Servant Leadership Roundtable Goes Global

Speaker of Queensland's Parliament,
Fiona Simpson '08 (GLE), stands with
Dr. Kathleen Patterson, associate
professor in GLE and co-chair
of the Global Servant
Leadership Research Roundtable.

By Amanda Morad

July 27, 2012



Regent University's School of Global Leadership & Entrepreneurship (GLE) sponsored the second Global Servant Leadership Research Roundtable this June, hosted at Monash University in Melbourne, Australia.

The conference is an outgrowth of GLE associate professor Dr. Kathleen Patterson's Servant Leadership Research Roundtable hosted at Regent each year. Celebrating its 10th anniversary this spring, the event brings together leadership experts in scholarly discussion of research streams, new models, testing of existing concepts, instrument development and validation, as well as servant leadership case studies.



The first global roundtable was held at Erasmus University in the Netherlands in 2008. Regent's partnerships with these leading world universities begins with renowned leadership scholars Dirk van Dierendonck, from roundtable co-sponsor Erasmus University; Sen Sendjaya, from Monash University; and Andre Pekerti, from the roundtable co-sponsor the University of Queensland Business School.



"It is always a privilege to plan and participate with scholars from around the world, all centered on a central theme of servant leadership," Patterson said. "The very idea of the leader taking the stance of the servant is a powerful concept—a concept that has the power to change lives, communities, organizations and the world."

Regent alumna Fiona Simpson '08 (GLE) was featured as a session speaker alongside Patterson. Simpson recently won her seat in Queensland's Parliament for the eighth time and was elected as Speaker of the Parliament—the first woman to hold this position in the legislative body's 150-year history.

Several GLE doctoral students also had the opportunity to attend the conference in Melbourne and present research from their dissertations.

"The blend of diverse global perspectives on servant leadership combined with the strong representation of professors and researchers made this a truly prestigious and insightful event," said Ph.D. student David Peltz, who presented research on Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.'s model of servant leadership. "Perhaps most significant was the valuable group and one-on-one feedback I received from all the experts in the field of servant leadership. Their feedback challenged and encouraged me to consider and incorporate additional facets of servant leadership content into my dissertation."

"I learned a great deal about the diversity of servant leadership scholars, the wide scope and applicability of the concept through the practitioners, and potential areas for future research on this important topic," explained student John Hargadon. "It allowed for networking with others from around the globe, establishing relationships for potential future research collaboration, and a general improvement in cross-cultural understanding, the importance of which might be the greatest benefit of all."

Hargadon's research on servant leadership in military settings was presented at the roundtable, as was fellow student Eric Coggins' research on servant leadership in Eastern and Western cultures.

"The privilege to attend and present at the 2nd Global Servant Leadership Roundtable afforded me the opportunity to interact with high-level scholars in the field of leadership," Coggins noted. "I was able to make great connections with other scholars in the field of servant leadership."

Learn more about GLE.

PR/NEWS CONTACT:
Mindy Hughes, Public Relations
Phone: 757.352.4095 Fax: 757.352.4888
E-mail: mhughes@regent.edu

Professor Gets Firsthand Look at Impact of International Terrorism



Dr. Caleb Verbois stands in front of the Sea of Galilee.



By Rachel Judy

July 6, 2012

The study of terrorism and its implications for countries around the world is becoming increasingly important. So important, in fact, that the Foundation for Defense of Democracies created the Academic Fellowship program for university professors titled "Defending Democracy, Defeating Terrorism."
Earlier this summer, Regent University School of Undergraduate Studies assistant professor, Dr. Caleb Verbois, was selected for this prestigious academic fellowship which allowed him firsthand access to the top practitioners and latest research in the field.

The 10-day program was based in Tel Aviv, Israel, and featured both lectures and excursions designed to help scholars and teachers. Verbois and the rest of the group traveled to Israeli military installations, observation points and also saw a demonstration in which a bomb squad set off explosions and then investigators "practiced" dealing with the scene.

