our last two years on maturing the local churches and teaching biblical
The first trip changed us forever. We could never go back to who we were before that trip, but more than that, we didn't want to go back to not knowing. Our eyes had been opened, our hands itched for kingdom work. We no longer saw borders and countries but now saw only people and the need to grow God's kingdom.
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in 2019. We have watched God grow and transform this work beyond anything we could have ever dreamed. Now is the part where we joyfully grieve the end we knew was coming and pray for how and where God will use us next. The need here is great and we are only a small part of God’s bigger plan. We love the people here so very much. I believe this country has a way of getting in your blood; it courses through your veins, it pumps through your heart and before you know it, you are new. You know that you can never go back to the person you were before. The scales have fallen from your eyes, the African dust clings to your feet, and your heart beats to the sound of a tribal drum. For the first time, you see the hungry eyes yearning for the Gospel. You hear from the lips praises to God, despite desperate conditions. Where you once saw poverty, you now see love. Where you once saw defeat, you now see hope. Africa changes you. It changes you from the inside out, and you can never go back to who you were.
leadership. The first set of elders in the Arusha region were selected at the beginning of 2018.
You can read more of the Maynard’s story at goatgirlgazette.com.
One of my favorite things has been my Friday afternoon class at the local government school next to where we live. I get to teach an hour and a half long Bible class every week to 8-12 year olds who come from all denominational backgrounds. Many are even Muslim. On a regular basis I have between 120-150 children. Our local church in Kisongo had 80 people when we began attending in 2015. In the last three years it has grown to over 200, and the members are building a new church building to accommodate their growing size. They went from two Sunday classes to now offering six different classes on Sunday mornings because we have been able to help train more teachers for the church. Our commitment to this particular work is up
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Justin Maynard
Students Offered Unique Learning Through Blackstone & Burke Center by Allen Mendenhall
(l-r) Phil Fikes, Talmadge Butts, Allen Mendenhall and Locke Adair pose inside Governor Kay Ivey’s office at the Alabama State Capitol. Fikes, Butts and Adair are the Sir Edward Koch Fellows at Faulkner Law
The Blackstone & Burke Center for Law & Liberty promotes the principles of the common-law tradition and American constitutionalism by coordinating educational programs, research initiatives, and judicial conferences that examine the norms and nurture the institutions of ordered liberty. The center provides programming both on and off campus to students and legal professionals, thanks to grants from the Association for the Study of Free Institutions, Atlas Network, the Charles Koch Foundation, the Institute for Humane Studies, and the Acton Institute. On September 11, the center hosted Bradley Birzer, the Russell Amos Kirk Chair in American Studies at Hillsdale College and board member of the Blackstone & Burke Center. During morning chapel, Jason Jewell, chairman of the department of humanities, interviewed Birzer before students and faculty in a packed gymnasium. Jewell and Birzer discussed the role of faith and freedom in the life of Russell Kirk. Birzer sat in on a western cultural heritage course co-taught by Joshua Fullman and Andrew Jacobs in the Great Books Honors program. Birzer joined the student’s discussion and offered his insights about careers in teaching and academia. In the afternoon, Birzer delivered a lecture titled “The Charity of Russell Kirk.” Birzer highlighted Kirk’s Christian civility and generosity, his willingness to take in the homeless, the widowed, refugees and others, and to support his friends financially when they fell on hard times.
the rotunda of the Alabama Supreme Court’s judicial building. The program featured remarks by Chief Justice Lyn Stuart of the Alabama Supreme Court, followed by a question-and-answer panel. Panelists included Justice Will Sellers of the Alabama Supreme Court, Judge Bess M. Creswell of the United States Bankruptcy Court in the Middle District of Alabama, and Judge J.R. Gains of the Fifteenth Judicial Circuit of Alabama. The jurists discussed their paths to the bench, why they believed the U.S. Constitution is the longest surviving constitution in the world, civics education in schools, and more. This year the center welcomed two new Sir Edward Koch Fellows, bringing the total to four. Admission into the fellowship program is highly competitive. The Koch Fellows are law students with high grades and test scores who spend their three years in law school working on the center’s projects and activities, cultivating networks with think tanks and judges, and meeting regularly with the center's director to read and discuss foundational works of jurisprudence outside the classroom. To kick off the school year, the Koch Fellows visited with the Alabama Supreme Court justices in their chambers, with Secretary of State John Merrill, and Governor Kay Ivey’s legal office. Allen Mendenhall is associate dean at Faulkner Law and executive director of the Blackstone & Burke Center for Law & Liberty.
