< Previous10 FOCUS WINTER 2020 having a high realistic and positive orientation of self, being highly happy, having a good purpose in life, and being actively engaged in spiritual growth were associated with strong immunity. For the reac- tive pathway, positive relationship with others, sleep quality, perceived stress, and psychological distress were related to overall resilience. Thus, having a positive relationship with others, having high sleep qual- ity, exhibiting low stress, and low psychological distress were associ- ated with a strong ability to bounce back from adverse life experiences. We then looked at which com- ponent(s) significantly predicts resilience for each pathway. Results showed that the wellbeing com- ponents of self-acceptance and subjective happiness were sig- nificant predictors of PBA for the proactive pathway. On the other hand, the wellbeing components of positive relationship with others and low psychological distress and the behavioral activity component of physical fitness activity were significant predictors of PBA for the reactive pathway. Finally, using a special method known as Comparative Qualita- tive Analysis, we examined which configuration of components for each pathway consistently overlap for possessing strong PBA (resil- ience). For the proactive pathway, highly resilient participants have a high sense of self-acceptance and a high degree of happiness. Highly resilient participants for the reac- tive pathway exhibit a high amount of good sleep quality but also may have a high degree of positive rela- tionship with others and have a low level of psychological distress. Based on the results of the study, we were able to prelimi- narily identify empirically which factors contribute to strong PBA through two unique pathways. This is extremely important for two reasons. First, emergency and disaster mental health response professionals can use this data to create evidence-based individual and specialized training programs that help to strengthen their PBA. This would help to reduce the risk of responders developing vicari- ous traumatization, compassion fatigue, burnout and other negative stress-related symptoms that could impede their ability to function professionally and personally. Sec- ondly, mental health professionals, spiritual leaders, school counsel- ors and other related specialists can use our findings to develop evidence-based curriculum and self-empowerment programs that can better equip their patients, clients, students, church members and the general public to respond more positively to adverse life experiences. Again, the purpose is to build communities that are more resilient in the long term. Our study was published in “Crisis, Stress, and Human Resilience: An Interna- tional Journal” in September 2019 and was presented at the Inter- national Critical Incident Stress Foundation’s 15th World Congress on Crisis, Stress, and Human Re- silience in May 2019 in Baltimore, Maryland. The following two charts pro- vide a guide that one can use to build their PBA for each pathway. Components identified with a triple asterisk are considered the stron- gest and should be an automatic element of constructing a robust PBA. Harvey J. Burnett Jr., PhD, is associate professor of psychology and chair of the Andrews University School of Social & Behavioral Sciences. “...having a positive relationship with others, having high sleep quality, exhibiting low stress, and low psychological distress were associated with a strong ability to bounce back from adverse life experiences.” Proactive Resilience (Immunity) Happiness*** Intentionally engage in behaviors that promote the experience of joy, commitment, positive wellbeing, and the sense that your life is good and worthwhile. Self-Acceptance*** Focus on developing a growth mindset—the belief that your basic qualities/abilities are things you can develop through your efforts. Purpose in Life Focus on engaging in activities that help to develop and cultivate a sense of meaning and purpose for you. Spirituality Take time to invest in fostering your spiritual growth and development. Reactive Resilience (Ability to rebound from adversity) Sleep Quality*** Practice maintaining a consistent optimal sleep schedule for yourself. Psychological Distress*** Actively participate in activities and interventions that will help you to increase positive psychological wellbeing and reduce depression and anxiety. Positive Relationship with Others*** Take time to invest in, cultivate and nurture your present and new social support systems. Perceived Stress Purposely engage in using and building coping strategies that help you to positively manage and reduce your stress (“The Road to Resilience” https://www.apa.org/helpcenter/road-resilience). Physical Activity Practice maintaining a regular physical activity regiment