One of the highlights for Verbois, however, was a visit to a maximum security prison where the scholars were permitted to interview some of the prisoners Hamas and Fatah terrorists. "One of the most interesting things was seeing the expressions on the prisoners faces when they got the questions because they clearly thought some of the questions were very naïve," Verbois recalled.

Although terrorism is a problem around the world, studying its practices and implications in Israel provided a frontline experience for many of the fellows. "It wasn't anything that should be a surprise to anyone who studies terrorism, but it's very different to see it in person," he explained.

Verbois' research interests lie primarily in the areas of presidential powers and foreign affairs. He knows the opportunity to participate in the fellowship program will only enhance his teaching. "I thought it would give me a lot of examples to use in courses," he said. "Many of my students were 10 years old when 9/11 happened so they may barely remember it or, for some of them, it may be their first political memory &. For many of them, terrorism is very distant. But," he added, "Because we have a large military population at Regent, for some it's very real."

While the study of terrorism and its effects can be difficult, Verbois is convinced that understanding it is necessary to dealing with it in the future. "Terrorism of all sorts, but especially religious and ethnically motivated terrorism, is here to stay," he said. "One of the best ways to deal with it is to see what other countries have done."

Learn more about Regent's School of Undergraduate Studies.

PR/NEWS CONTACT:
Mindy Hughes, Public Relations
Phone: 757.352.4095 Fax: 757.352.4888
E-mail: mhughes@regent.edu

Regent Students Leave Mark on Rwandan Business Community

By Amanda Morad

July 2, 2012



Dr. John Mulford debriefs
some of his students in Rwanda.
Photo courtesy Brittany Hoffman



Regent University has been developing relationships with several African nations over the last decade, but in the past two years, some of the most impressive strides have been made in the genocide-torn nation of Rwanda. This May, a cohort of 14 Regent students converged on Kigali, Rwanda, to complete their major projects for the Holistic International Development course.

 

The class is housed in the School of Global Leadership & Entrepreneurship (GLE) but is open to any student seeking to expand his or her studies. GLE professor Dr. John Mulford developed the Holistic International Development course as a Regent-wide opportunity for global study and experience. "The course was a huge success," said Mulford. "Students from diverse backgrounds came together to share a cross-cultural experience and contribute their expertise to a nation."
Trip coordinator Brittany Hoffman emphasized the diversity of the group. "One of the greatest strengths of this program is that students came from almost every school—business, divinity, psychology, education and undergrad," she explained. "They learned from one another and helped one another. This diversity was an incredible strength for the class and for their overall impact on Rwanda."

Each student participated in at least one project—many participated in more—related to fields including business, research, community development, ministry, leadership and communications. Through the connections established by Regent's Business Development Center (BDC) in Rwanda, students were able to work with some of the most prestigious government and private organizations in the nation.

"The Holistic International Development course was the most valuable educational experience for me since I have been an MBA student," said GLE student Karen Pruitt. "I felt more fulfilled in serving in this capacity than in my 10 years of working in IT consulting." Pruitt conducted a two-day IT project management seminar for 25 IT entrepreneurs under the sponsorship of the Rwanda Development Board.

Dori Fileccia was the group's only student from the School of Undergraduate Studies and had the chance to work with MTN Group, Rwanda's largest telecom company and mobile provider which operates in 21 nations. "What I learned was that not all businesses are created equal," she explained, having also worked with Rwandan government agencies and entrepreneurs throughout the trip. "In each situation, businesses have their own culture, and as business leaders, we must continue to adapt our style of mentoring to the culture of that individual or organization."

Fileccia started by working with the human resources department, but after a meeting with the CEO, he asked her to deliver a leadership training seminar for him and his vice presidents.

Eric Ketcham, a student in the School of Divinity, focused his project on community development research. The goal was "to see how community development is done in Rwanda in various contexts and provide a paradigm for others as they begin to develop community in neighboring Congo," he reported.