On September 17, the center co-hosted a Constitution Day reception with the Alabama Supreme Court in
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The Rt. Hon. Tony Blair speaks during Faulkner University’s 2018 Annual Benefit Dinner on Oct. 4 at the Renaissance Hotel and Convention Center
Benefit Dinner 2018 by Angela Hardgrave Faulkner University hosted its Annual Benefit Dinner on October 4, 2018 at the Renaissance Hotel and Convention Center in downtown Montgomery, Ala. This year’s speaker was The Right Honorable Tony Blair, Prime Minister of the United Kingdom from 1997-2007. Blair spoke to a sold-out crowd of nearly 2,000 people, making this one of the largest benefit dinners in Faulkner’s history. The proceeds from the evening will go toward student scholarships. Blair was appreciative of the warm welcome he received on his first visit to Alabama and was enthusiastic about the impact of Faulkner in the community and beyond.
in a world that is so quickly changing are education and Judeo-Christian values guided by faith. “Your nation and my nation embody an idea. It gives us a sense of mission and purpose. The importance of faith is all about service, compassion and respect to others. It’s about understanding that something matters more than me,” said Blair. These sentiments echoed those of Mike Williams, president of Faulkner, as he spoke on some of the latest
“The support that you give to Faulkner is support that will change lives, make the world a better place and give support to an institution that is all about passion, compassion, and faith,” he said. Blair said that across the globe, we are “living in a time of unparalleled prosperity…but also acute anxiety” and that the two most important anchors
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Guest find their seats to listen to the Rt. Hon. Tony Blair at this year’s Benefit Dinner
Faulkner University President Mike Williams and the Rt. Hon. Tony Blair share a laugh at this year’s Benefit Dinner
President Williams addresses the crowd during the event
developments at the university, such as the College of Health Sciences, the autism center, and the Faulkner Speech and Language Pathology Clinic. Williams said, “The value of a Faulkner education is based on our contribution to broken humanity. We have a commitment to run toward human need.” Williams said that the goal at Faulkner is to not only help students find a career path in a chosen major; it’s to help them find their vision. Leading up to Blair’s speech and a Q&A moderated by Williams, numerous videos highlighted updates about the university. In a special ceremony during the event, Jere Lynn Burkhart, with family and friends in attendance, was awarded the degree of Doctor of Humane Letters. Student musical performances contributed to the theme of the night—an unapologetic proclamation of Christ and the mission and vision of Faulkner to serve others. “The thing that makes you happiest is when you think you are doing something of service to others and not just to yourself. Every day it can be made a little better, but it can only be made better by the commitment to make it so. Meeting some of your students and seeing some of the things you do here…you should feel a real sense of pride. They will emerge better people, better able to help others and better able to make the world a better place,” Blair said.
(l-r) Natalie Willis, alumnus Steven Cannon and Ashby Kasarjian sing together at the Benefit Dinner
The Faulkner University Marching Eagles drum line performs The Faulkner University Chorus, directed by Allen Clements
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ACADEMIC & COMMUNITY NEWS
Institute of Faith & the Academy Conference This year’s annual Institute of Faith and the Academy (IFA) Conference, held October 18-19, tackled the topic of courage in education and spiritual application.
College of Health Sciences Continues to Expand Faulkner’s new College of Health Sciences launched this fall with the enrollment of its first class of students. The college currently offers a Bachelor of Science in Communication Sciences and Disorders and a Master of Arts and Master of Science in Speech Language Pathology. Twenty-eight students are enrolled in the program and have begun hands-on clinical work as a part of their degree at the Faulkner University Speech and Language Pathology Clinic, which opened this summer and is free to patients. “Expanding into the health sciences is going to elevate Faulkner’s academic programs and its standings academically,” said Dave Rampersad, vice-president of Academic Affairs. “Adding speech and language pathology affords the opportunity to begin the sequence of many related health science programs.” In anticipation of new degrees, Faulkner has hired Heather Mount to serve as director of the physical therapy program and Paul Jordan to serve as the director of the physician assistant program. The physical therapy and physician assistant programs are set to begin in 2020, and the occupational therapy program is slated to begin in 2021. "I know that our strategic vision for this center is rocksolid and compelling," said Mike Williams, president of the university. "The caliber of the professionals joining us is astounding. They are falling on Faulkner like manna from Heaven. Something very special is happening, and I believe it is coming from One who is much greater than all of us."
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The theme, "A Time for Courage: Humble Audacity in the Academy and Beyond," featured plenary speakers Kip Lines of Christian Mission Fellowship International and Hunter Baker of Union University. Lines spoke on the topic of exercising courage in the mission field while Baker spoke about upholding courage in the debate over religious liberty. “For the last several years, IFA has been exploring the cardinal virtues, beginning with the classical virtues of wisdom, moderation, justice, and courage, and examining their impact on the life of the academy,” said Joshua Fullman, director of IFA. “Because these are virtues that we espouse and seek to develop in our students, it is important that we study their relevance in the modern era.” “Courage is, as G.K. Chesterton says, ‘almost a contradiction in terms. It means a strong desire to live taking the form of a readiness to die.’ It forces us to love the world but not love our lives so much that we give our being to the world. With the Kingdom of Heaven always assaulted by enemies within and without, we believe it is critical for those of us in institutions of higher learning to stand boldly for truth, to uphold justice, and to exercise wisdom in all matters.” A chapel interview with the plenary speakers was conducted on Thursday morning by President Mike Williams and sessions were sponsored by the V.P. Black College of Biblical Studies, the College of Education, Faulkner Law, and the Great Books Honors program. An added option this year included a panel on "NonAcademic Issues Confronting the Academy." Musical entertainment was provided by Art Williams, with “An Evening of Oscar-Award Winning Musical Themes,” and this year saw the return of Allen Clements and the Faulkner Singers. The next IFA conference will take place October 17-18, 2019, simultaneously with the Kearly Graduate School of Theology Conference.