for yourself. Andrews University ANNUAL REPORT 11Research JOHN PECKHAM RECEIVED HIS FIRST degree from Atlantic Union College, earning a Bachelor of Science in accounting and administration in 2003. Part way through his program, however, he realized that accounting and administration were not what God was calling him to do. Thus, after completing his undergraduate studies, Peckham followed God’s leading and came to the Seventh-day Adventist Theological Seminary at Andrews University as a Master of Divinity student. He completed his MDiv in 2005. While Peckham was at the Semi- nary, his professors acknowledged his unique acumen in theological studies and his remarkable writing ability. They encouraged him to continue his studies by enrolling in a PhD program for systematic theology. After complet- ing his comprehensive examinations in 2008, Peckham was called to pasto- ral ministry in the Indiana Conference of Seventh-day Adventists. In 2009 he was invited to join the theology faculty at Southwestern Adventist University, where he served as a professor for four years, during which he completed his PhD. In 2013, Peckham received a call to serve as an associate profes- sor at the Seventh-day Adventist Theological Seminary at Andrews University. Since his arrival as faculty at Andrews, Peckham has made a significant impact on the student population, his fellow professors and Adventist theology as well as wider Christian academia. Peckham has written a number of books, including “Divine Attributes: Knowing the Covenantal God of Scrip- ture” (Baker Academic, forthcoming), “The Doctrine of God: Introducing the Big Questions” (T&T Clark, 2019), “Theodicy of Love: Cosmic Conflict and the Problem of Evil” (Baker Academic, 2018, WORLD Magazine Accessible Theology Book of the Year, Honorable Mention), “Canonical Theology: The Biblical Canon, Sola Scriptura, and Theological Method” (Eerdmans, 2016), “The Love of God: A Canonical Model” (IVP Academic, 2015, IVP Readers’ Choice Award Winner), and “The Concept of Divine Love in the Context of the God-World FACULTY PROFILE: John Peckham “Peckham’s expertise easily transfers to the classroom. As a result, he consistently receives high evaluations from the students who take his classes.”12 FOCUS WINTER 2020 DAVID REITZE, PHD, EXECUTIVE director of the Laser Interferometer Gravitational-Wave Observatory Laboratory (LIGO) and professor of physics at the California Institute of Technology, was the featured speaker at the inaugural lecture of the Robert and Lillis Kingman Speaker Series on Science & Society, held in the Howard Performing Arts Center on Wednesday, Oct. 23, 2019. Reitze’s presentation was “Gravitational Waves: A Revolution in the Way We Study the Universe.” Since the first detection of gravitational waves on Sept. 14, 2015, LIGO research, which involves a collaboration of about 1,300 scientists, is in many respects transforming our understanding of the universe, with three influential LIGO developers receiving the 2017 Nobel Prize in Physics. Andrea Luxton, president, and Keith Mattingly, associate provost and dean of undergraduate educa- tion, welcomed the audience and thanked the Kingmans for making this annual event possible. Mat- tingly noted the privilege of living in a community close to a universi- ty—in part because of the variety of speakers that visit campus. He said, “We’ve had some really nice ones [speakers] here at Andrews through the years on a variety of different themes, whether it be archaeology, whether it be history, whether it be theology...But there’s been one area that we haven’t had so many of these kind of events. And this made a difference to the Kingmans.” Mattingly explained that Robert Kingman, who served as chair of the Department of Physics for 31 years, and his wife Lillis wanted to endow a speaker series that brought in significant individuals of the STEM world: science, technolo- gy, engineering and mathematics. The proposal was excitedly ac- cepted by the president and other officers of the University. Mattingly said, “We want to thank the King- mans for their foresight and for their generosity in helping us have an evening of this quality.” Gary Burdick, professor of physics and dean of research, introduced David Reitze by telling a story about when they both worked in Michael Downer’s femtosec- ond laser laboratory as graduate students at the University of Texas at Austin. The patience that Reitze learned in working with extremely finicky and sensitive laser systems David Reitze Speaks at Inaugural Lecture Robert & Lillis Kingman Speaker Series on Science & Society John Peckham received the 2019 Siegfried H. Horn Excellence in Research & Creative Scholarship Award Relationship” (Peter Lang, 2014). In addition to his books, Peckham has written over 20 peer-reviewed articles published in a variety of