Partner Spotlight – Olivet Nazarene University | kankakeecountychamber.com/
Partner Spotlight – Olivet Nazarene University | kankakeecountychamber.com/
Partner Spotlight – Olivet Nazarene University
UNPACKING THE OLIVET MISSION
With more than 4,000 universities in America, does it really matter which one a student chooses to attend?
Dr. Kent Olney
With more than 4,000 universities in America, does it really matter which one a student chooses to attend? Preparation, development and pursuit of one’s life passion can occur regardless of where one earns his or her degree, right? These questions are worth careful consideration. At Olivet, an education flows from three pillars, or central ideas, that lie at the heart of our educational mission.
Pillar 1: Professional ReadinessProfessional preparation at Olivet consists of (1) classroom and book learning; (2) practical application through real life experience; and (3) opportunities to encounter the God of all creation through knowing His Son, Jesus Christ. Those who embrace these three emphases leave Olivet professionally ready to enter the world.
Employers are looking for young people who have a first-rate education that has prepared them to adapt to a marketplace that is rapidly changing. Of course, all universities promise such an education.
What makes us unique at Olivet is that our professional readiness includes that third element wherein we prepare students to represent God in their world. Stated another way, our students are prepared to be “interpreters” for God. This is not new. Long ago, God used Joseph to interpret for the Pharaoh in Egypt. He used Daniel to interpret for King Nebuchadnezzar in Babylon. God still seeks qualified interpreters who are strategically placed and used for His purposes among world leaders. Today He finds many of those interpreters at Olivet — individuals professionally prepared to represent both their discipline and God. Having grown up between two deaf siblings, I worked for 20 years as a professionally certified sign language interpreter. In that role, I interpreted in classrooms, courtrooms, hospitals and churches. I have interpreted for Billy Graham, four state governors and even at the White House.
Those experiences taught me that the most fundamental principle to becoming an effective interpreter is to know two languages well. In a sense, that is our mission at Olivet: We strive to teach two languages. Our students leave us competent in the language of their chosen field of study and versed in the language of God. Professional readiness at Olivet means knowing both languages, or both worlds, well.
A fair question, then, is this: How are we doing? Are we having success in professionally preparing our students? The following alumni have returned to speak on campus in recent months. Each illustrates Olivet’s remarkable track record:
- Suzanne Bell ’98 is the lead researcher for NASA’s Behavioral Health and Performance Laboratory.
- David Horton ’84 enjoyed a long career with the IRS, overseeing a $225 million budget and providing tax assistance to nations around the world.
- Teresa Woodruff ’85 was named interim president of Michigan State University this past November.
- Angel Colón ’90 is currently the senior director of diversity and multicultural development at Kroger, our nation’s largest chain of supermarkets.
- Jessica Swanson ’06 is a senior research fellow at Georgetown University’s Edunomics Lab in Washington, D.C., exploring how finance decisions impact our nation’s schools.
Original source can be found here
Alerts Sign-up