Ketcham also shared a project with School of Psychology & Counseling student Trevor Olson. "A well-known Christian architect and his business partner have concessions for three mines in neighboring Congo, and they want to use the profits from this mine for community development and for supporting the church in an area of Congo that is very much in need of transformation," Ketcham explained. Their model of "business as missions" benefited directly from his broader research.

The preparation for an undertaking like this trip involves researching the needs of the organizations, strategizing solutions and learning to operate in a culture unfamiliar to the students' own. But a semester's worth of work paid off as the teams delivered valuable research, advice and training to a wide variety of Rwandan audiences—from youth to poor women to business executives and government leaders. Through these interactions, Mulford explained, "the students delivered such excellence that they increased the credibility and reputation of the BDC and of Regent University in Rwanda."
Though business projects kept students working late into the night, they also experienced Rwandan culture and history through site visits throughout the area, including the Genocide Memorial.

Through all of their professional, cultural and personal encounters, the Regent students gained a tremendous appreciation and respect for the Rwandan people.

"Their warmth and enthusiasm to grow as a society is outstanding, in spite of the tragic history they are still recovering from," Fileccia said. "To be in a room with individuals who have survived some of the most atrocious events we can only imagine, yet still convey hope, love and forgiveness, is a model to all."

Learn more about Regent's work in Rwanda through the Center for Entrepreneurship.

PR/NEWS CONTACT:
Mindy Hughes, Public Relations
Phone: 757.352.4095 Fax: 757.352.4888
E-mail: mhughes@regent.edu

Center for Global Missions Team Returns from Ghana

School of Divinity student Kerre Nitz
Photo courtesy of Janina Peppers

By Amanda Morad

June 20, 2012

A team of 14 Regent University students recently returned from a two-week mission trip to Ghana, Africa. Sponsored by Regent's Center for Global Missions, the students—ranging in age from 20 to 60—immersed themselves in a culture a world away from their own.
This year's trip, the center's fourth to the West African nation, started in the city of Accra. "It's always great to bring the students to Accra first so that they experience the culture here, especially the vibrancy of the church and of Christianity," said Dr. Clifton Clarke, director of the Center for Global Missions and the trip's leader. "While a large part of the Western world is declining in terms of the Christian presence, there are many cities like Accra that are just burgeoning and overflowing with the presence of God. I think Africa has a lot to teach the West."

One of Clarke's objectives for the annual trip is to expose his students to the global church. Through teaching, preaching, leading worship and sharing their testimonies in local churches and public settings, the group had the opportunity to experience global ministry firsthand. The students also volunteered at orphanages, conducted children's and pastor's conferences and ministered to university students.

"There is great need here [in Ghana] and great opportunity for service," Clarke said. "It's interesting to see students drawing on their own backgrounds and making that a part of our mission."

After several days in Accra, students embarked on an outing to Cape Coast, home of a Dutch slave castle that was used during the trans-Atlantic slave trade era. "To be where slaves were held in the most deplorable conditions is something I can't quite describe in words," said School of Divinity student Tanya Brooks. "On the outside is a beautiful landscape, but in the dungeons of that castle, slaves experienced hell on earth."

The trip then led students to the northern part of the country to Tamale, a city well known for its Muslim population and jurisdiction.

"I think it's important ... to understand the sensitivities and the cultural nuances that are involved in sharing Christ in a context that is predominantly Muslim," Clarke explained. The team held the first ever open-air Christian crusade in the middle of the city during their stay, a move Clarke called "audacious," but part of the Great Commission. This year's trip held a special focus on Christian ministry in Muslim contexts.

Watch Clarke's video highlights of the trip.

But much of the trip wasn't spent in the cities. It was spent in the outlying rural villages around Tamale, staying in mud huts, carrying clay pots of water four miles from the nearest river and playing with inquisitive children.

"[The kids were] fascinated by people from America," Clarke said. "People want to know, what is it like in your world? There were young girls looking at our students and thinking, 'Wow, I want to be just like you.'"