theological jour- nals, such as Trinity Journal, Philosophia Christi, Perspectives in Religious Studies, Themelios, and Andrews University Seminary Studies. He has also present- ed over 45 scholarly papers at various meetings and colleges and written a number of chap- ters for various academic books, including being one of the four main contributors to “Divine Impassibility: Four Views” (with Daniel Castelo, James E. Dolezal and Thomas Jay Oord, edited by Robert Matz and A. Chadwick Thornhill, Downers Grove, IL: IVP Academic, 2019). Peckham’s expertise easily transfers to the classroom. As a result, he consistently receives high evaluations from the stu- dents who take his classes. He has taught a variety of courses at Andrews, such as “Revelation, Inspiration, and Hermeneutics,” “Doctrine of God,” and “Principles and Methods of Theology.” Peckham has held multiple professional memberships, including with the Institute for Biblical Research, Society of Biblical Literature, and Adventist Theological Society. He has served as chair and a member of multiple PhD dissertation and MA thesis committees, too. Peckham has received sev- eral honors, awards and grants throughout his career. He re- ceived the Educator of the Year Award at Southwestern Adventist University in 2012. At Andrews he was awarded the Augsburger Excellence in Teaching Award in 2016 and the Siegfried H. Horn Excellence in Research & Creative Scholarship Award in 2019. Peckham has also performed numerous professional speaking appointments at several Adventist universities and camp meetings, including Andrews University, Southwestern Adventist Uni- versity and Walla Walla Camp Meeting, and recorded numerous interviews and other programs for podcasts, radio and television programs. Throughout his accomplish- ments, Peckham has remained dedicated to serving God and oth- ers with his gifts and talents. He says, “My hope is that my research and work will in some small way assist in advancing God’s mission of bringing as many as possible to recognize and enjoy God’s unfath- omable goodness and love.” Andrews University ANNUAL REPORT 13 in graduate school provided good training for working with LIGO, the most sensitive laser detection system in the world. Reitze first explained early historical de- velopments related to gravitational waves, including Isaac Newton’s ideas about gravi- ty, curved space-time, and Albert Einstein’s theory of relativity. Prior to the develop- ment of gravitational wave detectors there were three main technologies that revealed information about the large-scale universe: the electro-magnetic spectrum (light), neu- trinos, and particle colliders. Telescopes, from which we have learned so much about the universe, can only give us information about objects that produce light. Gravitational waves, however, are pro- duced when masses accelerate. Reitze said, “They [gravitational waves] are a new way to look at the universe. They actually have some unique properties. They go through matter almost like it’s not there, so there’s no absorption of gravitational waves… They also are a different kind of messenger, and they carry information about the most energetic, violent events in the universe. The reason we study gravitational waves is not so much to prove that Einstein’s theory of general relativity was right by verifying that they exist but to study a new regime in the universe.” Reitze clarified that physically, grav- itational waves are quantified by their “strain”—a change in length per unit length in the space through which they travel. Gravitational waves are very weak so they must be measured on as long a baseline as possible. He said the Laser Interferometer Gravitational-Wave Observatory (LIGO) detectors, used to measure gravitational wave events, are shaped like an “L.” Each arm is 4 kilometers long. The detectors use a laser beam that is split where one part of the laser beam goes through a mirror and the other reflects so that each of the two beams travel down a different arm of the “L.” Eventually the laser beam recombines. Measurements are taken of how long it takes the light to go out and back, and the light modulations allow passing gravita- tional waves to be recorded. Reitze summarized the ways that LIGO detectors, and gravitational waves, have allowed scientists to study the universe— such as the first detection of gravitational waves from space as a result of two black holes merging. As he ended his presentation, Reitze displayed the logos of institutions and universities involved in LIGO research, including Andrews University, saying, “I represent a group of people that are about 1,300 in number…. Andrews University has been a member since 2005–2006. Professor Tiffany Summerscales is one of the members of the LIGO scientific collaboration here. Really all the work that I’ve described