QuickNotes | August 2024

Southern has opened a new Center for Learning Innovation and Research (CLIR) with the goal of fostering research collaboration between faculty and students at both the graduate and undergraduate levels across the entire campus. CLIR opened its doors in June 2023, and currently, 12 faculty-led research studies that span more than a third of the school’s academic disciplines are being facilitated.

“We are student-focused,” says Professor Matthew Tolbert, ’01, ’05, PhD, of the School of Education, Psychology, and Counseling, who serves as part-time director for CLIR. “From concept to completion, our student research assistants are benefiting from hands-on learning about effective research as they partner with faculty to gather and analyze data, identify literature, code information, write reports, keep records, apply for approvals, and request grants. As a secondary responsibility, they also tutor other students who are enrolled in classes with a research component. 

Noting that areas such as biology, nursing, and computing at Southern have been conducting and reporting research activities for many years, Tolbert explains how investigative interest and needs in the social sciences are ramping up: “One of our current studies is looking more closely at trauma-informed practices among educators, and another is tracking student perceptions and evaluations of fully immersive, game-based learning management systems. Both align with the center’s goals of developing new tools and strategies for classrooms with research-backed methods of teaching.”

“Deeper and more meaningful learning for enrolled students is the key objective, and that includes discovering ways for professors to improve teaching strategies,” Tolbert shares.

Other studies underway include a Five-Minute Peer Writing Activity, Self-Care Practices Among Practicum Students, Use of Interactive Visual Stimulators in Education, and meeting qualifications for an Economic Policy Institute grant, to name a few.

Professor Jasmine Johnson, EdD, one of Tolbert’s peers in the School of Education, Psychology, and Counseling, shares how she struggled with research in the past, primarily because of isolation. “As a newer faculty member, I have thoroughly enjoyed working on my research study here at Southern. Transitioning through the process with CLIR and having a student assigned to assist me has been an unexpected bonus! Now, I’m feeling excited and motivated about the positive impact this research will have on my professional community.”

Space on the second floor of Summerour Hall on campus was outfitted with $20,000 in technology––a large screen monitor, 15 laptop computers, and research software––and students were hired as research assistants, including recent 2024 graduates Jasiel Castro, Maddie Chant, Keanne Fischer, and Brielle Grant. 

“Working at CLIR, I gained excellent preparation for graduate school, where research experience is looked at very favorably,” Grant says. “Not as many of these opportunities were available before, so more and more Southern students will be benefitting from the new center.”

Castro adds, “This work really broadened my perspective about the possibility of doing research while also having a job. Watching faculty professors conduct research is inspiring.”

Southern’s strategic plan includes the goal of expanding research endeavors, and research is one of the durable skills that the university is committed to developing within all students prior to graduation, helping to establish the marketability and positive contributions of alums in the workplace.

-by Tina (Frist) Smith, ’89 and ’23, communication manager

If there’s anything that Anna Bennett wants to be known for in life, it’s firstly loving Jesus and her family and, secondly, empowering emerging adults in authentic, intimate relationships with Christ. Bennett, who has served as the associate chaplain at Southern since 2014, was voted to receive the Commissioned Minister Credential by the Southern Union Conference of Seventh-day Adventists in April.

“The Southern Union is very thankful for the ministry that Chaplain Bennett provides to the students, faculty, and staff of Southern Adventist University,” says Jim Davidson, executive secretary for the Southern Union Conference. “We are blessed to have her gifts and talents dedicated to the ministry of this vital group. We congratulate her on her recent commissioning in the Seventh-day Adventist Church.”

Joseph Khabbaz, vice president for Spiritual Life and chaplain at Southern, shares, “We are blessed to have Anna serve in the Office of Ministry and Missions and affirm her crucial ministry role on campus. Anna nurtures the spiritual growth of Southern students through her empathic care. She fosters an empowering environment, and this empowerment has led many students to consider their callings and granted them the courage to start ministries at their local churches once they graduate.”