Sigma Zeta Chapter
Twenty-six students were inducted into Faulkner University’s newly formed chapter of the Sigma Zeta National Science & Mathematics Honor Society during a ceremony on October 11 in Lester Chapel. Dr. Charles Hall, national president of Sigma Zeta, was in attendance. “We are thrilled to announce the beginning of this new chapter of the Sigma Zeta National Science and Mathematics Honor Society,” said Uduak Afangideh, chair of the department of natural and physical sciences. “Creating this chapter is the fulfillment of three to four years of prayer and a lot of work.” “The collaboration between our students and student members of the association nationally will forge a connection that will improve their academic experience here at Faulkner and will give them an edge when they seek to apply to post-graduate and professional schools.” Members of the new chapter will have opportunities to attend conferences, present results of their independent undergraduate research projects and compete with other high achieving students that will enhance their undergraduate experience. The 26 inductees hail from the departments of mathematics, computer science and natural and physical sciences. They have completed at least 25 semester hours, including 15 hours in natural sciences, computer science or math, and have a 3.00 or higher GPA in science and math and a 3.00 or higher GPA overall.
scholarship in the natural and computer sciences and mathematics, Sigma Zeta was founded in 1925 at Shurtleff College in Alton, Ill., through the efforts of three members of the science staff, Elmer E. List, professor of biology and geology; J. Ellis Powell, mathematics; and Ralph K. Carleton, chemistry. The 2018 inductees are Aisha Anderson, Zilin Chen, Leo Dunkelberger, Thomas Gentle, David Gregor, Hannahlee Harris, William Hester, Lydia Hicks, Spencer Jones, Taylor Jones, Deidra Justis, Kayla Key, Rachel Mims, Madeleine Nekola, Cody Parmer, Caitlin Perry, Alayna Poston, Ashleigh Presley, Javan Rampersad, James Reynolds, Johnathan Sabir, Jon Sargent, Alison Simonton, Saul Soto, Margaret Tipton and Zachery Tomlin.
Friends for Faulkner Cookbook on Sale The Friends for Faulkner 50th Anniversary Cookbook is on sale through the Gospel Advocate bookstore. The cookbooks cost $12 and can be purchased at gospeladvocate.com. Friends for Faulkner is a volunteer auxiliary organization of Faulkner University. The organization began in 1967 as the Women's Auxiliary of Alabama Christian. The organization went through two name changes before adopting the current name in 1996. That same year the organization opened its membership to include men. Proceeds from the sale of the cookbooks, as well as all other Friends for Faulkner fundraisers, go towards scholarships or the purchase of non-budgeted items for the university. Items purchased in past years include, but are not limited to, musical instruments, classroom equipment, and additional outdoor campus lighting. In addition to cookbook sales, the organization’s fundraising efforts include sales of various items, plus annual events like the Eagle Run 5K, an on campus yard sale, and a graduation flower sale.
A national undergraduate honor society to encourage and foster scholarly activity and recognize academic
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Tim Elmore This fall, leaders from dozens of Christian institutes of higher education were guests on Faulkner’s campus to hear world-renowned, Dr. Tim Elmore. Elmore, president and founder of Growing Leaders, Inc., is a best-selling author of more than 25 books and an international speaker at more than 100 events annually. He is touted as an expert on Generation Y and Generation Z and uses his knowledge to equip educators, coaches, leaders and parents to provide practical life and leadership skills to young adults. Elmore visited Faulkner on Oct. 13 to speak at three sessions. He highlighted concepts from his book, “Marching Off the Map,” co-written with Andrew McPeak.
2018 Devoted 24/7 Devoted 24/7 is a week of service when students, faculty and staff volunteer with organizations throughout the River Region. Top: Adam Donaldson & Keith Mock construct a frame to a bridge at Lagoon Park. Bottom: Nicole Shirley, a member of the Lady Eagles Basketball team, inspects an interesting specimen with Davis Elementary students.
“Several of us were familiar with Dr. Elmore’s work with Growing Leaders, Inc. in Atlanta, Ga. and as Christian educators, believe he has tremendous insight and research that will help us further our mission here at Faulkner University,” said Candace Cain, assistant vice president of Student Services & dean of students. Elmore spoke about how to inspire students to own their education and their future, lead students from an attitude of apathy to one of passion and enable students to push back from the constant digital distractions and practice mindfulness.
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Goodman travels around the country speaking about fitness and ministry on behalf of the organization Faithfully Fit. She spoke to the faculty and staff during one of the week's Lunch and Learn sessions.
