Luke Reinsma, the Director of the University Scholars Program, has taught Texts and Contexts I since the early 1990s. A graduate of Calvin College and of the University of Michigan, he received a Ph.D. in medieval literature in 1978. After teaching at Gustavus Adolphus College in Minnesota, he joined the English Department at Seattle Pacific University in 1985. In 2004, he won the Carnegie Foundation’s Professor of the Year award for the State of Washington.  Dr. Reinsma has studied and taught in China, Japan, and Germany, and has published essays on Shusaku Endo and Kenzaburo Oe in Christianity and Literature and essays on Michelangelo and Thomas Kinkade in Christian Scholar's Review. He loves the mountains of Washington, which he regularly hikes throughout the year, often in the company of students. Luke and Barbara Reinsma have two children, Marika and Nathaniel, both of whom attend SPU.   Dr. Reinsma welcomes your emails at lreinsma@spu.edu.

Tom Amorose is Professor of English and Director of Campus Writing at SPU. He did his undergraduate work at Ohio State University, where he wrote an honors thesis on Heart of Darkness and other works by Joseph Conrad. Professor Amorose went on to receive his doctorate at the University of Washington in 1978, with a dissertation on John Milton's epic, Paradise Lost. After teaching, administering, and developing policies and programs at several colleges and universities, he came to SPU in 1986 and currently teaches courses in academic writing, creative non-fiction, and early English literature, along with Texts & Contexts II. His research interests have covered language politics, the rhetoric of the public sphere, and the administration of writing programs at small colleges/universities. Dr. Amorose and his wife are state-approved forest stewards, enjoy gardening, and bike throughout the Pacific Northwest whenever they can. Dr. Amorose can be contacted at tamorose@spu.edu.

Christine Chaney is an Associate Professor of English and co-teaches Texts and Contexts III. She did her undergraduate study primarily at UCLA and UC-Berkeley and earned her Ph.D. from the University of Washington in 1998. Dr. Chaney's scholarly work focuses on philosophy, comparative literature, and English across the 18th and 19th centuries. Her recent publications include articles on the rhetoric of narrative emotion, Victorian hybrid texts, and teaching literary theory at Christian colleges. Dr. Chaney is also SPU’s faculty coordinator for UCOR 1000, a required freshman course on the arts and the Christian community in the Common Curriculum.  She and her husband have a daughter who recently graduated from SPU and a son who attends Western Washington University.  The whole family enjoys music, movies, their beloved dog, Jack, and being together at their family cabin in the Methow Valley. Dr. Chaney welcomes your emails at cchaney@spu.edu.

Bruce Congdon, who teaches Faith and Science II, is Dean of the College of Arts and Sciences and chair of Biology for nearly a decade. With a Ph.D. in entomology from the University of California at Riverside, he’s taught at SPU since 1985 and has published over a dozen articles on various kinds of bugs and spider mites. Bruce and his wife, Shari, have two children: Daniel, a senior at Ballard High School, and Sara, who goes to SPU. While gardening, backpacking, or walking, Bruce also enjoys thinking about evolution, faith, scripture, the earth, time and eternity. He rides the bus, plays a little guitar, and reads Wendell Berry, John Haught, and Stephen Jay Gould. He attends Bethany Community Church. You can email Professor Congdon at bcongdon@spu.edu.

Douglas Downing joined the SPU faculty in 1983.  He earned a Ph.D. in economics from Yale University and a B.S. from Yale with a double major in economics/political science and astronomy/physics.  He has written several books including a mathematics textbook trilogy in the form of adventure novels.  In addition to teaching economics and quantitative methods in the School of Business and Economics (SBE), he teaches introductory astronomy in the College of Arts and Sciences and Texts and Contexts IV in the University Scholars program.  He has served as SPU faculty chair, SBE undergraduate chair, SBE study abroad coordinator, and leader of SBE's study abroad trip to China.  His mother Peggy was an SPU student when SPU only had three buildings.  He met his wife Lori at the Camlann Medieval Faire near Carnation, Washington.  Check out Dr. Downing’s home page at http://myhome.spu.edu/ddowning, or you can email him at ddowning@spu.edu.

Owen M. Ewald joined the SPU faculty in 2001.  He earned a Ph.D. in classics from the University of Washington and a B.A. in classics from Yale.  He has published articles on Vergil and Josephus and serves as Associate Editor for Latin Diagnoses for the journal Pacific Northwest Fungi.  Current Chair of the Department of Foreign Languages and Literatures, he teaches Greek and Latin language and literature, ancient history, and a survey of European art.  He also teaches Texts and Contexts I together with Dr. Reinsma, and he has been first or second reader on at least a half-dozen honors projects as well. His thoughts and musings in Latin may be found on his blog, Sputa Tilica, at http://web.mac.com/owenewald/iWeb/SputaTilica/Blog/Blog.html.  He met his wife Ellen at Christ Episcopal Church in Seattle’s U-District, where they have been members for fifteen years.  They have two daughters, aged six and nine, who love anything related to Harry Potter.  You may email Dr. Ewald at ewaldo@spu.edu.

