Faculty

Faculty News & Notes

February 2015

Lori Siekmann (Theatre) has been selected to receive the Kennedy Center/American College Theatre Festival (KC/ACTF) Region 8 Gold Medallion Award on Feb 13, 2015 at this year's regional festival. The annual award is presented to, “individuals or organizations that have made extraordinary contributions to the teaching and producing of theatre and who have significantly dedicated their time, artistry and enthusiasm to the development of the Kennedy Center American College Theater Festival. Most importantly, recipients have demonstrated a strong commitment to the values and goals of KCACTF and to excellence in educational theatre. It is the most prestigious regional award given by KCACTF and is considered one of the great honors in theatre education." (www.kcactf-8.org).

In addition, Siekmann's production of The Drowsy Chaperone, (first performed on campus in January 2014) was selected to be one of only seven full-length plays to be presented at the February 2015 regional festival. This is the third time Siekmann has had the honor of having a show invited to festival.

Scott Ashmon (Theology) had an article published: "Higher Education in Light of the Cross, Dialog": A Journal of Theology 54, no. 1 (2015): 94-104.

Ashmon along with several colleagues at CUI has started a blog called Q&I Forum. It is a digital dialogue about core texts, core courses, core curricula, academic habits, intellectual virtues, and pedagogy at colleges and universities today. The website is http://blogs.cui.edu/core/.

Kit Nagel (Business) gave the keynote lecture on “Intellectual Property Rights and Investment in China” at a recent meeting of the International Executive Resources Group (IERG), an association of senior global executives. The event was organized by Eugene Esparaza (Online Bachelor's Degrees) and will further connect the regional business community to CUI. A follow-on panel discussion included seasoned "China Hands" and the Director of the Hong Kong Trade Development Council.

As a follow-up to his work with Lutheran schools in Ghana last summer and to his previous feature article on "The Cross on the Classroom Wall", Tim Schumacher wrote "Leaving a Cross in Ghana" for the Lutheran Education Association's magazine Shaping the Future. Over the course of about two weeks, Tim engaged teachers at five Ghanaian Lutheran schools on issues of educational technology and the Lutheran ethos in their schools. Read the article at here and see a Ghanaian TV news report on his visit here.

Bruce Hanson had three papers published and three presentations in refereed venues. He taught two PhD courses (Organizational Theory and Design) with Assumption University in Yangon and Bangkok, while developing recruiters for students to come to CUI. He also attended the annual Academy of Management Conference in Philadelphia to develop new contacts and projects, seeking paper submissions for an international conference he is a track co-chair at Pomona College in June, 2015 in Claremont, CA.

Lyn, N & B. Hanson (in press). “Designing a Cellular organization? A Case Study of Sense Making in the National Prosperity Gold Production Group Ltd”, South Asian Journal of Business and Management Cases, Sage, New Delhi, India
Lyn, N & B. Hanson (2015). “How do you run a gold mine? A Case Study of Sense Making in the National Prosperity Gold Production Group Ltd”, book chapter in Understanding Work Experiences from Multiple Perspectives: New Paradigms for Organizational Excellence. Sardana & Thachenkari Eds pp.71-84. Bloomsbury India, New Delhi
Lyn, N & B. Hanson (2014). “How do you run a gold mine?” Presentation at International Conference on Management Cases 2014, Birla Institute of Management Technology, Delhi India, Dec 4-5.
Hanson, B (2014). “Conversation as Consciousness: on the social nature of consciousness.” presentation at the Organizational Behavior Teaching Conference 2014. Vanderbilt University June 11-14.
Hanson, B. (2014). “Sustainable Organizational Design: possible lessons from the world’s oldest companies.” Vision, Action. Outcome. 2 (1): 7-32. Assumption University Bangkok, Thailand.
Hanson, B. (2014). “Principles of Organic Organizational Design” 9th International Forum on Ecological Civilization, Pitzer College, Claremont, CA April 25-26.

Stephanie Hartzell presented at the California Council for Teacher Education last October. Her poster title was Creative-thinking Ability in Graduate Students of Education, Arts, and Sciences.

Jason Neben (Education) had an article published, "Attributes and Barriers Impacting Diffusion of Online Education at the Institutional Level: Considering Faculty Perceptions", Distance Learning, 11(1), 41-50.

Mike Middendorf led about 60 people through the book of Romans in 2.5 hours during an event hosted by Advancement at Fountain of Life Lutheran Church in Sun City, AZ in January. He did the same for the South Dakota District Pastors' Conference in Rapid City last October, but that took 7.5 hours!

Dan Waite will be presenting a paper on “Placing Engaged Learning at the Center: The Study Abroad Field-based Campus as an Alternative Higher Education Model” at the Comparative International Education Society meeting in Washington DC next month.

October 2014

CJ Armstrong (History/Theology), with Korey Mass, had an article published: “A Poem on the Death of Robert Barnes, by Johannes Sastrow (1542), “Reformation and Renaissance Review 15.3 (2013): 258-279.

CJ also had papers recently presented: at Lutheranism and the Classics III, October, 2014, and at Association for Core Texts and Courses Liberal Arts Institute, September, 2014.

Marin Jacobson (Music) will be hosting the second annual Invitational Christian Women’s Collegiate Choral Festival this Saturday, October 25, on Concordia’s campus. Nationally respected choral conductor, Dr. Janet Galvan will be working with each participating choir during the festival and will also conduct rehearsals with Concordia’s Donne di Canto and the Concordia Choir during her visit.

Mike Middendorf (Theology) has officially submitted all of the second volume of the Romans commentary he is writing to Concordia Publish House – ahead of schedule. Now begins the year-long editorial process.

Sandra Scharlemann (Education) is now serving the School of Education as associate dean.

Malia Hoffman (Education), along with Kristi Shaw of Marian University, set up a booth at the International Society for Technology in Education gathering this past July “to explain their efforts to help teachers, and even students, evaluate the quality of apps based on research” (article attached).

As part of his millennial research, Chip Espinoza (Organizational Psychology) has had an abstract accepted by The Schusterman Center for Jewish Studies at the University of Texas, Austin and will be presenting the paper at their annual conference.