Wellness Week
Clemons and HEAL founder, Christy Swaid have collaborated to bring fun HEAL activities to campus. “In addition to healthy mind, body and soul, one of the main goals for HEAL’s participation in Wellness Week was to make fitness fun and inviting,” said Clemons. Students participate in workouts on the quad during Wellness Week
Whether it was squats, relay runs, or jumping rope, students at Faulkner University were getting active during Wellness Week thanks to this year’s major partner, HEAL Alabama. Wellness Week is a regular campus-wide event that encourages students, faculty and staff to become more aware of improving their mental, physical and spiritual health. It emphasized the need for balance of the mind, body and soul. This year, the week focused on Faulkner’s partnership with HEAL Alabama. HEAL, or Healthy Eating Active Living, is a nonprofit that promotes preventive health measures through healthy eating, exercise and research. Donna Clemons, academic director of HEAL and chair of kinesiology and exercise science at Faulkner, invited fitness instructor Janet Goodman to campus to conduct circuit training, stretching, aerobic fitness and more on the campus quad.
Also on campus were Easter Seals’ Dogs on Call, Lighthouse Counseling Center, Stand Together Against Rape (STAR) and Council on Substance Abuse to provide support, stress relief and holistic health tips.
Images in Ink call for submissions Images in Ink, Faulkner University's annual creative arts publication, is accepting submissions for the 2019 edition from students, alumni, faculty and staff. The theme of this year's publication is "Through a Glass, Brightly," which is inspired by 1 Corinthians 13:12: For now we see in a mirror, dimly, but then face to face. Now I know in part, but then I shall know just as I also am known. (NKJV) Images in Ink accepts submissions of original works including poetry, prose, drawings, paintings and photography. The Images in Ink staff reviews each submission and decides which material will be included for publication. Selected works from Images in Ink are displayed on campus in Cafe Siena. Send submissions to imagesinink@faulkner.edu. For artwork and photography, please submit 300 dpi or higher jpg files.
Professors Terry Brown and Steve Phillips pose after a fun activity on the quad during one of Wellness Week's HEAL Alabama activities.
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Left: Allen Mendenhall, director of the Blackstone and Burke Center for Law and Liberty at Faulkner Law moderates a panel in celebration of Constitution Day. The panel discussion and celebratory event took place at the Alabama Supreme Court building with (l-r) Justice William Sellers (Alabama Supreme Court), Judge J.R. Gaines (15th Judicial Circuit), and Judge Bess Creswell (United States Bankruptcy Court).
Right: Sydney Stewart helps Nicholas Deveaux sign up for voting reminders. Stewart manned the Southern Poverty Law Center table in the student commons, encouraging students to register to vote or to set up voting reminders.
FAULKNER DINNER THEATRE LEGACY Angela (Allen, ‘85) Dickson sits in the lobby of the Faulkner Dinner Theatre. Scenes of past shows line the walls above her. Wearing a comfortable smile, she looks at the cardboard boxes ready to be packed away, contemplating the years and the shows that are now a very special part of Faulkner University’s history. Dickson’s journey in theatre began at the very infancy of the dinner theatre program. When she first stepped into the barn at the back corner of Faulkner’s campus, she had no idea that she was about to discover her life’s passion. Dickson, who came to Faulkner on a tennis scholarship, was just tagging along with some friends. “I began auditioning and just fell in love with theatre,” Dickson said. The Faulkner Dinner Theatre began as an idea of former Faulkner theatre professor, Phillip Sprayberry. Shows had been staged in the Rotunda auditorium until June 1987 when the dinner theater opened in the barn. Students, faculty, staff and community members flocked to take part in the productions. Over the theater’s 30
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year span, more than 754 individuals - students, faculty, staff and community members - participated in 194 shows, doing everything from lights, props, backdrops, and performances. Dickson was the assistant director of “The StarSpangled Girl,” the first production staged in the barn. “The relationships we built were incredible. We would work until the wee hours of the morning,” said Dickson. “We loved it. We were all just in the trenches together. We laughed, we picked on each other, but we also encouraged and lifted each other up.” Terry Brown, professor of kinesiology and exercise science, began acting and singing on stage just two years after he came to Faulkner to teach. He still remembers the exhilaration of being on stage in the barn. “The interaction between the actors and the audience was very intimate,” Brown said. “For ‘Carousel’ we constructed a pier that extended into the audience, and that’s where my character killed Billy Bigelow. We were so close to the audience that when the singing stopped, all we could hear was their breathing. When they cried, you knew they were moved by what they saw and heard.”
In 2011 the dinner theatre moved to a larger venue in Eastmont Plaza. The theatre was styled after popular theatres of the 1950s, complete with a marquee. After graduating, Dickson continued to help out at the dinner theatre and worked there for a couple of years before heading to graduate school. She returned as a teacher and served as the theatre’s interim director in the 1990s. She is currently the theatre teacher at Alabama Christian Adacemy (ACA), where she continues to inspire a new generation and to impart her knowledge of theatre, empathy, caring and peace. “To study theatre is life-changing,” Dickson said. “Students will tell you it’s a degree in empathy. It opens your eyes and you don’t see the world the same.” Dickson said that the highlight of her career is seeing her students graduate and become successful, whether they continue to work in the theatre or not. Branching out into unconventional roles from a theatre background proves the versatility of theatre. Michael Morrow (‘10) took an unconventional route after graduating with an undergraduate degree in theatre. He pursued criminal justice for his master’s degree at Faulkner and is now a K9 handler for the Montgomery County Sheriff ’s Office. “Theatre has actually helped me with talking to witnesses, victims and suspects alike, handling a scene, managing a crowd and thinking on my feet,” Morrow explained. Daniel Monplaisir (‘10) joined the Army right out of college, and continues to serve in the Army National Guard. Angie Dickson teaches theatre to students.