Susan VanZanten Gallagher, the Director of the Center for Scholarship and Faculty Development, earned a Ph.D. in English literature from Emory University after doing undergraduate work at Westmont College. She teaches the junior-level seminar in Christianity and Scholarship. Dr. Gallagher's books include Literature Through the Eyes of Faith, A Story of South Africa, Postcolonial Literature and the Biblical Call to Justice, and Literature and the Renewal of the Public Sphere. Her most recent book, Truth and Reconciliation: The Confessional Mode in South African Literature, was supported by fellowships from the Pew Foundation and the National Endowment for the Humanities. Dr. Gallagher frequently lectures around the country on issues related to faith, scholarship, and learning. You may email Dr. Gallagher at gallaghe@spu.edu.

Eric Hanson, Professor of Music, has been at SPU since 1979 and has been teaching for over 35 years. He co-teaches Texts and Contexts III with Dr. Chaney. Dr. Hanson earned a Bachelors degree from Wheaton College, a Masters from Colorado State University, and a Doctorate from the University of Washington. His dissertation plumbed the elegant relationships between the symphonies of Gustav Mahler and the philosophy of Arthur Schopenhauer. Known as a clinician, adjudicator, scholar, lecturer, and guest conductor, Dr. Hanson is in his 20th season as Music Director of Thalia Symphony. He was awarded a National Endowment for the Humanities Fellowship to Harvard and an NEH grant to study at the Beethoven Institute. His interests include mountain climbing (he currently has 93 summits), European travel, golf, and softball. He is addicted to pickleball. To contact Dr. Hanson, email ehanson@spu.edu.

John Lindberg, Associate Professor of Physics, has taught several courses in the capstone science sequence.  A graduate of North Park College, the University of Washington and Heriot-Watt University in Edinburgh, Scotland, he received a Ph.D. in physics in 1999. Dr. Lindberg began his career as an industrial physicist at Boeing working on optical detection methods for aerospace. When the west won the cold war, Dr. Lindberg switched from Aerospace to bio-medical research and began working full time at Abbott Laboratories. He has received several patents and has published papers based upon his work in non-invasive measurements of blood chemistry using optics. In 1997, he also began teaching at Trinity International University in Illinois. He joined the Physics Department at Seattle Pacific University in 1999. Dr. Lindberg is working with the SPU Engineering department to develop a new degree in Missions Applications of Engineering, which will prepare engineers and scientists for work in third-world missions. Lynne and John Lindberg have four children. You may email Dr. Lindberg at lindberg@spu.edu.

Patrick McDonaldcontributes to the philosophical dimensions of the Faith and Science Seminar. He joined the philosophy department at Seattle Pacific in 2001after completing his doctoral studies in the history and philosophy of science at the University of Notre Dame. Recently Patrick participated in the Templeton Oxford Seminars on Science and Christianity that continued for three summers. He earned a bachelor's degree from Seattle University in 1992. While a student at Notre Dame, he earned a Fulbright fellowship to study for a year at the Humboldt Universitaet zu Berlin. Dr. McDonald offers courses in science and religion, the philosophy of science, and in the history of philosophy. His research interests lie primarily in the philosophy of science and specifically concern the intersection of philosophy, physics, and experimental psychology in nineteenth century Germany. He has published articles on the philosophy of science and experimental work of the German scientist Hermann von Helmholtz. Patrick is very happy to be back in Seattle with his wife, three daughters, and extended family. His wife, Hannah, is also a graduate from Seattle University. The McDonalds enjoy a range of activities unique to the Northwest, from hiking the pine forests of eastern Washington to taking in the vistas of Seattle’s Discovery Park . Email Dr. McDonald at mcdonp@spu.edu.

Kevin Neuhouserbrings his expertise in Latin American history and culture to one section of the University Scholars Seminar each fall. A Professor in the Department of Sociology, Dr. Neuhouser received his Ph.D. from Indiana University, after doing his undergraduate work at Taylor University. He is the author of Modern Brazil (1999) and numerous articles. Dr. Neuhouser has done extensive on-site research in an urban Brazilian squatter settlement (where he had lived for three years), paying special attention to gender roles, and he has also led four SPU student SPRINT teams (short term missions) to Brazil for which students received credit for a course in “Community Development.” In 2002, he was selected to present the annual faculty Weter Lecture on Christian responsibility in a global world. Dr. Neuhouser was also a member of the SPU's Men's A-League Intramural Basketball Championship team in both 2000 and 2001. Dr. Neuhouser's email address is neuhous@spu.edu.