I’m just representing a lot of very talented, hard-working scientists from all over the world.” Tiffany Summerscales, professor of physics, closed the program by expressing appreciation to Reitze for his presenta- tion. She later said, “There have been 24 Andrews University students in the past 13 years who have worked on LIGO research projects. It was great for the current re- search students to meet Dr. Reitze and hear directly from him how their projects fit into the bigger picture.” Burdick added, “It was great that David Reitze was able to spend the day with us giving classroom presentations to physics and Honors students and spending time with faculty and research students.” The second annual Kingman speaker will be Eugenia Cheng, PhD, mathematician and scientist-in-residence at the School of the Art Institute of Chicago. The program is scheduled for Wednesday, Oct. 21, 2020. “The reason we study gravitational waves is not so much to prove that Einstein’s theory of general relativity was right by verifying that they exist but to study a new regime in the universe.” Research14 FOCUS WINTER 2020 MY NAME IS JONATHAN HOMAN, and I am a mathematics and physics major in my sophomore year at Andrews. I plan on pursuing a career in research. Thus, I was interested in the different research opportunities that the Department of Physics offered. While I was working at Andrews as a learning assistant for general physics during the summer, Dr. Johnson [Jay Johnson, professor of engineering], invited me to do research with him. Our research is motivated by the present lack of consensus on the process that produces flares. By calculating mutual information of waiting time distributions, my colleagues showed that solar flare distributions are significantly distinguishable from a non- stationary Poisson process. My role in the project is extending prior research to stellar flares. I am using the same methods of analysis, hoping to find similar results for stellar flares and show that stellar flares are also not the result of a non-stationary Poisson process. Working in research has helped me develop multiple skills I consider to be valuable in a research career. Analyzing data sets requires me to have a knowledge of computer languages, and in my research I found the opportunity to practice and expand my skills with Python and MATLAB. Additionally, I had to develop adaptability in doing research. I was not familiar with the methods of analysis that the project involved, and prior to my involvement I had only a basic knowledge of Python and MATLAB from class homework. Thus, learning new methods of analysis and new computer skills encouraged adaptability. My experience with this research project has acquainted me with the field of space weather as a research opportunity. This coming March, I am going to present my group’s research at the Michigan Academy of the Arts, Sciences, and Letters, allowing me to practice my presentation skills. Furthermore, we have a paper in preparation that will be published in a peer- reviewed journal, and I have the chance to work on publishing a paper. I believe this experience working in research has been beneficial for me, and I find it relevant for my career. UNDERGRADUATE STUDENT PROFILE: Jonathan HomanPhoto credit: Jessica Condon Andrews University ANNUAL REPORT 15 ACADEMICS NINA WOODARD HAS LIVED IN BERRIEN Springs all her life. Her decision to come to Andrews as a freshman in fall 2016 seemed like the logical thing to do. “I didn’t know what I wanted to do when I first got here,” she explains. “But Andrews had everything I was interested in.” Nina started out as a biology major with a biomedical emphasis. During freshman orientation week she also decided to apply to the J.N. Andrews Honors Program. “I felt Honors would force me to do research. I knew I’d always wanted to do research, but if nothing made me do it, I wouldn’t get out of my comfort zone,” she says. By Hannah Gallant A Window on the World Nina Woodard’s Honors research expands her worldview16 FOCUS WINTER 2020 Partway through freshman year Nina realized that she was very inter- ested in marine biology. She made the official switch to a biological empha- sis when Daniel Gonzalez-Socoloske, associate professor of biology, asked her if she wanted to go on the Cuba Ecology study tour. “I’ve liked water and marine animals since I was little,” Nina says. “I didn’t think I could do marine science as a career until I came to Andrews and met Dr. Gonzalez and realized it was possi- ble. Cuba really sparked an interest that I already had.” Nina went on the Cuba Ecology Re- search trip in May 2017 with 11 other biology students. During their two- week trip, they studied ecology and the natural history of Cuba. They traveled to several places throughout Cuba including Havana, Old Havana, Vinales, the