“I can understand people because of theatre,” said Monplaisir. “It helped me develop into a leader who has authority over his unit, but who can also relate to them and convey my point in a way that they understand.” “We were trained well at Faulkner to be true professionals at our craft,” Monplaisir added. That’s what Dickson hoped for all along. “The shows were just a means to an end,” Dickson said. “It was always about doing what we could to make these students succeed. Morgan Baker (‘18) plans to earn his master’s in acting at University of Southern Mississippi and become a theatre professor. He began acting at the dinner theatre when he was a student at ACA. He said acting gave meaning to his life. “There’s a real humanity in it all. When you see someone forget their line or run into a door, it’s like real life,” Baker said. “When you learn acting, you not only learn the craft of it, you learn how to see within yourself. I see my life with so much more clarity than I did five years ago.” Technical theatre graduate Tatyana Thompson (‘17) is now working with the Alabama Shakespeare Festival (ASF) as a quick-change artist. “Being backstage is stressful, but it’s that crisis situation that makes stage life fun,” Thompson said. “There is a lot of excitement, nerves and things not working, but we are taught to be on alert, to improvise and that’s what makes the end result so worth it.” “I would not be at ASF if it had not been for everyone at the dinner theatre pouring their knowledge into me. I’m truly appreciative.” The theatre closed its doors in May 2018 with its final performance, “Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat.”
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Head Football Coach Shayne Wasden is changing Faulkner football in a way that extends beyond Xs and Os. Wasden and his coaching staff are creating a program that aligns itself squarely with the mission of Faulkner. “This is a Christian university. The football program was started to be a part of the university. It’s not vice versa. " Wasden made his expectations clear from the beginning. “In our first meeting, we talked about the fact that the greatest commandment in the Bible is to love the Lord with all your heart, soul, mind and strength and the second is to love your neighbor,” Coach Wasden said. “I told them everybody on this campus is your neighbor. Our players bought into it. Now, our campus is embracing our team, and our team the campus.” Wasden set out to hire knowledgeable and talented coaches, who would help the athletes grow as young Christian men. “I knew we had to have godly men in our coaching staff to help mold these athletes. The first person I hired was one of the most godly men I know— my brother Tommy. Then I hired two coordinators: Levi Brown and Corey Barlow. Keeping Chuck Knapp from the old staff has been invaluable. He’s a Faulkner guy who loves the Lord and this school. His knowledge of the ins-and-outs of how things run here and in the NAIA has helped me transition in nicely.” Coming from Troy University, Wasden has faced new challenges in the small-college football world. “Recruiting is the biggest difference. We signed over 70 players last year. At the big schools you sign 25.” Another challenge is finding the right type of player consistently. “We really made an effort to recruit unselfish people who are willing to be patient and find their role which will come.” Wasden, an Auburn University graduate from Selma, has deep roots in the area, and plans to utilize them in recruiting and developing the program to become a staple in the city. “We signed 50 players from the state of Alabama this past off-season. We worked hard to get people who want to be here and want to be a part of campus.” In college sports the desire to win often overtakes morality, and programs allow improper activities to gain an advantage. Wasden's view of intercollegiate athletics is refreshing. “Any athletic program at a university like Faulkner should first and foremost glorify God. It ought to work to unite the student body and promote school spirit. Then, it should win. If you’re winning and you’re not doing the first three things, you don’t need the program. If you do it the right way and make the effort to recruit the right people, you’ll take care of all of those things and the winning will come. We will never 'win at any cost' as long as I am here.”
