2008 Recipient: John Walkup

For 2007-2008, we are delighted to announce that the award has been given to Dr. John Walkup, Emeritus Professor of Electrical Engineering at Texas Tech University and Faculty Commons Regional Representative.

After receiving his Ph.D. from Stanford University, John joined the faculty of Texas Tech where he served with distinction for 28 years. Upon his retirement from Texas Tech, he and his wife Pat joined the staff of Faculty Commons and moved to the Bay area of California of which both are natives. Since 1996 they have established and ministered to faculty groups at the University of California Berkeley, the University of California Davis, San Jose State University, and Stanford University. In addition, John has traveled the world extensively representing Jesus and Faculty Commons in the former Soviet Union, England, Poland, Switzerland, Taiwan, and China; visiting some of these countries multiple times.

In all the time John has been associated with Faculty Commons (and its forerunner Christian Leadership) beginning in 1982, John has served humbly and with great effectiveness. He and Pat organized and served as faculty advisors of the InterVarsity student group at Texas Tech and sometime thereafter John and his colleagues organized the Christian Faculty Fellowship at Texas Tech. John served on the National Leadership Team and the Faculty Advisory Board of Christian Leadership Ministries for many years. Everyone associated with Faculty Commons appreciates John’s wisdom and insights—when he speaks about faculty ministry people listen because he has truly lived what he speaks!

If we are ever going to significantly impact the great universities of the West for Jesus, it will be as godly professors, men and women, embrace the same call that Erick Nilson answered more than 25 years ago and stand beside John Walkup and others to challenge our colleagues to make a difference for Jesus through our teaching and research and through our individual and corporate witness on the campus.

2009 Recipient: Buff Furman

[Remarks by Rae Mellichamp and John Walkup]

The 2009 Erik Nilson Award, presented to an outstanding Christian professor, has been given to Buff Furman, Professor of Mechanical Engineering at San Jose State University.

I (John) met Buff Furman in 2000, shortly after Pat and I arrived back in northern California to direct Faculty Commons’ ministries at the San Francisco Bay Area campuses. I was immediately impressed with his commitment to being a blessing to the faculty, staff and students on the San Jose State campus.

Buff and his wife Wanda demonstrate the love of Jesus Christ for others. He has a strong testimony for our Lord’s love and grace to all those around him. Moreover, Buff has the leadership skills to which his faculty colleagues have responded during his seven years leading the faculty/staff ministry at SJSU.

Whenever I attend one of their weekly meetings, I am impressed with the obvious respect that both the faculty and staff show for his leadership. This carries over to his family life; watching them, together with their young daughter, Joy, one sees a genuine picture of Christian marriage and family life.

Buff and Wanda have participated in seven of our national conferences. Because of their participation and urging, other San Jose State professors have also attended various Faculty Commons conferences. He has organized and led the use at SJSU of the PBS “Question of God” series comparing the lives and philosophies of C.S. Lewis and Sigmund Freud.

Buff is one of the most consistently Spirit-led Christian professors we have known. He consistently demonstrates his faith in Christ through his upbeat, encouraging demeanor, the gracious way in which he reaches out to other faculty, to university staff and to his students.

Would you join us in congratulating this outstanding representative of the cause of Christ in the academy? If you know him please consider sending an email, or give him a phone call, to recognize his exemplary service. His example can encourage each of us to make a difference through our teaching and research, and through our individual and corporate witness on the campus.

• About the Nilson Award
• 2008 Recipient: John Walkup

2008 Recipient — John Walkup

For 2007-2008, we are delighted to announce that the award has been given to Dr. John Walkup, Emeritus Professor of Electrical Engineering at Texas Tech University and Faculty Commons Regional Representative.

After receiving his Ph.D. from Stanford University, John joined the faculty of Texas Tech where he served with distinction for 28 years.  Upon his retirement from Texas Tech, he and his wife Pat joined the staff of Faculty Commons and moved to the Bay area of California of which both are natives.  Since 1996 they have established and ministered to faculty groups at the University of California Berkeley, the University of California Davis, San Jose State University, and Stanford University.  In addition, John has traveled the world extensively representing Jesus and Faculty Commons in the former Soviet Union, England, Poland, Switzerland, Taiwan, and China; visiting some of these countries multiple times.

In all the time John has been associated with Faculty Commons (and its forerunner Christian Leadership) beginning in 1982, John has served humbly and with great effectiveness.  He and Pat organized and served as faculty advisors of the InterVarsity student group at Texas Tech and sometime thereafter John and his colleagues organized the Christian Faculty Fellowship at Texas Tech.  John served on the National Leadership Team and the Faculty Advisory Board of Christian Leadership Ministries for many years.  Everyone associated with Faculty Commons appreciates John’s wisdom and insights—when he speaks about faculty ministry people listen because he has truly lived what he speaks!

If we are ever going to significantly impact the great universities of the West for Jesus, it will be as godly professors, men and women, embrace the same call that Erick Nilson answered more than 25 years ago and stand beside John Walkup and others to challenge our colleagues to make a difference for Jesus through our teaching and research and through our individual and corporate witness on the campus.