Friday, August 17, 2012

SBU Formal Convocation to Launch 2012-13 Academic Year


Southwest Baptist University News Release
Contact: Sharina Smith, Office of Marketing & Communications
417-328-1803 / scsmith@sbuniv.edu

BOLIVAR, Mo. –Southwest Baptist University will begin its official academic year with a formal convocation at 10:00 a.m. on Wednesday, Aug. 22, in Pike Auditorium on the Bolivar main campus. 

All SBU students, faculty, staff, alumni, trustees, and retired employees of the University are invited to attend.

Dr. Dwight Haun ‘81, director of teacher education, chair of the department of education, associate professor of teacher education, and recipient of the 2012 Orien B. Hendrex Distinguished Teacher Award, will present the annual convocation address.

The Distinguished Teacher Award is chosen by the current and three previous graduating classes and is presented annually to a faculty member for “outstanding teaching ability and personal guidance.”

Dr. Donald Denton, associate professor of theology, will be recognized for receiving the 2011 Parkway Distinguished Professor Award. The Christian College Education Committee of Parkway Baptist Church in Saint Louis awards this honor annually to faculty members from each of the four Missouri Baptist colleges who have made outstanding contributions to Christian education.

The faculty and staff Newcomer of the Year awards also will be presented during formal convocation.

Dwight Haun
2012 Orien B. Hendrex Distinguished Teacher
Dr. Dwight Haun joined the SBU faculty in 1998 as assistant professor of teacher education.  Currently, Dr. Haun is the director of teacher education, chair of the department of education, and associate professor of teacher education.   He served a term as president of the SBU Faculty Senate, is a double recipient of the Orien B. Hendrex Distinguished Teacher Award for 2005 and 2012, a Faculty Life Beautiful Award recipient, and he has received the SBU Faculty Newcomer of the Year Award.  

An alumnus of SBU, Dr. Haun earned his Bachelor of Science in mathematics and physical education in 1981.  He earned a Master of Science in secondary education and mathematics from Southwest Missouri State University and in 1990 a doctorate in educational leadership and policy analysis from University of Missouri-Columbia. 

Dr. Haun is a member of the National Middle School Association, Association of Supervision and Curriculum Development, and the Missouri Association for Colleges of Teacher Education.  In 1995, he was awarded the Master Teacher Award for the Bolivar R-I Schools.

Dr. Haun and his wife, Verna, also a graduate of SBU, reside in Bolivar and have two sons, Kendall, who is married to Leigh Anne, and Grant.  The Haun family attends First Baptist Church in Bolivar.

Donald Denton
2012 Parkway Distinguished Professor
Dr. Donald Denton joined the faculty of Southwest Baptist University in 2003.  Dr. Denton has made significant contributions to his discipline.  His dissertation was published by the prestigious T. & T. Clark Publishers and was recently included in the digital Logos Library for scholars.  He has presented research papers to national and international meetings of biblical and theological scholars.  He has contributed several articles to top-level referred journals.  He also has submitted his research to a book of essays produced by international scholars.  In short, Dr. Denton is a recognized scholar in gospel studies, cited often in major books and journals of biblical scholarship.
An invaluable member of The Courts Redford College of Theology and Ministry faculty, he was instrumental in developing a new academic major in the Redford College.  Recently, he established a new chapter of the national honor society for theology students, Theta Alpha Kappa. 

Dr. Denton received his Bachelor of Arts from Southeastern Louisiana University, a Master of Divinity from New Orleans Baptist Theological Seminary, and a Doctor of Philosophy from Fuller Theological Seminary, Pasadena, California.

Dr. Denton and his wife, Diane, have one son, Joshua.  The Denton family is active at their church, serving their community by participating in mission trips, service organizations, and ministries to women and children.  In addition, Dr. Denton leads Bible studies at home and preaches for churches in southwest Missouri.

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Southwest Baptist University is a leader among private universities in truly integrating Christ-centered academic pursuits with comprehensive professional programs at an affordable price. Since 1878, the faculty and staff have created a caring, academic community to prepare students to be servant leaders in a global society. The University has been named one of America’s Best Christian Colleges® for 13 consecutive years, one of America’s 100 Best College Buys® for 14 consecutive years, and it has been named among institutions with America’s Best College Scholarships® for the past four years by Institutional Research and Evaluation, Inc.

For more information, visit www.SBUniv.edu. SBU’s Office of Marketing & Communications is available to news media 24/7 at 417-399-7918.