Some did home stays with villagers during the trip, experiencing local food, transportation and language in an immersive way. "Ghana is a beautiful country rich with culture. Even in their curiosity of us Americans, we always seemed welcome," said School of Undergraduate Studies senior Janina Peppers. "A few times, another team member and I opted to stay with host families rather than in the hotel, and I was blown away every time by the hospitality. These people did not know us or our intentions for wanting to stay in their home, yet they opened the door wide."

This year's team consisted of graduate and undergraduate students representing nearly every Regent school.

"It's hard to leave," Clarke added. "Students were crying when they had to leave. They all really connected with the people there."

Watch Clarke's video highlights of the trip.

Learn more about the Center for Global Missions.

PR/NEWS CONTACT:
Mindy Hughes, Public Relations
Phone: 757.352.4095 Fax: 757.352.4888
E-mail: mhughes@regent.edu

Fulbright Offers Students Opportunities for International Study and Research

By Rachel Judy

June 13, 2012

Real life stories of culture, people and life changing experiences. This is the heart of the Fulbright U.S. Student Program, explained Dr. Emilyn Cabanda, associate professor in Regent University's School of Global Leadership & Entrepreneurship.
Cabanda—originally from the Philippines—is a product of the Fulbright student program. "I found the Fulbright program to be personally and professionally rewarding because it provided more than academic excellence," Cabanda said. "As a Fulbrighter, you are required not only to maintain academic excellence, but you are required to be an ambassador of goodwill of your home country to the United States."

Now that she is a faculty member at Regent, Cabanda is eager for her students to know more about the opportunities a Fulbright scholarship can offer. She even spoke at a workshop held earlier this year that was designed to introduce students to Fulbright opportunities.

The workshop was sponsored by Regent University's Office of Global Affairs (OGA).

The Fulbright U.S. Student Program awards approximately 1,500 grants annually and currently operates in more than 150 countries worldwide. Grants fall into three general categories: study/research, English teaching assistantships and travel-only.

While Cabanda's Fulbright brought her to the United States to study at Baylor University, American students under the program fulfill their grants abroad.

"Students need to experience learning, researching and working in an international environment," said Dr. Almarie Munley, assistant professor in the School of Undergraduate Studies and Regent's Fulbright advisor. "Those who graduate from a student Fulbright program have an opportunity to leverage their career opportunities while continuing to build their global knowledge base. The Fulbright program is recognized around the world as one of the finest and most competitive student programs offered."

The 2012-13 Fulbright competition opened Tuesday, May 1. OGA will offer information sessions for students in the Fall and Spring terms.

To learn more about the program, visit Regent's Fulbright website.

England Tour Brings Literature to Life

By Amanda Morad

Students pose in front of Shakespeare's birthplace.
Photo courtesy of Feylyn Lewis.

For 15 of Regent University's undergraduate students, this summer started out a little chillier than usual. The group spent nine days, May 13-22, traveling through England to the sites where authors like Shakespeare, T.S. Eliot, C.S. Lewis and J.R.R. Tolkien made literary history.
"Having the opportunity to finally visit this place—so rich in history and beauty—was a dream come true for me," said senior Caroline Leal. Leal is an online student who got the chance to meet some of her classmates and professors for the first time on the trip. "That alone made the trip a very special experience for me," she said.

The trip was co-sponsored by the School of Undergraduate Studies and the Office of Global Affairs. Two courses were offered in conjunction with the site visits—Shakespeare (English 377) and Twentieth-Century Christian Classics (English 475)—which were taught on site by Dr. Susannah Clements, chair of the Language & Literature Department, and Dr. Peter Fraser, associate professor of English, Language and Literature.

"This trip was my chance to experience the rich cultural and historical marvels that inspired some of my favorite British storytellers," Leal explained. "It gave me a living context for the literature I love, helping me put the narrative pieces together in a fresh and meaningful way that connected the authors to their environment, and the environment to their fiction."