Chip has another abstract pending with the Mentoring Institute, October 21-24, 2014, at the University of New Mexico, titled “Challenges Millennials Face in Organizations and how You can Coach them to Success.

Adam Francisco (History) taught a PhD intensive on “Islam and the West” along with three week-long continuing education intensives on the topic of “Worldview and Apologetics” at various locations for Concordia Theological Seminary this past summer. Adam also delivered a lecture entitled “A Mars Hill Moment with Islam” at a world mission conference in Colorado and, most recently, a four-part lecture series entitled “Defending and Promoting the Christian Worldview” in Texas last month.

Scott Ashmon (Theology), CJ Armstrong (History/Theology), Dan Deen (Philosophy), Jeff Mallinson (Theology), and Dan Van Voorhis (History) presented papers on great books used in the Core Curriculum for a panel titled “Wise, Honorable, and Cultivated Citizens” at the 20th Annual Conference of the Association for Core Texts and Courses (ACTC) in Los Angeles last April. CUI co-sponsored the conference with Pepperdine and Fresno Pacific universities.

Scott was interviewed by Rob Kelly, editor of Magna Publications, for two articles about Concordia’s Core Curriculum: “’An Honors Program for Everybody’: Concordia University Irvine’s Core Curriculum,” Recruitment and Retention in Higher Education, vol. 28, no. 5 and “Core Curriculum Improves Academic Rigor, Identity, and Retention,” Academic Leader: The Newsletter for Academic Deans and Department Chairs, vol. 30, no. 5, 2014.

Scott also presented a paper on “Revisiting the Law-Gospel Paradigm in Light of the Old Testament” at the Society of Concordia Theology Faculties Conference in St. Paul, MN, last May.

Steve Parks (Theology) has written a brief article “Easter Orthodoxy” which appeared in the September 2014 issue of The Lutheran Witness along with an article “The Essence of Christianity: Johann Gerhard on the Death of Christ” which will appear in the January/February issue of Modern Reformation.

August 2014

Chip Espinoza (organizational psychology) presented a paper at the 24th Annual Society for Crypto-Judaic Studies Conference titled “The Quest to Explore – the Yearning for Home – A Juxtaposition Ingrained in the Genetic and Cultural Memory of the Crypto-Jews of Spain.”

In October Chip will be presenting another paper at the University of New Mexico Mentoring Institute titled, “Challenges Millennials Face in Organizations and How You Can Coach Them to Success.”

Last spring Chip was interviewed by the Huffington Post about companies making adaptations to millennials and the involvement of their parents in the workplace. See article attached or go to the following website.

Chip’s new book, Millennials @ Work, was released in July.

Mark Fawaz (business) led a successful team of University of California Irvine students in a recent business plan competition. They were the only team to win in three categories:

Best Concept Paper
First Place: School of Business and Economics Division
Third Place: Campus-Wide Division

Camelia Raghinaru's(English) article, “Molly Bloom and the Comedy of Remarriage” has been published in FORUM.

Another article Camelia wrote titled “Messianisms and the Abject: Reading D. H. Lawrence’s The Plumed Serpent” has been published in the Spring 2014 issue of Studies in the Novel.

Camelia has also published a review of Paul Stasi’s Modernism, Imperialism, and the Historical Sense in the James Joyce Literary Review Spring 2013 issue.

As an off-shoot of his Faithfulness and Excellence project, Tim Schumacher (education) had an article, “The Cross on the Classroom Wall,” featured in the summer issue of the Lutheran Education Association’s magazine, Shaping the Future. David Loy (theology) contributed a sidebar for the article. To see the complete article, go here.

What is the theology of the cross? What is the history of the cross? Where is the cross in your classroom, and why does it matter? Author Tim Schumacher explores the importance of the cross in a Lutheran classroom and challenges the reader to understand the importance of the symbol and its place in Lutheran schools.

Dave Rueter (Christian education) has written study materials for church groups to accompany the movie Alone Yet Not Alone, which tells the story of faith of a German Lutheran immigrant family whose daughters are captured by Delaware Indians during the French and Indian War. The movie opened in June.

Jack Schultz (anthropology) was one of the keynoters at the 4th Multi-Ethnic Symposium held at Concordia Seminary, St. Louis, last January. The Symposium’s theme was “Communities of Hope.”

George Wright (business) has been elected to the Accounting Task Force of the International Accreditation Council for Business Education (IACBE). This task force is charged with designing the global assessment framework, benchmarks, and processes for outcome-based accounting bachelor’s and master’s degree programs for this highly respected international business accreditation body.

Kenneth George (business) presented a break-out session on “Sustainability: A Competitive Advantage” at the annual International Accreditation Council for Business Education (IACBE) conference last Spring.
Abstracts:

This presentation connected the fields of strategy, organizational development, and design. It is intended to enable participants to recognize the changed market reality in which caring for personal well-being, community health, and ecological integrity, has become the smarter way to do business and treat employees.
The presentation connected global issues such as social justice and introduce greater levels of complexity into business by analyzing the far reaching implications of customer satisfaction and employee engagement. Effective handling of these issues can lead to new revenue generation and cost efficiency that will drive innovation as well as reputational value; while failure to do so can lead to an increase in financial and competitive risk.

Amanda Croll (mathematics) has been accepted into Project NExT, the national professional development program for early career mathematics faculty.

Malia Hoffman (education) along with Kristi L. Shaw, of Marian University, WI, both of whom have studied tech-based learning in their academic work, set up a booth at the massive ed-tech gathering (International Society for Technology in Education) to explain their efforts to help teachers, and even students, evaluate the quality of apps based on research. Along with Tonya Hameister, also of Marian University, they've established "research-based rubrics" for evaluating whether apps provide sound educational content and instructional strategies. Go here to see reporter, Sean Cavanagh’s, complete article on the conference and MALIA’S work.

Since graduating from Concordia University Irvine with his Master of Arts in Education: Curriculum and Instruction, Gregory McFall, MAEd ’07, has been named a District Teacher of the Year, Orange County Teacher of the Year, and California State Teacher of the Year. Through his training at Concordia and practical applications both in the classroom and with the surf club he started, Greg continually refines his ability to connect with his students by showing how much he cares and believes in each of them.