Island of Youth (Isla de Juventud) and Zapata. Nina’s favorite parts were snorkeling and seeing the various ma- rine organisms. “Cuba was my first experience that caused everything else. That was when I knew I absolutely wanted to do marine science,” she says. That same summer, Nina took classes through Walla Walla University at the Rosario Beach Marine Laboratory in Anacortes, Washington. While there she completed a class research project on sea urchins where she worked to mea- sure the metabolic rate of the urchins to see if they were negatively impacted by ocean acidification. Both the work in Anacortes, Wash- ington, and in Cuba helped prepare Nina to begin her own marine science research. During her junior year (fall 2018), Nina started research in Gonza- lez-Socoloske’s ecology research lab. She joined this lab not only to fulfill the Honors research requirement but also because she knew she could work on a project close to her interests. Nina’s re- search—studying tooth mesowear (wear visibly seen on the surface of the tooth) patterns in Florida manatees—has since become her Honors thesis project. Nina has now completed an Un- dergraduate Research Scholarship, successfully proposed her Honors proj- ect and presented at two Honors Scholar and Undergraduate Research Poster Symposiums. She also gave a short pre- sentation at the World Marine Mammal Conference in Barcelona, Spain, this past December. “Honors research gave me the push, motivation and confidence I needed to pursue all the other research experi- ences I’ve participated in,” Woodard explains. She began exploring her options for off-campus research during spring “Honors research gave me the push, motivation and confidence I needed to pursue all the other research experiences I’ve participated in.” Nina Woodard working with manatee teeth in the lab. Photo credit: Jessica CondonAndrews University ANNUAL REPORT 17Academics semester 2019 when she applied for a Maryland Sea Grant REU (Research Experience for Undergraduates) and a Scholarship in Marine Science from Duke University. Throughout this process, Nina found her Honors research experience a valuable addition to her applications. Nina heard back from Duke University first. “I was very surprised about that,” she says. “I remember talking to my mom on the phone, hanging up, getting the email, and jumping up and down. I told Dr. Gonzalez right away and he told the entire biology department. The very next day, on a Wednesday, I got accepted to the Maryland Sea Grant. I was just on cloud nine for the rest of the week.” That summer, Nina spent 12 weeks completing the Maryland Sea Grant REU at the Horn Point Laboratory in Cam- bridge, Maryland. Part of the University of Maryland Center for Environmental Science, this program is designed to give students a chance to conduct marine science research on the Chesapeake Bay. In Maryland, Nina worked on a living shoreline project where she, and the other students, created a living sea wall with oysters to prevent sea level rise from affecting the shores. “Through the University of Maryland, I figured out that I want to explore coastal restoration and resilience projects as well as work on managing and coming up with strategies for effective sustainable development projects,” she says. “It was a chance to meet other people like me.” Rather than returning to Andrews in the fall of 2019, Nina spent a semester at the Duke University Marine Lab in Beaufort, North Carolina, on a full schol- arship. During that semester she took five classes including courses in marine mammals, coastal pollution and the sen- sory physiology of marine mammals. “It was a tiny island; the entire lab was on the island. I could look out the win- dow and see dolphins,” she explains. That October, Nina traveled with the other students to Panama for a Trop- ical Ecology study tour. They traveled to Panama City and Bocas Del Toro and completed research across three differ- ent ecosystems—mangroves, coral reefs and sea grasses. After her semester at Duke, Nina re- turned to Andrews. She is now working on completion of her Honors thesis research and waiting to hear back from graduate programs in marine science. Her eventual goal is to get her PhD in the field. L. Monique Pittman, director of Hon- ors, says, “Nina has taken full advantage of the resources Andrews University offers—a research-driven and nurturing faculty in biology and the largest and oldest Honors program in the Adven- tist system. Our Honors program and partner departments like biology are deeply invested in the development of students as thought-leaders, believers and committed human beings. Through- out her time in Honors, Nina has not only sought out multiple avenues for personal growth but has also translated her world- view exploration into active service. For example, she was a faithful