Around the State: B.H. Carroll marks 20th anniversary

B.H. Carroll Theological Seminary marked its 20th anniversary at a gala in Frisco April 21, recounting God’s promise and provision for the seminary. First conceived a decade before its founding as a way to reach bivocational pastors and those who could not afford to uproot and attend an in-residence seminary program, the seminary officially launched in 2004 with the aim of being affordable, accessible and achievable. Carroll founder and its first president, Bruce Corley, recalled preparing a paper in 1993 about changes in seminary education. “Among the things I talked about were the kinds of students attending seminary,” Corley said. “There were 40,000 bivocational ministers in Baptist life, scattered all over the United States, and very few of them ever attended seminary. They were in small churches. So that is at the heart of the genesis for Carroll—to make seminary education, like the one I enjoyed, available to many, many students.” B.H. Carroll President Gene Wilkes said Carroll’s continued success is intertwined with the success of East Texas Baptist University. The university and seminary announced their intent to merge in February 2023 after nearly a year of conversations. The merger will be completed in 2025. Founders Jim Spivey, Budd Smith and Stan Moore also participated in the video presentation. 

Students and a faculty member from Howard Payne University attended the Texas Section meeting of the Mathematical Association of America in March. The meeting, held at Texas State University in San Marcos, featured more than 70 presentations by plenary speakers, undergraduate students, graduate students and faculty. Scott Eddy, instructor of mathematics, sponsored the group. Hannah Richard, senior mathematics major, presented her research on mathematical spirals at the meeting. “This is the first time we’ve had an undergraduate presenting in the 10 years I’ve been at Howard Payne,” Eddy said.

The University of Mary Hardin-Baylor selected Shanna Akers as dean of the Scott & White School of Nursing. She will begin her role at UMHB on June 1. Akers spent 13 years at Liberty University as a professor, chair, associate dean and administrative dean and five years as dean. Akers has been engaged in accreditation efforts across various disciplines, including nursing, health care simulation, respiratory therapy, forensic science and social work, and she has contributed to accreditation and reaffirmation processes. With nearly 30 years of experience as a registered nurse, Akers has served in prominent roles within both public service and professional organizations. She was a gubernatorial appointee to the Virginia Health Workforce Development Authority Board and commissioner on nursing education for the Virginia Nurses Association. 

Baylor University appointed Elisabeth R. Kincaid as director of the Institute for Faith and Learning, effective Aug. 1. She also will serve as associate professor of ethics, faith and culture in Baylor’s Truett Theological Seminary and affiliate faculty member in the department of management in the Hankamer School of Business. A native Texan, Kincaid is a theologian, lawyer and business ethics scholar, with experience in finance and campus ministry. She currently holds the Legendre-Soule Chair in Ethics at the College of Business in Loyola University New Orleans, where she also serves as the inaugural director of the Center for Ethics and Economic Justice. As director of the Institute for Faith and Learning, Kincaid will oversee the annual Baylor Symposium on Faith and Culture and the Crane Scholars Program, guide the institute’s current programming of faculty formation experiences and contribute to the development of new initiatives for faculty spiritual well-being. “The IFL’s integration of faith across academic disciplines has inspired much of my own administrative vision and especially my own interdisciplinary research,” Kincaid said. “I’m thrilled and honored to serve as a leader in the next phase of the IFL’s service across the Baylor campus.” Kincaid has held faculty positions in Christian ethics at the Aquinas Institute of Theology and Nashotah House Theological Seminary, where she also served as acting academic dean. She is married to S. Thomas Kincaid III. They have two children.

Dallas Baptist University recognized two doctoral graduates with an Outstanding Dissertation Award during the April 18-19 Christian Leadership Summit. Kalie Lowrie of Brownwood received the award for an outstanding Ed.D. dissertation. Lowrie, assistant vice president for alumni relations at Howard Payne University, wrote “Spiritual Leadership Behaviors Among Leaders at Faith-Based Nonprofit Organizations.” Brian Bayani of Navasota was recognized with the award for an outstanding Ph.D. dissertation. Bayani, a licensed paramedic and master peace officer, wrote “Exploring the Relationship Between Moral Inquiry, Supervisor Leadership Style, and Suicidal Behavior in Texas Paramedics.”

Houston Christianity University students excelled at the annual Vocal Competition for Greater Houston Chapter of the National Association of Teachers of Singing, held April 6 on the HCU campus. Around 250 singers from Greater Houston area universities, colleges and high schools competed in classical and musical theatre categories. Led by David Kirkwood, chair of HCU’s music department, students performed in the competition and dominated in the classical categories, which were divided by grade level and gender. HCU had six first place winners, including Joshua Yeates, Jonathan Lee, Nicholas Pappas—under the direction of Kirkwood—and William Carr, Kynadi Law and CeliaKate Mellett—under the direction of Rachel Elizabeth De Trejo. In addition to prize money and certificates, HCU’s first place winners have been invited to sing at the NATS Winners’ Recital on May 19, on the HCU campus.

Houston Christian University students, faculty and staff gathered for the sixth annual Author Celebration. This celebration, organized by HCU’s First Lady Sue Sloan, recognizes faculty members with scholarly publications and creative endeavors released in the past year. More than 13 authors displayed work representing fiction, theology, education, psychology, history and literature. “HCU is really good at combining the truth of the gospel with cultural engagement. All the authors here today have connected the truth of Christianity to real world problems that it can help solve,” said Austin Freeman, assistant professor of apologetics and author of Tolkien Dogmatics: Theology through Mythology with the Maker of Middle-Earth. The Author Celebration included winners of the “Piece of the Past” student essay contest, which encourages students to engage with artifacts from one of three on-campus museums. Undergraduate student contest winner Claire Wilkerson commented on the event: “I appreciate the opportunity the university gives to celebrate the work of authors on campus. The example of faculty and staff who have created so many influential works encourages me to reflect more deeply and communicate this more creatively.”