February 2014

As part of their Introduction to Management, Marketing, and Information Technology project grade for Ken George’s Bus 201 class, students were given the opportunity to create their own businesses. The goal of the project was to teach students how to create and manage every aspect of their business from its infancy through its maturity as a thriving business by the end of the project. The class was divided up into five groups, each responsible for devising their own idea for a possible business with each idea being transformed into a successful working business. They ranged from services rendered to product development and sales. One group targeted student athletes and created and sold t-shirts that players could wear during practice. Another group targeted their local Lutheran church and sold bracelets to members. Students gained a great deal of insight as to what running a successful business really takes.

Although many groups were successful in the development of their businesses, not every team produced a profit. Some groups saw that not all good ideas can result in a thriving business and that success is dependent of a multitude of factors including the ability to be flexible and adapt to the market needs. In the end, the students were able to experience a hands-on account of what it takes to be successful in the business world and learn that there is not one right answer or one right way to do things. The key to being successful in business is maintaining an open mind and a willingness to try new things.

Through the development of the project, Ken’s students were able to develop a realistic view as to what it will be like when running or managing people in the business world after graduation. Together the students learned how to work as part of a team and how to depend on peer leadership, as well as learning key components of accounting, finance, marketing, and operations. At the conclusion of the project the students earned over $800 and donated all their profits to the Village of Hope, Concordia Tutorial Center where Concordia students work with homeless children to provide academic support and an encouraging relationship.

Ken will serve as assistant professor of business beginning Fall 2014.

Adam Francisco, associate professor of history, gave presentations on Christian apologetics for the Wyoming District of The Lutheran Church—Missouri Synod (LCMS) and Christ Lutheran Church in Phoenix, AZ, and was keynote speaker at the American Association of Lutheran Churches and LCMS National Missions conferences last fall.

Adam’s book (with Korey Maas), Making the Case for the Christianity against Modern Objections (Concordia Publishing House [CPH]), has finally been printed. He also contributed chapters for the following books:

Christian-Muslim Relations: A Bibliographical History (Brill)
The Search for Authority in Reformation Europe (Ashgate)
The Routledge Reader in Christian-Muslim Relations (Routledge)
Built on the Foundation of the Apostles and Prophets: Sola Scriptura in Context (ELCE)

The abstract on a recently published article by Amanda Croll, assistant professor of mathematics, “Periodic Modules over Gorenstein Local Rings” J. Algebra 395 (2013) 47-62 follows…

It is proved that the minimal free resolution of a module M over a Gorenstein local ring R is eventually periodic if, and only if, the class of M is torsion in a certain Z[t,t^{-1}]-module associated to R. This module, denoted J(R), is the free Z[t,t^{-1}]-module on the isomorphism classes of finitely generated R-modules modulo relations reminiscent of those defining the Grothendieck group of R. The main result is a structure theorem for J(R) when R is a complete Gorenstein local ring; the link between periodicity and torsion stated above is a corollary.

Scott Ashmon, professor of theology, presented a paper on "What is the Summum Bonum of a Liberal Arts Education?" at the 19th Annual Conference of the Association for Core Texts and Courses in Ottawa. His article, "Preaching the Law and Gospel in the Old Testament" was published in the Lutheran Forum.

Kit Nagel, associate professor of business, was invited to the speaker series at the Fletcher School at Tufts University in Boston this past November where he spoke to students and faculty on “A Resurgent China – Advice for Future Country Managers.” The talk and discussion focused on the perspectives of senior practitioners, beyond the regular ‘headline’ news.

Melinda Schulteis, professor of mathematics, reports that last fall she submitted the following article for publication, “Serving Hope: Building Service Learning into a Non-major Mathematics Course to Benefit the Local Community.” PRIMUS (Problems, Resources, and Issues in Mathematics Undergraduate Studies special issue on service-learning in mathematics), Volume 23, Number 6, 2013.

Doug Grove, resident faculty in online learning and assistant provost, has had a journal article published, Brouillette, L., Grove, D. and Hinga, B.M. (2014), “Using Arts Integration to Build Equity in Early Elementary Grades by Boosting the Language Development of ELLs”, Journal of School Leadership, Spring 2014.

Doug also received an evaluation award from the National Science Foundation (NSF) Math and Science Partnership (MSP) Program (funding 2013-18) with co-evaluator Michael W. Corrigan on the evaluation of Equitable Science Curriculum Integrating Arts in Public Education (ESCAPE).

Herb Geisler, professor of music, was guest handbell clinician at the Fine Arts Festival at Trinity Lutheran Church in Roselle, Illinois, last April. He adjudicated handbell ensembles from ten Lutheran schools from all over the Chicago area, then rehearsed and directed three mass rings. About 200 ringers performed from among 500 student vocal, instrumental, and handbell participants. Dr. Richard Fischer of Concordia University Chicago and Dr. Frank Gallo of Lake Park High School, Roselle, served as instrumental and choral clinicians, respectively.

Herb also authored a book review on Handbell Artistry from the Inside Out by Kimberlee Strepka in the November 2013 issue of CrossAccent, the journal of the Association of Lutheran Church Musicians. He frequently serves as guest organist at several congregations in Orange and Los Angeles counties.

Thea Gavin, professor of English, has two poems forthcoming: “Succession” will be published in issue 9.1 of Measure: A Review of Formal Poetry, and “Dolor, Inc.” will appear in Workers Write! More Tales from the Cubicle. In December 2013 she was elected to serve on the Board of Directors of the California Native Plant Society’s Orange County chapter.

Marin Jacobson, assistant professor of music, and Concordia's women's choir, Donne di Canto, hosted the Invitational Christian Women's Collegiate Choral Festival last November. Women's choirs from Vanguard, Biola, and Loyola Marymount Universities and the Master's College attended. Nationally recognized women's choir specialist, Dr. Sandra Peter, worked with each of the choirs following their performances. Donne di Canto's performance included "Beautiful," a composition Marin wrote for them.