participant in our Honors potluck outreach ministry for our sister church, Harbor of Hope in Benton Harbor. I’m thrilled to know that she leaves Andrews ready for the next level of challenge in graduate school and rooted in an understanding of how our shared faith should motivate and inform all our professional endeavors. I couldn’t be prouder of her accomplishments.” Throughout all of these research experiences—both on- and off-campus— Nina has been grateful for her Honors experience. “Honors really cares about the future, and they’re investing in the future of their students. They know me personally,” she says. “Honors has helped me expand my worldview and realize that it’s not as limited as I thought it was, but yet I’ve still ob- tained my faith through all of it. It has challenged me, that’s for sure.” Hannah Gallant is a senior English major and president of the J.N. Andrews Honors Program at Andrews. She has been accepted to three graduate programs in journalism. Clockwise, from far left: Maryland Sea Grant Research Cruise—Secchi Disk Test (measure water transparency or turbidity in bodies of water) World Marine Mammal Conference 2019—Barcelona trip for Honors research Poster Presentation— Undergraduate Research Symposium, March 2019 Duke Marine Lab—kayak/paddleboard fun18 FOCUS WINTER 2020 International Leadership Cohorts In 1999 the first international MA in leadership cohort was offered in Eu- rope, co-hosted by Newbold College in England and the Adventist Seminary in France, the two most senior colleges of the Trans-European Division (TED) and the Euro-Africa Division (EUD) of the Seventh-day Adventist Church. To ensure the success of the program, faculty member Loretta Johns moved with her husband to Newbold College for two years. In 2001, Niels-Erik Andreasen, then president of Andrews Universi- ty, brought together a group of senior church leaders to attend the research celebration and portfolio presentations of the graduating first cohort and the orientation of the second European cohort. This program was especially important to church leaders of former Communist countries in Central Europe. More recently, additional cohorts were started to address the changing envi- ronment in which the church in Europe operates. These new cohorts are direct- The Andrews University Department of Leadership houses three graduate academic programs: educational leadership, higher education administration, and leadership. Each program operates primarily in a distance education format, with most courses being taught online. For more information, visit andrews.edu/leadership. Graduate Leadership Program Expands at Andrews By Erich Baumgartner ed by Erich Baumgartner, professor of leadership and intercultural commu- nication, and Randy Siebold, associate professor of leadership. In 2006, the first Spanish-speaking cohort was started in collaboration with the University of the Peruvian Union in Lima, Peru, to offer both the MA and PhD in leadership in the South Ameri- can Division. The program was offered in the Delfines Hotel & Convention Cen- ter, one of Lima’s premier conference hotels. Over 30 graduates now serve the Adventist church and other organiza- tions in various positions. After the successful Spanish-speaking cohort, the South American Division re- quested that a new MA in leadership for Brazilian leaders be conducted in Por- tuguese. Brazil was the first country to exceed the 1-million membership mark in the Seventh-day Adventist Church. This program, directed by Robson Marinho, professor of leadership, has graduated almost 200 leaders. In Jan- uary 2020, it started its fifth MA cohort and launched the new DLead (Doctor of Leadership) with 26 participants. Faculty members of the Department of Leadership have also been active in initiatives to strengthen the leaders of the worldwide Adventist church. One of the most recent initiatives in partnership with the General Conference of Seventh-day Adventists is the start of the Global Leadership Institute (GLI) which is part of the newly created Leadership Center at Andrews University. This new institute has been tasked to translate the learning dynamics of the successful leadership degree programs into a professional executive program for the world church with a focus on leadership, innovation and mission. Baumgartner and Siebold have been asked to serve as part-time directors. Journal of Applied Christian Leadership The Department of Leadership supports the Journal of Applied Chris- tian Leadership (JACL), one of the few peer-reviewed journals available for Christian executives and leaders of Christian organizations. Its mission is to provide a peer-reviewed, pub- lished dialogue of applied research in Christian servant leadership across de- nominational, cultural and disciplinary environments. Twice a year, JACL publishes research-based