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Wasden Changes Culture of Faulkner Football by Carter Moles
Hall of Fame Induction Ceremony by Angela Hardgrave Faulkner University hosted its annual Sports Hall of Fame induction ceremony on September 21, 2018, in the Rotunda Auditorium. This year’s inductees were Jacqi Hammond, Mary Renee Stewart, Phil Norton, Jim Sanderson, and Shane Reynolds. Hammond was a member of the inaugural women’s softball team while at Faulkner. She competed in 1991 and 1992. She currently teaches English and computer science and coaches volleyball in Flomaton, Ala. Stewart was on the All District 27 team and was the first pitcher for the Faulkner softball program. She played from 1991-1993. Stewart currently lives in Kansas and has two children. Norton is a long-time contributor to Faulkner athletics, providing meals to players and coaches and keeping stats for the basketball team. He is currently a member of the university's board of trustees. Sanderson was head coach of Faulkner’s men’s basketball team 1985-1986, 1988-1989, 1994-1995 and 2013-2014. His tenure included eight NAIA national tournaments, and he ranked 10th all-time among NAIA coaches. Sanderson is currently head
basketball coach at Freed-Hardeman University in Henderson, Tenn. Reynolds was a pitcher for baseball coach Tom Fletcher in 1987 and 1988. He went on to become the first Eagle to make it to the Major Leagues, where he spent 13 seasons, eleven of which were with the Houston Astros. Family and friends gathered to honor the inductees’ achievements, from their time at Faulkner to their lives beyond. Athletic Director Hal Wynn was the master of ceremonies, Vice President of Student Services Jean-Noel Thompson gave the invocation, and Faulkner President Mike Williams welcomed attendees and presented awards. “Nights like tonight really do remind us that something very transformative happened—that there were things learned between the strikes that we couldn’t learn anywhere else, and it made us the people we are today. Tonight, we celebrate these things that are enduring,” said Williams.
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ALUMNI NEWS
Tim Alexander (‘07) was appointed chief of police and director of public safety at the University of Montevallo in May, 2018. Alexander served for 12 years with the City of Montevallo Police Department prior to this appointment. Mark Tuggle (‘07) is the new chief of staff for Alabama Speaker of the House Mac McCutcheon. Tuggle served two terms as state representative.
1990’s
Philip Calvert (‘97 & ‘98) was named the new chief of police at Faulkner University. Raymond L. Bell, Jr. (‘98) was elected to a statewide at-large position on the Alabama State Board of Bar Commissioners in May, 2018.
2000’s
Michael Dozier (‘08) was elected Elmore County Circuit Clerk on July 17 and will take office in January 2019. Laurel Crawford (‘09), executive director of the Montgomery Volunteer Lawyers Program and Holly Ray (‘07), managing attorney with Legal Services Alabama - Huntsville, were featured by the Alabama State Bar in this year’s “Profiles in Service” during the National Pro Bono Celebration in October. Ashley Wrencher
Col. Chad Ellsworth (‘00) assumed command of the 66th Air Base Group at Hanscom Air Force Base in August. Prior to this, Ellsworth was a national defense fellow in the International Security Program at Harvard Kennedy School’s Belfer Center for Science and International Affairs in Cambridge, Mass. Stark family
David (‘05 & ‘07) and Carrie (McBroom,’07 & ‘08) Stark and big sister Ella welcomed a baby girl, Felicity Jane, to the family on July 26, 2018.
April L. Jones (‘06) was named head of the department of social work at Tuskegee University in September. Will (‘07) and Brittany (Fish, ‘07) Collins and their children Liam and Vivi welcomed a new baby boy, Lewis Eliot, to the family on February 23, 2018. Will is the new associate/ worship minister at Vaughn Park Church of Christ in Montgomery, Ala. Collins family
LaDale Bishop, Jr (‘07) married Sally Nicole Bishop, December 21, 2017. The couple owns their own company, Gifted Hands Entertainment, LLC.
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Ashley (Wood) Wrencher, a corporate HR compensation analyst and seminar presenter, spoke at TEDx Birmingham about how a natural disaster taught her to create space for the things that matter. She is a Faulkner University graduate with a degree in Human Resources Management. Wrencher's home was struck by a tornado, and her personal belongings were "turned into scattered debris." "We paid a price for waiting to unpack our things 'tomorrow,'" said Wrencher, "because in that moment tomorrow was just too late." "Doing things today may be a chore, but it is critical for living a life of less regrets. Making this move today ultimately protects what matters most. You."
Do you or someone you know have news to be included in the next edition of the alumni magazine? Send updates and photos to Robin “Bird” Bradford, rbradford@faulkner.edu.
Sebastian Phillips
2010’s
Matthew (‘10) and Lacee Philips and had a baby boy, Sebastian, born July 12, 2017.
Kaitlyn Wearden (‘10) began teaching biology at Baldwin Arts and Academic Magnet School in Montgomery, Ala. in August. Teel family
Brent (‘11) and Tara (Parker, ‘11) Teel had a baby girl, Emma Kate, on September 14. Emma Kate was welcomed by big brother William Parker. She comes from a long line of Faulkner grads, including grandparents Willie and Pam (McCormick) Teel and Floyd and Angel (Salter) Parker.
Clint Mitchell (‘13) is the new middle and high school principal at Mobile Christian School in Mobile, Ala. Connor (‘13) and Kadyn (Pace, ‘15) McLean were married May 12, 2018 at the Chapel at the Waters in Pike Road, Ala. The couple resides in Jasper, Ala. where Connor is the youth minister at Midway Church of Christ. Kadyn is on schedule to graduate from Harding Connor & Kadyn University in May of 2019 with a McLean Doctor of Pharmacy. Connor was an active member and 2012-2013 president of Kappa Sigma Phi, and Kadyn was an active member of Phi Lambda. Xavier (‘14 & ‘17) and Vanessa Cunningham and big brother Uriah welcomed new baby boy, Skyler, born August 23, 2018. Matthew and Rebekah (Stallings, ‘15) Dittman were married June 23, 2018 in Greenville, Ala.