April 2013

Thea Gavin's, professor of English, list of recent accomplishments…

Her poem “Drifting Through Cottonwood Duff” appears in the summer issue of Naugatuck River Review: A Print Journal of Narrative Poetry; “Growing Giant Pumpkins” is forthcoming in the fall issue of Greenprints.
Her essay about hiking barefoot across the Grand Canyon has been accepted for the 2014 Vishnu Temple Press anthology of Grand Canyon essays edited by Rick Kempa.
Her panel proposal—“Voices from the Outpost: Wild Words for Wallowa County, OR” was accepted for the Association of Writers and Writing Programs (AWP) 2014 conference in Seattle (only 529 panels out of 1,300 proposals were accepted).
Her review of Don Thompson’s poetry book Everything Barren Will Be Blessed (Pinyon Publishing) was published on Ruminate’s web site in April.
This past June she was accepted for a week-long writing residency at Dorland Mountain Arts Colony in Temecula, CA.
Her wildflower poem “My Southern California Neighbors” appears in the preface to the 2013 Laguna Wilderness Press field guide Wildflowers of Orange County and the Santa Ana Mountains by Robert Allen and Fred Roberts.

Susan Bachman’s journal editorial, "A Heart for Apologetics" was accepted for spring issue dedicated to Apologetics, Issues in Christian Education. The editorial explicates and argues for enthymematic reasoning.

Jim (professor of theology) and Susan Bachman, (professor of English), have learned that their essay, Socratic Perplexity and Communal Arete Turning with Socrates to the Wisdom of the Generations has been accepted by blind review for publication in The Quest for Excellence: Selected Papers from the Seventeenth Annual Conference (2011) of the Association for Core Texts and Courses (ACTC), edited by Dustin Gish, Christopher Constas, and J. Scott Lee, to be published by University Press of America, Inc.

Joel Oesch’s, assistant professor of theology, article, "Working the Harvest in Digital Fields", was published in Missio Apostolica 21, no. 1 (May 2013), a journal published for the members of Lutheran Society for Missiology. Following is a link to Joel’s article

Rachel Soo, associate professor of art, was busy this summer participating in the Summer Group Exhibit, at White Stone Gallery, in Philadelphia where two of her paintings were selected in the juried exhibition: Eruption, and Overflow, watercolor, acrylic medium and ink on watercolor paper.

Rachel also entered a watercolor, acrylic medium and ink on watercolor paper painting, Rapture, in the Visual Arts Exhibit, professional painting division, at the Orange County Fair.

In July 2013, John Kenney, professor of chemistry and chemical processes, and two Concordia undergraduates — Cassie Hollman and Rafael Ramos — were invited to join a research team making astronomical research measurements on double star systems using the historic 60” telescope at the famous Mt. Wilson Observatory in the mountains above Pasadena, CA.

Dave Rueter, assistant professor of Christian education, published “Discipleship for the Youth Worker” at www.youthesource.com , a discussion guide for use in congregations for the soon to be released movie, Alone Yet Not Alone. www.aloneyetnotalone.com , and three Community Life Resources for parents of youth who attended the LCMS National Youth Gathering.

Dave is a participant in “For Such a Season as This” meeting of top leadership in DCE (Director of Christian Education) ministry to assess the state of DCE ministry across the LCMS and to develop strategies to further advance this ministry.

Dave is also a participant in Future Search for the National LCMS Youth Gathering which is considering the history and future shape of these gatherings.

Steve Mueller, professor of theology, was a theological essayist to The Lutheran Church—Missouri Synod (LCMS) National Convention this past July, speaking on the theme, “Baptized for Life Together.”

Mike Middernorf, professor of theology, was a theological essayist to The Lutheran Church—Missouri Synod (LCMS) National Convention this past July, speaking on the theme, “Baptized for Life Together.”

Mike has also been awarded the Harry and Caroline Trembath Professorship in Confessional Theology from Concordia University Irvine for 2013-14 academic year. During this time, he is working on the second volume of the Romans commentary, chapters 9-16.

Adam Hensley presented “The Love of God from an Old Testament Perspective: The Reuse of the ‘Grace Formula’ (Exodus 34:6-7) in the Old Testament with Special Focus on the Psalter” at the Lutheran Church in Australia’s General Pastor’s Conference. Adam also presented a three-day workshop on Worldviews and Apologetics at the Consortium for Classical and Lutheran Education in Ft. Wayne, Indiana.

Doug Grove, resident faculty in online learning and assistant provost, and Phillip Vincent with Judy Lamb had a book published this past May titled <a href="http://store.charactereducation.com/relationships-rules-routines-results/ ">Relationships + Rules + Routines = RESULTS: A Common Sense Approach.

The five-chapter book addresses the foundation of school improvement: relationships plus rules and routines that will enable an individual or school to understand and implement strategies that will radically shape the climate of the classroom or the entire building.

Adam Francisco, associate professor of history, taught two Continuing Education seminars (in apologetics) and a week-long PhD course in Islamic studies at Concordia Theological Seminary, published a brief piece on the positive use of apologetics in Issues in Christian Education, submitted (with former CUI professor of theology, Korey Maas) the final manuscript of a book entitled Making the Case for Christianity (due to be published by January 2014) this past summer as well as several entries for the publication of The History of Christian-Muslim Relations: A Bibliographic Survey (E.J. Brill).

September 2012

Adam Hensley, assistant professor of theology, published “σιγαω, λαλεω, and ?ποτασσω in 1 Corinthians 14:34 in Their Literary and Rhetorical Context." Journal of the Evangelical Theological Society 55:2 (June, 2012), 343-364.

Thea Gavin, professor of English, presented her Grand Canyon poetry/ slide show at the historic North Rim Lodge last May. Her poem “Another Trail Running Melodrama” appeared in the new multi-genre anthology Manifest West: Eccentricities of Geography published by Western Press Books, Sept., 2012.

Mark Brighton, professor of theology, contributed to the newly published The Apocrypha: The Lutheran Edition with Notes published by Concordia Publishing House, 2012.

Congratulations to Christine Lawton-Ross, professor of Christian education, and co-author, Holly Allen, on the publication of their book, Intergenerational Christian Formation. Christine will present a paper at the National Association of Professors of Christian Education conference next month on her new book. Additionally, Christine had an article, Four Congregations that Practice Intergenerationality, published in the Spring 2012 Christian Education Journal.

Christine traveled to Vietnam with a student to visit a DCE intern and participates in a project to help a village school create a community “track and field.”

Christine Lawton-Ross, Christine traveled to Vietnam with a student to visit a DCE intern and participates in a project to help a village school create a community “track and field.”