Lane Seeley, an Assistant Professor of Physics at SPU since 2001, graduated with a B.A. from the University of Puget Sound, a Masters in Science from Montana State University, and a Ph.D. from the University of Washington.  He teaches a variety of physics courses, including University Scholars Physics for the program’s non-science majors.  Professor Seeley is particularly interested in the nucleation and the surface melting of ice, a topic upon which he’s published several articles in recent years. Together with his colleagues in physics, he is also the recipient of an NSF grant to improve physics education.  With their children Luke and Maia, Lane and his wife, Andrea, live to the north of Seattle in Edmonds, where they attend Holy Rosary Church.  A former all-American collegiate distance runner, he now mentors runners on SPU’s cross-country team and competes in triathlons in the summer.  Dr. Seeley welcomes your emails at seelel@spu.edu.

Kimberly Segall joined the English Department at SPU in 2001 with a B.A. from Calvin College and a Ph.D. from Northwestern University, where she wrote “Over My Dead Body,” a dissertation on drama and reconciliation in South Africa.  Although her field is modern and contemporary literature, she teaches a broad array of courses – the University Scholar’s first-year University Seminar, international fiction, and courses in post-colonial African and Asian literature, as well as a senior seminar in J.M. Coetzee.  She has recently published articles on “Story and Song in Iraq and South Africa,” Coetzee’s Disgrace, and more.  Having spent years abroad teaching in China, Iraq, and India, Kim Segall and her husband William love to travel.  In the summer of 2005, they (and their baby daughter Anika) brought 20 students to South Africa for a study tour of South African theatre and literature.  Dr. Segall welcomes your emails at segalk@spu.edu.

Rick Steeleis Professor of Moral and Historical Theology and Associate Dean for Academic Programs and Special Events of the School of Theology.  He came to SPU in 1995, after serving in the United Methodist pastorate in Wisconsin for 17 years and teaching at Marquette University and the Milwaukee Theological Institute.  He has been Chair of the Department of Theology since 2000, was honored as Professor of the Year in 2002, was named Weter Faculty Award Lecturer in 2004, and served as Chair of the University Faculty in 2005-05.  His great joys are classroom instruction and interacting with students (preferably over a triple-tall Americano).  He is married to the Reverend Marilyn S. Hair.  They have three children: Sarah (SPU, 2007), Jonathan, and Mollie.  Dr. Steele’s email address is rsteele@spu.edu.

Rodney L. Stiling came to SPU in 2001 with over a decade's experience with the Integrated Liberal Studies program at the University of Wisconsin - Madison. A graduate of UCLA, Dallas Theological Seminary, and the University of Wisconsin, he received his PhD in History of Science in 1991. Dr. Stiling brings to the Faith and Science sequence a love of students and learning, as well as interests in the scientific revolution of the 16th-18th centuries, the history of relations of science and religion, history of geology, and the history of evolutionary thought. His other assignments here at SPU include teaching world history and philosophy for the Core Curriculum and teaching history of science for SPU's history program. Recent publications include articles on nineteenth-century American geology and the history of scientific interpretation of the Genesis Flood.  Retired in 2002 from the U.S. Naval Reserve, he served on active duty or with reserve units in both the U.S. and foreign countries.  Rod is married to Ruth, with whom he has shared many years of living all over this country and abroad, as well as many years of ministry together to college students. They have the privilege of being the parents of three young adult children and are thrilled to be living in the West, where both mountains and ocean delight the eyes and nourish the soul!  You may email Dr. Stiling at rstiling@spu.edu.

Stamatis Vokos, a professor of physics, joined Seattle Pacific University in 2002.   A native of Greece, he completed his undergraduate studies at the University of Kent in England and received his Ph.D. in theoretical physics at the University of California at Berkeley. He has spent the past several years at the University of Washington and then here at SPU researching how students learn physics – and how they might learn it more effectively. In addition to teaching Faith and Science I for University Scholars, he teaches not only general physics but courses in quantum mechanics and physics education as well. Stamatis has been to India on several occasions to teach physics to the monks of the Dalai Lama, and he travels with his wife and children to Greece every summer to visit his extended family. You can reach Professor Vokos at vokos@spu.edu.

For more information about the University Scholars program, refer to the University Catalog. You may also contact Luke Reinsma, Director of University Scholars, at lreinsma@spu.edu or (206) 281-2093.