About Our People

Brent Weaver’s (Performing Arts) Psalm for solo alto saxophone will be released this month on a CD by saxophonist Joseph Wytko (JosephWytkoSaxophone.com). The new album, titled Passions Large & Small, will be available through CD vendors as well as on iTunes. Wytko will also be performing Weaver’s piece on concert tours in the U.S. and Europe this year.

Brent also did an interview with Andrea Murray of KBPS All-Classical radio on Oct. 21. In it, he spoke about the faculty recital presented on campus Oct. 24, which featured the world premiere of his Legends for piano and electric sounds, performed by Portland pianist Maria Choban.

Paul Otto (History) spoke on “The Sale of Manhattan: Real Estate Fraud or Real Cultural Differences?” to the Pacific Northwest branch of the Holland Society of New York in Astoria, Ore., on Oct. 17.

Mark David Hall (Political Science) coedited a book, The Forgotten Founders on Religion and Public Life, published by the University of Notre Dame Press in October. According to the publisher, “The interdisciplinary volume brings together essays on 11 of the founders of the American republic, many of whom are either little recognized today or little appreciated for their contributions. The essays focus on the thinking of these men and women on the proper role of religion in public life, including but not limited to the question of the separation of church and state.”

Lori DeKruyf, Richard Shaw and Keith Dempsey (Graduate Counseling) attended the national conference of the Association for Counselor Education and Supervision in San Diego Oct. 14-18. Lori gave a roundtable on “The Working Alliance as a Site Visit Screening Framework: Practical Tools to Connect With, Evaluate, and Equip Potential School Counseling Site Supervisors.” Richard and Keith each attended trainings, with Keith attending the ACES emerging leaders workshop and Richard a training to become a accreditation site visit representative.

Lori also attended and co-presented with four school counseling alumni (Darcell Dance, Emily Sallee, Liz Mogil and Gary Kieser) at the Oregon School Counseling Association’s fall conference at Kah Nee Tah, Ore., Oct. 9-10. The presentation was titled “Success Amidst Stress.” Also, an article Lori collaborated on, “Peer Consultation Groups: Developing a Global Culture of Collaboration for School Counselors,” was published in the Journal for International Counselor Education.

Kevin T. Jones (Communication Arts) had two papers accepted for presentation at the National Communication Association’s annual convention Nov. 19-22 in Chicago. The first paper, “The Heteroglottal Religious Rhetoric of Barack Obama: Courting the Evangelical Vote,” explores the president’s rhetoric during the 2008 campaign targeted specifically at attracting the evangelical voter. The second paper, “Jargon Intimidation: Rethinking Labels and Privileging Concepts in the Basic Public Speaking Course,” offers a new paradigm for teaching the basic communication course.

Rand Michael (Graduate Counseling) is receiving Northwest Nazarene University’s Professional Achievement Award this week. Michael, a 1968 NNU graduate, is an international speaker, writer, trainer, consultant and clinician who, with wife Phyllis, founded TELOS international, an organization that trains mental health professionals worldwide. The award is given to “an alumnus whose distinguished record of achievement has brought honor and recognition to the university,” according to NNU.

Paul Anderson (Religious Studies) coedited John, Jesus, and History: Vol. 2, Aspects of Historicity in the Fourth Gospel, published by the Society of Biblical Literature Press this month. The book is the second of a three-volume collection of essays by leading international scholars on a controversial topic: challenging the standard practice of excluding the Gospel of John from the conversation of a historical Jesus.

Ron Shaw (Plant Services) was selected as the October Employee of the Month.

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