An article co-authored by Bruce Hanson, professor of business, has been noted by the Journal of Organizational Change Management to be among its top ten cited articles in the past 25 years. A co-authored case study has been accepted for presentation in November at Birla Institute of Management in Delhi, India. The case study will also be included as a chapter in a book of case studies published by the International Conference on Management Cases (ICMC).

While on sabbatical this semester, Bruce will be teaching a MBA course in organizational behavior and conducting a workshop in appreciative inquiry and communication at Shanghai University and a doctoral course in organizational design at Assumption University in Bangkok. As a follow up to his doctoral research, he is writing a book on designing the informal organization. He is also writing a number of papers for publication.

Jeff Held, assistant professor of music, served on the planning committee for the regional Association of Lutheran Church Workers conference this summer and led a workshop in which he presented a new database containing hundreds of trumpet descants and instrumental music settings of hymns, complied over the last two years with student, Marissa Carnahan ‘14. In the worship service Jeff used a new setting of Evening Prayer by Alex Guebert ’10 (a commissioned project of the New Dimension Fund). Natalie Hovsepian ‘10 served as cantor and soprano soloist.

Rachel Soo's, associate professor of art, painting, Ripening, was selected for a juried exhibition, “All Media 2012,” at the Irvine Fine Arts Center this past July.

Adam Francisco, associate professor of history, taught Contemporary Christian-Muslim Discourse for the doctoral program at Concordia Theological Seminary in Fort Wayne, IN, and was invited to give the key-note lecture at the North European Lutheran Academy entitled “The Word of God in Islam and Christianity” at Westfield House in Cambridge, UK.

Adam published a short article in The Lutheran Witness entitled “Can Christians be Soldiers?” and recently received a letter of recommendation from the 2nd Battalion 4th Division of the US Marine Corps for his volunteer efforts in their warrior resiliency program.

Adam’s lecture on historical apologetics and Islam was made available on the DVD Apologetics from Tobias Communications and book (co-authored and edited with Korey Mass), Making the Case: Case Studies in Christian Apologetics, is tentatively scheduled for publication early in 2013.

Trish Ollry, resident faculty in English, was busy this summer as she presented a half-day workshop for South County Out-reach (SOC) to train volunteers to serve in a newly formed speaker’s bureau and outreach team. Trish will continue to offer workshops throughout the year to spread the news of the great work SOC does in preventing hunger.

Trish also participated in a train-the-trainer workshop held by the Orange County chapter of NAMI (National Alliance for Mental Illness) and will likely serve as a facilitator of their “Parents and Teachers as Allies” workshop in the future.

Marin Jacobson, assistant professor of music, presented “Compositional Techniques in the Choral Music of Margaret Ruthven Lang” at the National Symposium on American Choral Music sponsored by the American Choral Director’s Association held in Washington DC last June.

Scott Ashman's, associate professor of theology, book, Birth Announcements in the Hebrew Bibles and Ancient Near East, has been published by Edwin Mellin Press.

Mary Scott, professor of exercise and sport science, executive vice president, and provost, presented “The Barbara J. Brunworth Memorial Address for Enhancing and Enriching Women’s Leadership” at the Women’s Leadership Institute in St. Louis, MO, March 8-12. Student body president, Emily Goings and communications director, Margaret Foremen, were in attendance.

On March 19, Mary presented “You go Girl: Harnessing Your Leadership Skills for 2012 and Beyond” to the principals and superintendents of the Southern Convention of Women in Educational Management (SCWEM) Association in Mission Viejo.

April 2012

Under the leadership of Steve Tvorik, resident faculty in business, Melissa Owens, Jacob Monson, and Veronica Fleager, students in his MBA 607 Strategic Research class, tied for first place in Overall Rankings and in Stock Price and Company Valuation in the Glo-Bus Global Business simulation games.

Thea Gavin, associate professor of English, recently served as final judge of submissions to the annual creative writing journal King Author, which features the work of students from Lutheran High School of Orange County.

Thea has poems forthcoming in two themed anthologies: a collection of poetry about the Grand Canyon, and a collection of humorous writing about the American West.

At a recent monthly meeting of the Orange County Chapter of the California Native Plant Society (CNPS), Thea presented poems and images from her time as Artist-in-Residence at Grand Canyon National Park. For the CNPS triennial state conference in January, she served as coordinator of the conference’s poetry night; Santa Barbara Poet Laureate Paul Willis was the featured reader, followed by an open mic for CNPS members. On June 14 at 7:00 p.m. Thea will be presenting her Grand Canyon poetry/images at REI in the Tustin Marketplace.

Dave Rueter, assistant professor of Christian education, had three articles recently posted on The Source titled, “Cultivating and Outreach Culture, Confirmation Practices” and “Youth Connectedness to Church Life.”

Dave also wrote a book review on “Youth Ministry Nuts and Bolts” and a Bible study titled, “Hold on Loosely.”

Tom Busby, former resident faculty in business, was presented with a Certificate of Appreciation from the City of Irvine for his volunteer efforts in the VITA (Volunteers in Tax Assistance) program in conjunction with the Internal Revenue Service, Legal Aid Society of Orange County, and CUI. This is the third year Tom has mentored CUI accounting students in tax preparation in order for them to become certified in the VITA program as well as offering his time to assist the Irvine community. CUI provides facilities every February to assist our students and the local community to take advantage of this free tax preparation service.

Carol McDaniel, resident faculty in music, was a featured clinician at the January, 2012 Augsburg-Fortress winter clinic in Pasadena. Carol presented new organ and piano music and gave the presentation, "The Best of Both Worlds: Convergent Worship...subtitle: It's not just about the music."

Carol served as the retreat leader for the three-day Pacific Southwest District Early Childhood Directors retreat in late April. The seven Bible study sessions, entitled "Surrounded," will use her adaptation of the ancient Lectio Divina Bible study method which she developed during her doctoral studies in 2007.

“The doctors at Orthopaedic Surgery Specialists have established an innovative educational and research program for pre-medical undergraduate students through a partnership with Dr. John W. Kenney”, professor of chemistry and physics and director of the chemical physics laboratory. “This exceptional program is designed to nurture and develop the academic careers of highly motivated individuals through conduct of basic and clinical orthopaedic research. Students gain a unique clinical experience shadowing our physicians within the clinic and operating room, as well as participating in research projects. Students are offered a rare opportunity to participate on an interdisciplinary research team and successfully implement studies.” Taken from here.