Tony Davison (‘12) is the new theatre instructor at East Samford School in Auburn. Ella Koffi (‘12) is a senior associate with The Siegfried Group, LLP in Atlanta, Ga. Traw family
Amber (Moore, ‘12 & ‘15) and Hunter (‘12) Traw are the proud new parents of Seth Andrew, born August 30, 2018.
Matthew & Rebekah Dittman
Pritchard Ndaira (‘15) is the head coach for Women’s Soccer at Faulkner University. Landon (‘16) and Victoria (West, ‘16) Olson were married April 14, 2018 at the Southern Charm venue in Social Circle, Ga. Landon is the new associate youth minister at Vernon Church of Christ in Vernon, Ala.
Marquez James (‘12) was appointed as the new police chief of the Tuskegee Police Department in May, 2018. Nicholas Austin (‘12) and Kelly Karell Wright were married July 15, 2018. The couple resides in Birmingham with their two dogs, Beauford and June.
Nic & Kelly Wright
Landon & Victoria Olson
"I was on the first football team at Faulkner," Nicholas said. "I am an Eagle for life."
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Hinton (‘16) and Kaylan Horn were married April 21, 2018.
Charles King (‘18) is the new speech language pathology academic secretary at Faulkner University. Savana Flack
Hinton & Kaylan Horn
Jacob (‘18) and Ali (Presley, ‘17) Payne married June 30, 2018 at Creekwood Church of Christ in Mobile, Ala.
Jacob & Ali Payne Will & Lacey Phillips
Patrick & Sara Claire LeGere
“We met because we were in brother/sister clubs Epsilon Phi Upsilon and Delta Xi Omega. We are so thankful Faulkner brought us together!” Will (‘17) and Lacey (Sargent, ‘17) Phillips were married March 10, 2018. The couple resides in Montgomery and both teach at Alabama Christian Academy. The couple were active members of Kappa and Phi Lambda Social Clubs.
Ben and Racheal (Lunn,’18) Foster were married September 1, 2018. Racheal is the new contact representative for executive and professional enrollment at Faulkner University.
Chloe Anderson (‘18) is the new academic secretary for the MBA/MSM programs in the College of Business at Faulkner University.
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Patrick and Sara Claire (Womack, ‘18) LeGere were married March 17, 2018. The couple live in Montgomery with their pups, Lily and Cooper.
Nayla Contreras (‘18) started work as a victim advocate at Victims of Crime and Leniency (VOCAL), a non-profit advocacy group, in May of 2018. Contreras interned with VOCAL during the Spring 2018 semester, prior to being hired. Spencer (‘18) and Brianna (Robertson, ‘18) Jones were married October 6, 2018 in Rome, Ga.
Spencer & Brianna Jones
Laura Lambert (‘18) is teaching 2nd grade at Halcyon Elementary. She is also pursuing her master’s in elementary education at Faulkner.
Laura Lambert
Savana Flack (‘18) is an analyst at Wiregrass Equity Partners. Flack began as an intern in August, 2017 and started work full time in June of 2018.
Carter & Caitlain Moles
Carter (‘18) and Caitlain (Deuter, ‘18) Moles were married May 5th, 2018. Carter is the sports information assistant at Faulkner. Caitlain recently accepted a position as an activity specialist at the Montgomery Area Mental Health Authority.
Rhiannon Allison (‘18) is teaching first grade at Evangel Christian Academy. Kayla Mann (‘18) is teaching 3rd grade at Jefferson Christian Academy.
Hannah Brady
Hannah Brady (‘18) teaches kindergarten at Lisenby Primary School.
Faulkner Alumni Elected in November General Elections Several Faulkner alumni were voted into public office during the November 6 elections.
Josh and Peggy (Sharp, ‘08) Harris and big brother Joseph Levi welcomed a new baby boy to the family. James Hunter Tevis was born February 23, 2018.
Jim Zeigler (‘77) was re-elected to a second term as state auditor. Tommy Bryan (‘83) was elected to serve another term on the Alabama Supreme Court. Tom Whatley (‘98) was re-elected for a third term as Alabama State Senator representing District 24. Greg Albritton (‘95) was re-elected to a second term as Alabama State Senator representing District 22.
Harris family
Jess Parker-Kelly (‘17) started as an associate attorney at Vickers & White, PLLC in February, 2018 practicing in the area of domestic relations. She and husband Michael Kelly were married on October 21, 2017. Jess Parker-Kelly
Blaster Burner Funk, a band made up of Faulkner University students and alumni, took first place at Rock the Park, an event at Montgomery’s Riverwalk Ampitheater in July, 2018. Former student Seth Martin is the lead guitarist. Drummer Aaron Reynolds (‘16) works on movie sets in Atlanta. Adam ‘Simba’ Gifford (‘18) plays bass and his brother, Andrew ‘Gif ’ Gifford (‘14 & ‘16), plays rhythm guitar and sings vocals. Both Gifford brothers work as in-house missionaries at the Dalraida Church of Christ. The band has recorded a song, "Regret," which is available on iTunes, Google Play, Spotify, and Amazon Music. They have begun recording additional music and plan to release a second song this fall and to finish recording an album in the spring.
