Dr. Paul J. Maurer, Sterling College president, and Andrew Tash and Ken Troyer, both assistant professors in the communications department, have spoken at formal occasions recently, and Dr. Brad Nix, chair of the music department, has had another composition accepted for publication.
On November 10, Dr. Maurer spoke at Pratt Presbyterian Church to the Presbytery of Southern Kansas. "Sterling's Presbyterian heritage is important to the school," Dr. Maurer said, "and building relationships with the churches of our region is crucial to Sterling's continued ability to serve the Great Plains."
During the fall and winter of 2009-1010, Andrew Tash is teaching a series at Wheatland Mission, a church in Wichita, on James Bryan Smith's book "The Good and Beautiful God." He also spoke at Wheatland Mission's retreat on spiritual formation. "Spiritual formation is at the heart of a successful Christian walk," Tash said. "We need to pay more attention to it to ensure we are following what Christ actually teaches. It's been important in my own life the past four years, and I'm glad to lead others in it."
Ken Troyer presented "Moving Forward into Father Friendliness" at the 33rd annual Governor's Conference on Child Abuse and Neglect, held in Topeka on November 5. The 90-minute presentation focused on the vital role that fathers play in the lives of their children and provided specific steps for organizations to become more father friendly. Conference participants were provided a comprehensive checklist to examine their own organization in terms of father friendliness. The final portion of the presentation focused on changes that have been implemented via legislation and what remains to be done.
Santa Barbara Music Publishing, located in Santa Barbara, Calif., will be publishing "The Garden's Last Red Rose," a musical composition by Dr. Brad Nix. The text of the composition is from a poem by Sara Teasdale, one of Nix's favorite poets, and the piece will be released in spring of 2010.