Xiao-qing (Sharon) Wang, associate professor of international studies, helped her church, Redeemer Lutheran, Ontario, host over 20 non-Christian Chinese middle-school students for two weeks in February. She orientated host families to the cultural background of the students and served as translator between hosts and students, as well as translating the Sunday morning service for the students.

Sharon has signed a book contract with a Taiwan publisher for a book titled, “A Collection of American Presbyterian Missionary P. J. Martin’s Writings on Christianity” expected to be published later this year.

Sharon organized a formal paper session on Social Inequality in China in the Era of Globalization at the annual Midwest Sociological Society (MSS) meeting in Minneapolis last month. Sharon serves as a member of the MMS Professional Issues and Standards committee.

Sharon is taking her Soc 316 Ethnic and Minority Relations students on a field trip to a Chinese-American community in San Gabriel later this month.

Adam Francisco, associate professor of history, published three more translations of Luther’s writings in volume 60 of Luther’s Works (CPH) and a chapter entitled “A Lutheran View of Islam” in World Religions in Light of the Lutheran Confessions (Luther Academy).

Adam served as keynote speaker at the All Church Workers’ Conferences for both the Indiana and Kansas districts of the LCMS; three Michigan district apologetic conferences; and local chapters of ACT! for America and Eagle Forum.

Adam’s contributions to Muslim evangelism and apologetics are featured in the DVD entitled Truth Unlocked: Keys to Reaching Your Muslim Neighbor.

This summer Adam will teach a PhD intensive in Islamic Studies at Concordia Theological Seminary and deliver a paper at Westfield House in Cambridge, UK.

We also want to congratulate Adam and Rachel on the birth of their fourth child, Robert Martel, on January 4.

Michael Middendorf, professor of theology, having finished the first volume of his commentary on Romans (chapters 1-8), with a June, 2013 publication date, is writing volume 2 (chapters 9-16). Mike was named Trembath Professor in 2010-11 and granted a sabbatical in Fall 2011, allowing him extra time for research and writing. In his Trembath lecture (2/7/12) titled “Romans: It’s Not Really about You … and That’s a Good Thing!” Mike “suggested that a close reading of the letter (Romans) reveals that it is more about the community than the individual. Even more importantly, Paul directs our attention primarily toward God and His righteousness, which is His gift to us in our Lord Jesus Christ.” Taken from here

December 2011

David Loy, assistant professor of theology, authored a review of “The Dialectics of Secularization” by Joseph Ratzinger and Jürgen Habermas, which appeared in the Fall 2011 issues of Concordia Journal.

An article David wrote on the common table prayer, “Come, Lord Jesus,” was published in the June/July issue of The Lutheran Witness.

Buddy Mendez, professor of psychology, announces the publication of Ready, Set, Married: Twelve Christian Character Traits For A Strong And Lasting Marriage. The book is written for Christian couples seriously dating, engaged, or looking for marital enrichment. It can be ordered at Amazon.com.

Mark Brighton, professor of theology, published an article in the Journal of the Evangelical Theological Society, Volume 54, entitled “The Sicarii in Acts: A New Perspective.”

Mark submitted a chapter, “Flavian Judea,” for A Companion to the Flavian Age of Imperial Rome published by Wiley-Blackwell.

Mark has been fulfilling the duties of interim pastor (part-time) at Abiding Savior Lutheran Church in Lake Forest. In his spare time, Mark continues running and will compete in the Surf City Marathon in February.

Herb Geisler, professor of music, participated in the international meeting of the Society for Ethnomusicology and the Congress on Research in Dance in Philadelphia last month, with over 1000 fellow scholars. Within this organization he also met with the Education Section, the Association for Chinese Music Research, and the International Council of Ethnodoxologists (Christian scholars in the discipline). He has presented papers at these meetings for the past eight years.

In recent months Herb has been guest organist several times at Zion Lutheran Church, Anaheim; Faith Lutheran Church, Capistrano Beach; Abiding Savior Lutheran Church, Lake Forest; and Light of Christ Lutheran Church, Irvine.

September 2011

Roberto Flores De Apodaca, professor of psychology, continues to serve as an expert witness to the Superior Courts of Orange, Riverside, and San Bernardino counties. Roberto is appointed as an Expert Witness in legal cases (criminal, juvenile, dependency, etc.) where an individual’s mental status is one of the issues being adjudicated. These cases include insanity and competence evaluations where he is appointed at the behest of the court, district attorney, or defense counsel. Roberto is also involved with his students in scholarly research within his field of Forensic Psychology. He and his students have an article currently in press with Psychological Reports (“Characteristics of schools where fatal shootings occur”) and another recently submitted to the Journal of Occupational Rehabilitation (“Descriptive study of contested, worker’s compensation psychiatric claims”).

Xiao-qing ‘Sharon’ Wang, resident faculty in international studies, participated in the American Sociological Association annual conference in Las Vegas, NV, this past July. As president of the organization, Sharon presided over the North Carolina Social Services Association (NCSSA) business meeting and ran a workshop on “Successful Management of State Sociological Associations.”

Several members of the faculty participated in the National LCMS Children’s Ministry Conference held this past July at St. John’s Lutheran Church in Orange. The theme of the conference was Sandals to Sneakers. Faculty presenters included Buddy Mendez, professor of psychology, speaking on “Growing up Blended Family Kids God’s Way” and Rebecca Peters, professor of education, speaking on “Walking in Their Shoes: Children’s Spiritual Journeys.”

Scott Ashman, associate professor of theology, presented “The Good Society and Problem of Evil in Ancient Babylonia and Israelite Creation Accounts” last April at the Association for Core Texts and Courses in New Haven, CT. This paper will also be published as an article this fall by Lutheran Forum.

Adam Francisco, associate professor of theology, taught a PhD intensive on Islam and the West at Concordia Theological Seminary in Fort Wayne, IN, and delivered a series of lectures on historical and philosophical apologetics at the International Academy of Apologetics, Evangelism and Human Rights in Strasbourg, France.

