Southwest Baptist University News Release
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SBU celebrates 141st school year at formal convocation
BOLIVAR, Mo. — Two faculty members and a staff member were honored at Southwest Baptist University’s annual convocation Wednesday, Aug. 22.
In addition, retiring SBU President C. Pat Taylor, Ed.D., introduced the 25th president in SBU’s 141-year history – Dr. Eric A. Turner – and recalled meeting him for the first time 18 years ago during the annual meeting for Southern Baptist Colleges and Universities.
“We established an immediate friendship and have been friends for 18 years now,” Taylor said. “During that 18 years, we’ve had many, many, many conversations about higher education, the challenges, the problems that we face and conversations about the wonderful calling we have in Christian higher education.”
Convocation marks the formal beginning of the academic year and is a time when campus gathers to focus on SBU’s mission and traditions.
“Our tradition of being focused on our mission of being a Christ-centered institution has been an essential element of our history,” Turner said. “For the past 140 years, Southwest Baptist University has been a Christ-centered, caring academic community preparing students to be servant leaders in a global society.Our mission statement defines who we are as a University.”
Convocation Address
The tradition of the Orien B. Hendrex Distinguished Teacher Award recipient delivering the convocation address continued with Dr. Chris Dinwiddie, the 2018 honoree. The award recipient is chosen by previous graduating classes and is presented annually to a faculty member “regarded by SBU graduates as a distinguished teacher.”
Dinwiddie joined the SBU faculty in 2006 and currently is an associate professor of psychology in the behavioral sciences department. He also served as Faculty Senate president during the 2017-2018 academic year. From 2006-2011, he coached the men’s club soccer team and was the head coach of the men’s varsity soccer team from 2012-2014.
Dinwiddie earned his bachelor of arts degree in psychology from Langston University, and a master of science in Christian education, a master’s in marriage and family counseling, and a Ph.D. in psychology from Southwestern Baptist Theological Seminary.
Dinwiddie is a licensed professional counselor in the state of Missouri and a board-certified counselor through the National Board of Certified Counselors. He also served in the Army National Guard from 1995-2001.
In his address, Dinwiddie encouraged students to find their “pathway to success.”
“You won’t be very surprised to hear that Jesus had some ideas about that, and His ideas were pretty consistent,” Dinwiddie said. “He calls success the abundant life. In John 10:10, Jesus says, ‘…I came that they may have life and have it abundantly;’ that we might have a full life, that we might have a maximum of life.
“Jesus did not mean only life in Heaven someday. He meant the life that we’re living right now in the flesh; that we might have a full and abundant life. That sounds like a definition of success.”
He pointed out that one of the ways the Bible talks about abundant life is in terms of location and direction, using the fall in the Garden of Eden and the loss of direction for Adam and Eve, as an example.
“In literal terms, they were lost,” Dinwiddie said. “The condition of being lost is not knowing where you are, or what direction you should go.”
Dinwiddie shared that people need a light to show them the way, just as Jesus was, and is, to the world.
“(When questioned) Jesus said, ‘I know where I come from and I know where I’m going,’” Dinwiddie said. “How many of us can say that about ourselves today in our lives? What a powerful declaration and purpose.
“We live the abundant life by getting on the pathway. The abundant life isn’t an outcome. It’s the things we do on the way; a direction.”
He expressed what his desires are for students as they experience attending SBU.
“I want you to be happy,” he said. “I want you to be a success. But, I want you to measure that success by the right signposts. I want you to go in the right direction. And, someday soon, I hope that you will be able to say, ‘I know where I come from and I know where I am going.’
Newcomer of the Year awards
The Newcomer of the Year awards began in 1995 to recognize one full-time faculty member and one non-teaching staff member who, in their first months of employment at Southwest Baptist University, demonstrate exceptional commitment to the University’s mission and make a positive impact as part of the SBU family. Faculty and staff members who have been employed full time for no more than 18 months prior to the selection process are eligible. Committees of peers select the winners.
Faculty Newcomer of the Year:
Kristin Hamm joined the University in August 2017, and currently serves as an instructor in the accounting department on the Bolivar campus. Prior to coming to SBU, she worked at Enactus as an accounting manager and for Wilson & Mee CPAs as a senior tax accountant.
“She is both professional and caring in and out of the classroom and has shown herself to be an excellent colleague who has high expectations of herself and her students,” said Dr. Troy Bethards, dean of the Robert W. Plaster College of Business and Computer Science. “We have been blessed to be the benefactors of her service at SBU.”
Hamm earned her bachelor of science degree in accounting from SBU, a master of accountancy from Missouri State University, and currently is working on her doctorate in business administration, with a concentration in accounting, from Anderson University. She and her husband, Joey, are members of South Haven Baptist Church, where she has served as an Upward Basketball coach and referee since 2011.
Staff Newcomer of the Year:
Natalie O’Keefe currently works as an admissions counselor, overseeing recruitment for the Mid-Missouri territory. O’Keefe earned her bachelor of science in art in May 2017. As a student-athlete, she was named a finalist for the NCAA’s Woman of the Year award in 2017.
Her co-workers describe her as caring deeply for her students, going to great lengths to ensure an SBU education is possible for those students. They also shared that she is kind-natured and has a “huge heart for people and the University,” a constant source of encouragement to those around her.
O’Keefe is originally from Granite City, Ill., and attends First Assembly of God in Bolivar, where she is heavily involved in its Girls’ Student Ministry.
CUTLINES:
Dr. Chris Dinwiddie – Dr. Chris Dinwiddie, associate professor of psychology, (right) delivered the convocation address during the Aug. 22 Chapel. SBU president-elect Dr. Eric A. Turner, presents Dinwiddie with a plaque recognizing his selection as the Orien B. Hendrex Distinguished Teacher. The winner is announced each year at graduation and then is the speaker at the next fall’s convocation.
Kristin Hamm – SBU provost Dr. Lee Skinkle (right) and SBU president-elect Dr. Eric A. Turner present Kristin Hamm, instructor in the accounting department on the Bolivar campus, with the Faculty Newcomer of the Year Award.
Natalie O’Keefe — SBU provost Dr. Lee Skinkle (right) and SBU president-elect Dr. Eric A. Turner present Natalie O’Keefe, admissions counselor, overseeing recruitment for the Mid-Missouri territory, with the Staff Newcomer of the Year Award.
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Southwest Baptist University is a leader among private universities in truly integrating Christ-centered academic pursuits with comprehensive professional programs at an affordable price. At SBU, the faculty and staff create a caring, academic community to prepare students to be servant leaders in a global society. For more information, visit www.SBUniv.edu.
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