College Honors Faculty, Staff
ËÄ»¢Ó°Ôº celebrated service anniversaries and recognized its Employees of the Year at the annual Staff and Faculty Appreciation Brunch in May at Murchison Gym. This years Employees of the Year were Charles Ryu, Christen Foell '01 and Aaron Sizer '01.
Ryu, an overachieving mobile, web application and content management system developer, recently appeared on to talk about escaping from North Korea – twice. "When I first met Charles, I realized I was meeting a modern-day version of someone who had so profoundly been encountered by Christ, it altered their trajectory in the world," said Reed Sheard, vice president for College Advancement and CIO. "I have been constantly impressed by how hard you have worked and how you have embraced every challenge with a positive, confident attitude."
Christen and Aaron co-direct the Gaede Institute for Liberal Arts, which oversees five programs: Thriving Communities, New Frontiers, Young Adult Leadership Lab, the Incarnational Preaching Project and Trailhead. Their life-changing work was recently chronicled in a story, "Empowering Churches to Revitalize Their Ministry," in the ËÄ»¢Ó°Ôº magazine.
"It's our privilege to honor Christen for her amazing, outstanding leadership, her servant leadership's heart, her heart for serving others and her wisdom and grace that she leads with through every day," said Provost Kim Denu.
President Gayle D. Beebe commended Sizer for his exceptional leadership in grant writing and strategic partnerships, particularly with the Lilly Foundation, which has benefited pastors and congregations globally. "You're a beautiful writer, a team thinker, an innovative developer and a great partner, and thank you for that," Beebe said. "We also are grateful for the many ways in which you are benefiting the church."
The Bruce and Adaline Bare Outstanding Teacher Faculty Awards, which were announced at Commencement, included Nathan Huff, associate professor of art, Lisa DeBoer, professor of art, and Tim Van Haitsma, associate professor of kinesiology. John Blondell, retiring professor of theater arts and global ambassador for the performing arts, was awarded the Special Outstanding Achievement in Scholarship and Production.
The crowd also honored Nancy Phinney '74, senior editor, who has worked at the college for 40 years.