Developing a Faculty for the 21st Century

McMurry has been fortunate in attracting faculty members who possess a passion for the subject matter they teach. An even greater source of pride is the ability of our gifted faculty to be able to impart their subject matter and their passion for learning to the students they teach. They engage students in an intellectual environment, both inside and outside the classroom, and are committed to getting to know their students and developing a personal relationship with them. Cultivating a reputation for having a high-quality faculty is an important factor in any university’s ability to recruit quality students.

McMurry finds itself constantly engaged in the competitive process of recruiting and retaining outstanding faculty members. The Shaping the Future Campaign will create endowed positions, which will help McMurry retain its current faculty leaders and attract new faculty members. Named chairs bring honor to faculty members and to the named benefactors who support the University.

Funding for the recruitment and retention of faculty will be designated as follows: 1) $9 million to create six $1.5 million endowed chairs • One endowed chair for each of the five academic schools: School of Arts and Letters; School of Business; School of Education; School of Natural and Computational Sciences; and School of Social Sciences and Religion • One at-large endowed chair to be designated by the President to address evolving opportunities 2) $1 million to create a faculty development endowment to support initiatives in teaching and learning

Possessing a passion for teaching in an academic culture that cares about student success is descriptive of the McMurry academic community. Students are attracted to a faculty member who possesses a passion for teaching that permeates everything he does. When this same professor takes a personal interest in the students, he is a tremendous asset to any university. Dr. John Eric Swenson, Assistant Professor of Psychology, has

a deep passion for teaching and an unconditional love for his students. “What I do in the classroom is only a small part of what my role is on this campus,” he shares. “My real joy comes in seeing young men and women grow—not only in knowledge, but in character, and most importantly, in their Christian faith.”

Dr. Swenson received his undergraduate and master’s degrees from Abilene Christian University and his doctorate from The University of Memphis, Memphis, Tennessee. He worked in private practice in New Braunfels, Texas and served as an adjunct professor at Texas State University before joining the faculty at McMurry University in 2005. John Eric and his wife, Ronda, have a two-year-old son named John Eric IV and are expecting another baby in August. Dr. Swenson and Ronda are very active in the lives of McMurry students. They lead a Bible study in their home twice a month, and Dr. Swenson is credited with developing a campuswide Prayer Initiative. He helps plan monthly prayer breakfasts, and he collects and edits prayers

Dr. John EricSwenson

assistant professor of psychology

“McMurry has done its part in shaping the nation since 1923, and through good management it is in better shape now than ever to transform the future. It’s a product I believe in and is a place where people matter.” - Don Frazier, Professor of History

submitted on the Prayer Initiative website. Beginning next year, Dr. Swenson will serve as the President of the Christian Association for Psychological Studies, a professional organization with over 2,000 members around the world.

Empowering professors like Dr. Swenson to do what they do best is a top priority of the Shaping the Future Capital Campaign. McMurry must rise to the challenge of recruiting and retaining outstanding faculty members. Attracting more faculty members like Dr. Swenson will give McMurry a competitive edge over other universities. Through the Campaign, endowed faculty positions will ensure that McMurry retains quality faculty and attracts new talent. Students will benefit from accessibility to outstanding faculty members drawn to McMurry through the establishment of endowed faculty chairs. In addition, students will benefit financially. Dr. Swenson states, “The more endowed chairs you have, the less in faculty salaries you have to pay out of the operating budget on a month-tomonth basis, which means more funding for student scholarships.” Nine million dollars received from the campaign will be used to create six chairs endowed at $1.5 million each. An additional $1 million will be used to create a faculty development endowment scholarship initiative in teaching and learning. According to Dr. Swenson, “In my mind, it brings an element of prestige to a university and the various academic departments within a university. This is appealing to students and their parents.”

Dr. Swenson is one of many faculty members at this University who love what they teach and who express a genuine concern for their students. Many professors share Dr. Swenson’s sentiments when he says, “My favorite part of teaching involves mentoring students. I love visiting with students outside of the classroom about academics, but more importantly, I enjoy visiting with them about life and their futures. It does not get any better than this!”

Students at McMurry University feel extremely fortunate that Dr. Swenson made the decision to come to Abilene. When observing his interaction with students, you sense a relational exchange that transcends the academic into something more profound. “In a Christian University, I think it is important to have students think critically about how a Christian worldview relates to what they are learning in the classroom, and in turn, how and what they are learning relates to the world at large. As a faculty member at McMurry, I have an incredible opportunity to shape young people’s lives.” Through the success of the Shaping the Future Campaign, future generations of McMurry students will thrive in a nurturing and challenging academic environment in which Dr. Swenson and his colleagues have felt called to dedicate their lives. 