Three more of Adam’s translations of Luther’s Latin and German writings have been accepted for publication as well as two essays he composed. He is currently preparing a variety of presentations for a number of conferences across the nation.

Adam also designed and developed the events for the 9/11: Ten Years Later convocation.

Brett Taylor, professor of mathematics, had an article that he co-authored with his doctoral advisor accepted for publication in 2012.

Taylor, B.A. & Fraser, B.J. “Learning Environments, Mathematics Anxiety and Sex Differences” Learning Environments Research Journal, in press.

Lori Siekmann, assistant professor of theatre, and Peter Senkbeil, professor of theater and associate provost, were in the cast of The Hiding Place at American Coast Theatre in Costa Mesa this past June. American Coast, in collaboration with Vanguard University, is a professional theatre company.

In June Thea Gavin, associate professor of English, spent three weeks as Artist-in-Residence at the North Rim of Grand Canyon National Park, writing and presenting four public programs—three creative writing hikes and a final poetry reading in the North Rim Lodge. One of the requirements of the National Park Service program was to give a local public presentation as well. Check her out on September 20 in DeNault Auditorium.

May 2011

Jacquie Pinkowski, resident faculty in nursing, and Mary Hobus, associate professor or nursing, received stipends to attend the American Association of Colleges of Nursing Quality and Safety Education in Nursing (QSEN) Education Consortium for the QSEN Faculty Development Institute in Phoenix, funded by the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation. The information will be utilized in curriculum development and evaluation methods in the nursing programs.

Students in Edu 534, Working with Diverse Family Structures, have produced two books: Race and Family in California 2010 and Race and Family in California 2011. These two editions focus on many of the critical and profound issues that parents, students and educators are facing in their schools and communities today. Cheryl Lampe, professor of education, is in the process of publishing these books online.

Over 30 experienced teachers have written chapters focusing on the topics of homelessness, special education, parenting skills, divorce and its impact on the family, health issues, educational challenges, technology, and demographic shifts in California that have altered the education provided in our schools today.

Terry Cottle, assistant professor of nursing, and Mary Hobus, associate professor of nursing, attended the American Association of Colleges of Nursing (AACN) fall 2010 semi-annual meeting in Washington, DC along with the Organizational Leadership Network and Christian Deans Fellowship meetings. During these conferences they met with other CUS nursing leaders from Wisconsin, New York and Texas.
Mary also attended

a portion of the AACN Executive Development series Collaboration and Communication to Harness Conflict;
the spring 2011 AACN The Future is Now: Putting the Puzzle Pieces into Perspective annual meeting in Washington, DC;
the Association of California Nurse Leaders, Building a ‘Foundation for Leadership Excellence’ conference on a scholarship she received from the Association of California Nurse Leaders.

Adam Francisco, associate professor of history, has written a number of articles including:

an English translation of one of Martin Luther’s last sermons in Luther’s Works (vol. 58);
a chapter entitled “Natural Law: A Basis for Christian-Muslim Discourse?” in Natural Law: A Lutheran Reappraisal;
the forthcoming book entitled One Word, Many Writings.

Adam has lead seminars and served as keynote speaker on topics ranging from “The Challenge of Islam,” “Understanding Worldviews,” and “Christian Apologetics for the 21st Century” at the following events:

The Bremerton Area Lay Symposium (August 2010);
The Holy Cross Conference of the Bay and Central Valley, CA, Region (September 2010);
Northwest Region LCMS Pastoral Conference at Canon Beach, OR (October 2010);
LCMS Confederation of Educational Executives Conference (December 2010);
Tell the Good News about Jesus Convocation, LCMS Wyoming District (January 2011);
Portland Area LCMS DCEs Video Conference (February 2011);
Ontario (Canada) Area Men’s Retreat (February 2011);
Seminar at Redeemer Lutheran Church in Huntington Beach (February 2011);
Lay Conference at Christ the Vine Lutheran Church in Damascus, OR (March 2011).

Adam has also served as reader and supervisor for four dissertations in missiology for Concordia Theological Seminary (Fort Wayne, IN) and Trinity Seminary (Deerfield, IL). In the forthcoming months he will complete a book (with former faculty member Korey Maas) on Christian apologetics, start a book on the history and theology of Islam, and, this summer, teach at the International Academy of Apologetics, Evangelism, and Human Rights in Strasbourg, France.

Steve Mueller, professor of theology, presented a paper, “Worship is Theology: The Method and Implications of Orthodoxy” at the Mix (Ministry Idea Exchange) conference on Worship in Austin Texas.

While attending the Kennedy Center/American College Theatre Festival (KC/ACTF) Region 8 festival held in Los Angeles this past February, Tony Vezner, assistant professor of theatre, received the ‘Excellence in Theatre Education’ Award.

January 2011

We extend a great big thank you to Jenny Cosgrove, professor of psychology and recent past president of the Association of Lutheran College Faculties (ALCF), who served as coordinator of the 75th annual ALCF Conference held on our campus in October. Faculty members from 16 Lutheran colleges/ universities attended the weekend conference.

The Orange County Rescue Mission E-news: September 2010 edition Volunteer Spotlight section featured Patty O’Connor, retired resident faculty in education.

“Patty O'Connor is a professor of education and the Assistant Director of the off-campus Masters' Program at Concordia University Irvine. She has been involved with the Orange County Rescue Mission since the Village of Hope was, as she called it, “one big mud hole.” She says, “To imagine that the Village would develop from a stark place to what it is today has been a wonderful experience.”

Patty sensed God's call to become more closely involved with the Rescue Mission when someone from her church suggested that they needed to help locally, as well as internationally. Patty took those words to heart and sought out an opportunity to serve the Orange County community.

Patty has been the director of the after-school tutorial program at the Rescue Mission for the past two years. She serves at the Mission every Monday afternoon, but also recruits volunteer students from the main Concordia campus. Furthermore, she is heavily involved with coordinating the many necessary arrangements to organize special events such as their Christmas Party.

Patty and her team of student-volunteers assist the children by providing after-school tutoring services — helping them with their homework and providing general support and care. She also sees her role as an intermediary, facilitating communications between the parents and their children's schools, but she reserves her greatest endorsement for the efforts of the Concordia students. She explains, “My students at Concordia are the backbone of the program. They volunteer their time and efforts freely.”