In her role as associate chaplain, Bennett provides spiritual care to students and cultivates a sense of belonging through overseeing Southern’s LifeGroups ministry. Bennett recently earned a Master of Arts in Pastoral Ministry from Andrews University in Michigan and received endorsement by the North American Division (NAD) Adventist Chaplaincy Ministries Department. She also serves as the president of the NAD Campus Chaplains Council.

Bennett shares, “This is a truly humbling recognition—one I know I am not worthy to receive based on my merit or my effort but based on the righteousness of Christ alone, who declares: ‘You did not choose Me, but I chose you and appointed you that you should go and bear fruit, and that your fruit should remain, that whatever you ask the Father in My name He may give you,’ (John 15:16).” She believes the most effective ministry comes from the overflow of her own loving relationship with Jesus.

Frequently hosting students in their home, Bennett and her husband, Euwayne, foster a ministry to plant the seeds of life-changing spiritual transformation and encourage lasting relationships with Jesus Christ.

“Anna is fueled by her divine call to extend compassion toward others, which allows her to connect heart-to-heart with our students and inspire them to be more like Jesus,” Khabbaz says. “Through modeling her journey with Jesus to our students, many young peoples’ lives have been transformed for eternity.”

-by Gabriella Grundy, senior business-public relations major

“God orchestrated the entire process for last fall’s scuba course, bringing different people together to create a stronger program,” says Judy Sloan, PhD, dean of the School of Health and Kinesiology. 

Bo Smith, ’88 alum and new instructor for the class, remembers the class being offered when he was a student more than 35 years ago. As soon as he heard that the adjunct position was open, he expressed interest in teaching. While Smith works full-time as an IT director in the healthcare field, he has volunteered as a scuba diver at Chattanooga’s downtown Tennessee Aquarium for 17 years and holds a number of professional certifications.

Smith quickly finalized his Dive Master and Instructor certifications and was hired by Southern soon after. A vital partner in his certification process was Malu Hammans, who owns and operates Choo Choo Diving & Aquatic Center in Chattanooga less than 10 miles from the university’s campus. Hammans helped him streamline the process of gaining the necessary credentials and also remained involved once Smith’s first class was up and running.

“The support from Choo Choo Diving – prioritizing my certifications and providing air fills and top-notch customer assistance to the university – has been crucial to our program’s continued success. At every point that team has stepped up for Southern,” Smith says. Early in the course, he took the students on a field trip to the center so they could experience the exceptional service firsthand. Gear was specially packaged and offered at a reduced rate to help make basic equipment requirements for the class affordable.

One hurdle remained before the class could begin. “Southern’s scuba equipment was quite dated, meaning replacement parts would be nearly impossible to find, and some gear needed to be replaced before the class could start,” Smith explains. Searching for a solution, he spent time in prayer and asked God to provide a path forward.

Within days, an anonymous donor with no connection to Smith offered a $10,000 gift specifically for the university’s scuba program. It was used to buy 10 new sets of scuba gear. “Those funds were the solution we needed,” Smith explains.

Status as an educational institution allowed Southern to obtain exceptional pricing discounts on new regulators, buoyancy compensator devices, and wrist dive computers through an affiliation with Deep6 Gear. The new equipment will receive regular servicing and is expected to last a lifetime.

Smith’s first class included students from a variety of majors who were introduced to new skills in the classroom before practicing them in the pool and, eventually, in open water. The course culminated in an October weekend trip to Lake Jocassee in South Carolina for students to complete their check-out dives, one of the last steps in the certification process. By the end of the course, each student attained a Scuba Schools International (SSI) Open Water Diver certification, enabling them to explore underwater around the world with other qualified divers. 

“God ensured that everything for this class fell into place,” Smith says. “The whole experience has been a lesson in the power of prayer and His perfect timing.”

The second class under Smith’s instruction, slated to begin the first week in September, is at full capacity with a waiting list. The School of Health and Kinesiology hopes to eventually introduce a second-semester class to provide additional certification opportunities to a larger number of students each year.

