“Winds of Change” Conference (2010)

Comments

1. dwilson says:

   March 5, 2010 at 9:21 am

   The conference was amazing. It was extremely well organized with excellent sessions, discussion times, breaks, and meals. The two plenary sessions (with the Jacobson’s and Mary Poplin) were extremely good examples of Christian scholarship and pedagogy. I found them challenging, and yet motivational in a “big picture” sense. There was also a panel session where six faculty shared on their experience integrating their faith with into student and collegial interactions. In contrast with the plenary sessions, the panel felt immensely practical. The stories told varied widely and I was encouraged that there is freedom in being a Christian faculty member – we don’t have to fit into a mold. Following each session, we were placed in pre-assigned discussion groups by discipline (twice) and campus (once). We were provided with guiding questions modeled to build upon what we had talked about. This was a great time to discuss and share what we had just learned.

   No description of the conference could be complete without saying that the setting at Pepperdine was amazing. The location at the graduate school is high up on the hill overlooking Malibu. The scenery was a reminder that sometimes we need to set our sights above the busyness of teaching, grading, and committee meetings. The food was fantastic and very plentiful (I took a picture of the lunch spread with the thought that I should bring it to our conference catering department).

   Going into the conference, I had a few concerns: would we (I went with a friend from Highline) be the only faculty in mathematics, the youngest, and the only ones from a community college? I cannot articulate how blessed I was in these areas. We were in a small group with a mathematics professor and two faculty in computer science. We were perhaps the youngest, but the demographic of the group crossed the age, gender, and ethnicity spectrum.
   We were the only faculty from a community college and indeed the only participants from outside southern California. But, it was a wonderful time and the sessions all seemed relevant to us w/o having been aimed at our demographic.

   All in all, I came back refreshed, encouraged, and challenged. I would like to attend again (if I can find a way to take my wife). A conference of this nature in the NW would be awesome if that is a reasonable request and ambition.