“Since I grew up in a low income family,” Patty muses, “I have extreme empathy for the homeless and the challenges they face. By the grace of God, if circumstances had been different, I might be homeless.” Now Patty sees tutoring the children of the residents to be her mission field. She says, “I have gained an appreciation and love for the homeless...though I get more out of this effort than the students.”

Patty has built a program worthy of her calling in Christ that benefits the Concordia students, the parents living at the Rescue Mission and, of course, their children. “All you need is a desire to help the homeless,” she says as a matter of fact. “No matter what your skills are, you can find a way to help others.

Thank you, Patty, and all the (Concordia) university students for your sterling support of the school children and their parents at the Rescue Mission. We value all of you highly.

Concordia University was well represented in the newly released book, The Lutheran Difference: An Explanation and Comparison of Lutheran Beliefs (Concordia Publishing House, 2010. Mike Middendorf, Steve Mueller, Bret Taylor, and former faculty members Patra Mueller, Bob Rossow, and Greg Seltz contributed chapters.

Mark Brighton and Steve Mueller, professors of theology, each contributed chapters to Learning at the Foot of the Cross: A Lutheran Vision for Education. (Concordia University Press, 2011).

In the Fall 1 edition of the MCAA (Master of Arts in Coaching and Athletic Administration) Newsletter, Director Tom White, resident faculty the MCAA program, reports that the MCAA program is now being delivered in all 50 states and among the Armed Forces.

In October, theatre faculty members, Lori Siekmann and Tony Vezner,, assistant professors of theatre, and Peter Senkbeil, professor of theatre and associate provost, and students participated in the Kennedy Center American College Theatre Festival Region VIII with the presentations of Bus Stop (at Chapman University) and Snoopy (at Saddleback College).

An article and translation co-authored by C.J. Armstrong, assistant professor of theology and history, and former faculty member Korey Mass, titled “A Poem to Philip Melanchthon, by Johann Sastros (1542)” appeared in the Fall 2010 edition of Concordia Journal.

September 2010

Last May, Michael Busch, professor of music, led members of the Concordia Choir and Concordia Master Chorale on a memorable tour of Italy. Highlights of the tour include having the touring choir featured during worship services at St. Peter’s Basilica in Rome, Santa Maria Nero in Lucca, and St. Mark’s in Venice.

Thea Gavin, associate professor of English, has been selected by the National Park Service as one of five artists-in-residence at the North Rim of Grand Canyon for summer 2011; she will stay in a cabin near the rim for three weeks of hiking, writing and leading three public programs while in residence, followed by an Orange County presentation about the experience later that fall.

Thea’s poem, “Mystery Rider,” appears in the recently published anthology New Poets of the American West. Along with other poets in the anthology, she will be reading her work at a variety of Southern California venues in the coming months, including Vromans Bookstore in Pasadena, Borders Books in Goleta, the Pasadena Public Library, and Beyond Baroque in Venice.

Last April, at the Association of Writers and Writing Programs conference in Denver, Thea was part of two panel presentations—one about Cowboy and Western Poetry, and one performing Cowboy and Western Poetry.

As a volunteer naturalist for both the Irvine Ranch Conservancy and Laguna Canyon Foundation, Thea has led seven creative writing hikes in Orange County wild lands this year, with several more scheduled in fall.

Jacqueline Brown, associate professor of history, presented “Evangeline Booth: Religious Leader, Entertainer and Innovator” at the Western Association of Women Historians at the University of Puget Sound in Tacoma, WA, this past May.

Cheryl Williams’, professor of communication, research, “The Corporate Anthropologist: At Work in a Hollywood Entertainment Studio.” has been accepted for presentation at the American Anthropological Association annual conference in New Orleans in November.

Christine Lawton-Ross, associate professor of Christian education, traveled to Turkey for a Seven Cities of the Revelation tour. The group included one CUI student, faculty, staff and other LCMS members. Christine reports that the highlight of the trip was a three-day retreat on Patmos, where Dr. Michael Middenorf, professor of theology, led a study on Revelation.

Christine worked at the Admission booth during the National Youth Gathering in New Orleans and enjoyed meeting lots of alumni.

Christine also wrote a chapter, ‘Cross Cultural Christian Education’ for an electronic book, “Introduction to DCE Ministry,” created by the Directors of Christian Education (DCE) in the Concordia University System (CUS). As part of her sabbatical studies this semester, Christine will be traveling to Taiwan, Vietnam, Macau, Jiangmen, and Hong Kong with LCMS World Missions, training teachers how to teach the Bible. She will also help write Bible curriculum and consider how better to utilize DCEs in this area.

Herb Geisler, professor of music, and adjunct faculty member, Nancy Jessup, (adjunct faculty in music) led the 20th annual Summer Ring handbell workshop for 40 directors and ringers, at Concordia, July 14-16, 2010. Graduate and former music program coordinator, Nick Hanson ‘03, now a full-time high school handbell director and clinician in MacLean, VA, assisted, along with nationally-known clinician and composer Michael Glasgow of Raleigh, NC. Herb and Nancy also led the CUI Concert Handbells and Spirit Bells on an 11-day tour of Hungary, Austria, and Slovakia May17-27, performing for 2000 people at ten events, mostly Lutheran churches and schools. The tour was arranged by CUI handbell graduate and missionary teacher, Sarah Cusson ‘07. Other performances included an all-Hungary handbell festival in the historic Minoritenkirche in Vienna.

Herb Geisler and Nancy also led the CUI Concert Handbells and Spirit Bells on an 11-day tour of Hungary, Austria, and Slovakia May17-27, performing for 2000 people at ten events, mostly Lutheran churches and schools. The tour was arranged by CUI handbell graduate and missionary teacher, Sarah Cusson ‘07. Other performances included an all-Hungary handbell festival in the historic Minoritenkirche in Vienna.

As chair of the music department, Herb led a workshop on The Organ in Lutheran Worship at Redeemer Lutheran Church, Huntington Beach, earlier this month. Worship leaders and musicians of the congregation considered how the organ is designed, its history and function in church and social settings, and how they could make better use of their instrument in leading song and liturgy.

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