-by Chehalis Eno, junior English major

The School of Visual Art and Design at Southern Adventist University invites you to the “Word & Image” exhibit opening featuring award-winning illustrator and best-selling author John Hendrix on Wednesday, September 25, at 6 p.m. This collection will be on display in the John C. Williams Art Gallery in Brock Hall through November 5. Hendrix also will hold a workshop at 9 a.m. on Thursday, September 26, in Thatcher Hall Chapel on campus.

Hendrix is well known for both his freelance commercial work—appearing in Newsweek, Sports Illustrated, Entertainment Weekly, Rolling Stone, and The New York Times, to name a few—and his playful sermon sketchbooks. He also writes and illustrates children’s books and graphic novels, such as Mythmakers: The Remarkable Fellowship of C.S. Lewis and J.R.R. Tolkien set for release this fall. Hendrix is the Kenneth E. Hudson Professor of Art at Washington University in St. Louis and was recently named The Society of Illustrators’ Distinguished Educator in the Arts for 2024.

"Hendrix has reached new heights in his latest graphic novel, pioneering a new genre," said Giselle Hasel, MFA, associate professor and director of Southern's art gallery. "His ability to tell layers of a story in narrative and art opens your mind to curiosity, exploration, and, above all, pure joy. I'm excited because I believe he will inspire students to set a high standard for themselves, as he has in his work."

For more information and directions to these free community events, visit southern.edu/johnhendrix or call 423.236.2089.

-Staff Report

For Heather Robberson (attended), singing with Lauren Daigle represented a dream come true. On June 29, she performed with the True North Presents 265-voice choir that accompanied multi-platinum, two-time Grammy-winning artist Lauren Daigle at her sold-out concert at Carnegie Hall in New York.

“We were the largest choir to have ever sung on the Carnegie stage,” Robberson says. “The thing that struck me the most right off the bat was that it was so apparent how God’s hand was in the whole thing and leading it. To bring 265 strangers together and have it sound so great during those first three hours of rehearsal had to be God-orchestrated.”

As a long-time fan of the artist, Robberson was thrilled to be able to interact with Daigle during rehearsals. Health concerns prevented Daigle from shaking all 265 participants’ hands, but she intentionally connected with her fellow performers in a meaningful way. “She came in casually and talked with all of us from the stage, close to us, called people out of the crowd, asked questions, sang us a song—it felt like you’d had a chance to meet her because she was so interactive and engaging with us as a group,” Robberson says.

Robberson’s first love is music and singing, and she’s found ways to keep that a central part of her life throughout her career. “I was a founding member of the local contemporary Christian group, ‘Message of Mercy,’ and enjoyed my time with them for many years before going on to pursue and complete my own solo album dreams,” she notes. “I’ve also recorded and sung for 3ABN and Hope Channel and sung the national anthem for various sporting events around Chattanooga.

“I definitely think my time at and around Southern has really expanded my horizons with the various connections we’re blessed to have in this area. Both in relation to music and life in general, my experience at Southern and the connections I made there have expanded my life and my opportunities.”

Robberson has been in the hotel business for most of the last 20 years, and currently, she works in group sales for the Read House Hotel in downtown Chattanooga. “In 2012, my life was changed forever when I became a dedicated, busy mom to my precious daughter, Devin,” she adds.

However, she’ll never be too busy to keep singing, and when she saw a post inviting people to “Sing with Lauren,” she jumped at the opportunity. After a rigorous application and interview process, she was accepted as part of the group that made history at one of the world’s most famous performance venues.

“Walking out onto Carnegie Stage for the first time brought tears to my eyes,” Robberson recalls. “It was an absolutely amazing experience. The venue is so historic and so grand and has such a reverence to it. The power and intensity of the music in the concert itself was powerful. It’s what I imagine heaven will feel like. I’m sure it’s just a snippet, but what a cool thing to experience here on Earth!”

-Staff Report