Will Barfoot (‘00) was elected to serve as Alabama State Senator representing District 25. Isaac Whorton (‘06) was elected to the 5th Judicial Circuit. Christy Edwards (‘08) was elected to the Alabama Court of Civil Appeals. Will Dismukes (‘13) was elected to the State House representing District 88. Mark Pettaway (‘18) is the newly elected sheriff of Jefferson County, Ala.
In Memory Allen Ammons (‘67 & ‘71), 70, of Montgomery, died May 30, 2018. LaShawn Gipson, 42, of Union Springs, Ala, died July 28, 2018. Gipson was a student at Faulkner University. Angelique Scott, 48, of Mobile, Ala, died in October, 2018. Scott was a student at Faulkner University’s Mobile campus. Dr. Kenneth L. Harris, Sr., 87, of Troy, Ala., died November 2, 2018. Harris served on Faulkner’s board of trustees. Brenda Miller Neal, 57, of Huntsville, died November 27, 2018. Neal was a student of Faulkner University–Huntsville.
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Hardee’s and Sweet Tea: Faulkner Couple Recreate First Date Mark and Ramona (Bearden) Martin recently took a walk from the campus of Faulkner University, across the ravine and down memory lane, to the home of the Thickburger on Atlanta Highway. It’s the same path they walked nearly 40 years ago on their first date. The evening of November 3, 1980 began with a concert on campus after which Mark built up enough courage to ask Ramona to dinner. A shortage of gas money forced the couple to Ramona (Bearden) Martin trudge through the rain and Mark Martin outside across the ravine that Burton Dormitory in 1980 separates the campus from the nearest fast-food restaurant, Hardee’s, for a simple, yet memorable meal of chicken sandwiches and sweet tea. “Looking back, it is funny, but we both remember that
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day even all these years later,” Mark said. “When we talk about our anniversary, that’s the day we talk about.” Mark choked back emotion when he spoke of the first time he laid Ramona and eyes on Ramona. He Mark Martin said he’s not one to believe in love at first sight, but as they passed each other, he knew he had to see more of her. “At the time, I thought we were a couple, even though we had only gone on that one date. I just knew she was the kind of Christian woman I would want to marry,” Mark said. Today, Mark preaches at Lincoln Church of Christ in Talladega County & teaches online Bible classes for Faulkner. Ramona is a 4th grade teacher at Lincoln Elementary School. They have three children.
begin plans for its own autism center. The university leadership reached out to the Burkharts to help with best practices and moving forward in developing a similar center, one that would use and improve upon Jere’s original concept. “Jere’s original idea was to educate parents and teachers and she also became involved in the transition program so that we could help students, once they came out of high school, to develop social skills, life skills and employment skills,” said Janice Magness, the director of the Transition Academy at the Burkhart Center. When Burkhart began outlining her plan to her husband, Jim Burkhart, he was skeptical.
Jere Lynn Burkhart Awarded Honorary Doctor of Humane Letters by Rebecca Burylo It was a night of surprise and tears of gratitude for Jere Lynn Burkhart as she joined her family on stage at this year’s annual Faulkner University Benefit Dinner to receive the university’s highest honor. She was bestowed an honorary Doctor of Humane Letters for her contributions to the development of autism education and her support of Faulkner’s vision for its own autism center. As a grandmother of an autistic grandson, Burkhart became a pioneer in autism education.
“I asked her how we could do this. We don’t know what we’re doing. We can’t do this, but she said, ‘Yes, Jim, we can. We can do this,’” Jim said. “There weren't the facilities and knowledge of autism that exist today and she pioneered that into school systems. It was her vision to educate educators in autism and provide a clearing house of information and help for those parents who suddenly got the diagnosis.” The autism center is underway with $5 million already raised and the opening of the new College of Health Sciences, the hiring of high-caliber staff and faculty and the opening of Faulkner University’s Speech and Language Pathology Clinic. “When our students are faced with challenges in Montgomery, Alabama, we ask the question if not us, then who?” Williams said. “It’s not enough to do nothing when one in 59 children in America is born into the autism spectrum. We want to run toward the epidemic health needs of our city, state and region, and the centerpiece of this initiative is the center for autism.”
“Tonight we honor a woman who embodies everything Faulkner University espouses to be,” Faulkner University President Mike Williams said. “Jere Lynn Burkhart is a pioneer who led the trailblazing movement to speak for a segment of our nation who could not speak for themselves.” “When her grandson was diagnosed 30 years ago, no one came forward with a solution. She forged her way through the darkness using the compass of the Lord Jesus Christ to find a way.” Today, the Burkhart Center for Autism Education and Research at Texas Tech University is named for Jere and Jim Burkhart, who made significant contributions to the establishment and mission of the center. Last year, it was announced that Faulkner would
President Mike Williams and Jere Lynn Burkhart
Fall 2018
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