articles that translate what Christian researchers are learning about leadership to help Chris- tian leaders sharpen their own thinking about issues faced in their daily work. JACL reaches a readership in over 80 countries and is indexed in ATLA and EBSCO. It is published by the Christian Leadership Center and the Department of Leadership, where senior editor Erich Baumgartner is housed. Past issues of the Journal can be accessed online at jacl.andrews.edu and digitalcommons. andrews.edu/jacl. To commemorate the 25th anni- versary of the graduate leadership program—and in salute to the program’s visionary predecessors, their spirit of initiative, their amazing resilience and their astounding resourcefulness—a special commemorative issue of the Journal of Applied Christian Leadership will be published this year and distrib- uted at the General Conference session in Indianapolis, Indiana. “One of the most recent initiatives in partnership with the General Conference of Seventh- day Adventists is the start of the Global Leadership Institute (GLI) which is part of the newly created Leadership Center at Andrews University.” Andrews University Department of Leadership teamAndrews University ANNUAL REPORT 19Academics “The unique Andrews leadership program changed me through the job-embedded development of my portfolio in such a way that today, derived from a quote by the novelist Louisa May Alcott, ‘I am not afraid of storms anymore for I have learned how to sail my leadership ship.’”—Christiane Theiss (PhD ’19), president of ASI Europe, co-founder and staffing director of MedVint.org, an NGO serving refugees in Greece, Turkey, Serbia, Bosnia and Lebanon “The School of Education, specifically the Department of Leadership, will enrich one’s life…. This program has had an impact on my worldview. This is due to the exposure to lots of literary works that became useful in dealing with professional challenges. All in all, my time with the School of Education was impactful.”—Dave Weigley (PhD ’16), president, Columbia Union Conference of Seventh-day Adventists “I developed an appreciation of the demand for effective leadership in diverse contexts—that requires the capacity to lead, negotiate, monitor and manage relationships between organizations and several stakeholder groups.”—Akinwumi Oke (PhD ’18), co-founder of Easydata Resources Limited, a consulting firm supporting organizations and businesses in Nigeria through innovative services for aligning leadership and teams to achieve optimal performance “The leadership program gave me the opportunity to know myself better, understand my abilities and limitations better, and showed me the way to become the kind of person, and leader, I am.”— Juan R. Prestol-Puesán (PhD ’14), treasurer/ CFO of the General Conference of Seventh-day Adventists “I can honestly say the PhD in leadership at Andrews has been the capstone educational experience of my life.”— Albert Reyes (PhD ’09), president and CEO of Buckner International The Leadership Program Celebrates Its 25th Anniversary In 1994, a group of School of Education faculty members—James Tucker, Shirley Freed, Dave Penner, Jerome Thayer and William Green—was tasked to make recommendations on budget adjustments. As the committee began their work, they came up with an innovative solution, a more flexible, competency-based degree program that could serve experienced leadership professionals. The result of that bold move was an experiment in Adventist education which resulted in the first PhD cohort of the Leadership program that same fall. The Leadership program now boasts over 350 MA, EdD and PhD graduates around the world. Partici- pants come from a broad spectrum of professions and spiritual backgrounds. In 2019 the EdD was replaced by the Doctor of Leadership (DLead). This new degree focuses on innovation and problem solving, is shorter than the PhD degree and features a doctoral project instead of a dissertation. GALLERY OF SUCCESSFUL ALUMS “There was enough flexibility to adapt my learning to my context and to add a Canadian perspective and Canadian research to the discussion…. I especially appreciated the focus on seeing leadership through the lens of faith, as a call to serve.” —Betty Bayer (PhD ’17), director of Education, Seventh-day Adventist Church in Canada “What sets Andrews apart from many doctoral programs is the strong emphasis on philosophical foundations and the synthesis of knowledge and reflective practice.”—David Boshart (PhD ’10), president, Anabaptist Mennonite Biblical Seminary “The program helped me understand that leadership is not just about management or supervising people but a deeper relationship with those around you…. It is about SERVICE.”—Lynda Daniel Underwood (PhD ’16), Curriculum Evaluation and Learner Assessment, School of Medicine, Loma Linda UniversityNext >