The tour included significant locations in Canterbury, Oxford, Stratford-upon-Avon, Bath and London. Participants visited a wide variety of places, including Westminster Abbey, the Canterbury Cathedral, the Globe Theatre, Stonehenge, Windsor Castle, Buckingham Palace and the Tower of London.

"Receiving communion at a Sunday morning service at Canterbury Cathedral was such an intimate time with the Lord," said Feylyn Lewis, a graduate assistant in the English department and a student in the School of Psychology & Counseling. "The intricate detail of the communion service added a heightened sense of reverence."

"Travel trips allow such a rich opportunity to understand the context of literature and our great Christian tradition," Fraser said. Through their studies and visits, students encountered an intersection of faith, literature and history all at once.

"We didn't just see a Shakespeare play, but we visited his birthplace and his grave and toured the reconstructed Globe Theatre, and then also saw the Royal Shakespeare Company perform The Tempest in Stratford-upon-Avon," Fraser explained.

"Likewise, we read Dorothy Sayers' The Nine Tailors, a mystery set in a country parish during a night of bell-ringing. But then we also were taken into a real bell tower in an old London church for a demonstration of change-ringing, including the specific changes rung in the novel. Such experiences are unforgettable and irreplaceable," he said.

Learn more about Regent's study abroad opportunities.

PR/NEWS CONTACT:
Mindy Hughes, Public Relations
Phone: 757.352.4095 Fax: 757.352.4888
E-mail: mhughes@regent.edu

Students Practice Spanish During Short-Term Mission Trip

By Rachel Judy

Dr. Brinkman and Panama study abroad participants
visit the Embera Indigeonous Village.

Regent University's Spanish Residential Language Community Program (La Casa de Español) provides a unique opportunity for students to immerse themselves in language and culture by living in a designated section of student housing. The aim of the program is to provide students with cross-cultural experiences that will equip them with the skills to function in a global society.

As an addition to this immersion opportunity, a group of Regent students traveled to Panama in May for a short-term mission trip. This experience gave students the chance to combine their language skills with service in a Spanish-speaking country.

Four undergraduate students—Elizabeth Butler, Samantha Pineiro, Victoria Thompson and Jaquelyn Alvizures—traveled with their resident assistant, Yaitza Monge, a graduate student in the School of Divinity, and the undergraduate faculty director of the Spanish Residential Language Community, Dr. Frieda Brinkmann.

"Overall, the language immersion experience was challenging, I'll admit, but it was wonderful, and I had so much fun speaking and listening to the language of my heritage," said Pineiro. "I have grown in every area of my life because of it."


Samantha Pineiro, Victoria Thompson and
Jaquelyn Alvizures guide children through
a drawing activity.
Photos courtesy of Dr. Frieda Brinkmann.



The group volunteered with the ministries of Templo Zuriel El Refugio Church in the San Miguelito community outside of Panama City. They participated in homestays with church families and were able to experience first-hand what life and living conditions are like for many in Latin America. Since the host families did not speak English, students were also immersed in the language.

"My most positive experience was getting to know my [host] family," Butler said at the end of the trip. "They all really took us in as if we were one of their own, and we created a very strong bond."

"The simple and uncomfortable conditions we lived in were quickly overshadowed by the kindness and love of our host families," added Brinkmann. "The trip was a beneficial cultural, language immersion and learning experience, as well as a time of spiritual growth and opportunity to serve in a poor and neglected area near Panama City."

Working with the church, the students ran an after-school program for street children, beginning with games and crafts to draw them into the church, and ending with a Bible story time. They also participated in the church's ministry of taking meals and offering a message and prayer to the homeless in several areas of Panama City.

The Panama study abroad trip included a city tour.

Learn more about La Casa de Español.

PR/NEWS CONTACT:
Mindy Hughes, Public Relations
Phone: 757.352.4095 Fax: 757.352.4888
E-mail: mhughes@regent.edu