Campus Life Archives - 91�Թ�

In Gratitude, We Gather

Ersy Wambold — Tue, 25 Nov 2025 20:35:55 +0000

On Monday, our community gathered for a special 91�Թ� Thanksgiving Chapel hosted by the School of Divinity. It was a needed moment of rest in a busy season and a reminder of God’s enduring goodness.

Dr. Keith Plummer, Dean of the School of Divinity, opened chapel by sharing from John’s account of the feeding of the five thousand. He highlighted John 6:23, where the apostle notes that the people returned to the place where they had eaten after the Lord had given thanks. Rather than first drawing attention to the miracle itself, John points to Christ’s thanksgiving. As Dr. Plummer reminded us, Jesus shows us what it looks like to live a life marked by gratitude and thankfulness.

Dr. Plummer then shared what he is thankful for, followed by seven other School of Divinity faculty.

Dr. Keith Plummer

Dean & Professor of Theology, School of Divinity

Showing a photo of his children, Dr. Plummer reflected on the gift of family. Although his two children now live in different states, they continue to stay connected. He smiled as he spoke about the way his children love, support, and advocate for one another. But, more important than their relationship with one another, Dr. Plummer expressed deep gratitude that his children are trusting in and following Jesus. “He has taken hold of their hearts,” he said, and for that, he is thankful.

Dr. Jared Bryant

Associate Dean & Professor, School of Divinity

Dr. Bryant expressed his gratitude for the universal and enduring Christian Church. God’s people are one church across all times, cultures, and places, and the message of the gospel has not changed. Pointing to Romans 1, Dr. Bryant reflected on the hope that the gospel is the power of God for all who believe. As he concluded, he gave a helpful reminder: “Consider the actions of Jesus who showed that to all who received him and believed in his name, He gave the right to become children of God. The kingdom of God is a very big tent. So, this Thanksgiving, let’s allow our gathering to be under a very big table.”

Dr. Kevin McFadden

Professor of New Testament, School of Divinity

Reading from Colossians 3:15–17, Dr. McFadden emphasized that the act of thanksgiving is central to a life in Jesus Christ. He shared how thankful he is to simply belong to Jesus. He is grateful for God’s ongoing work of sanctification and for the promise that Christ will indeed hold him fast. Dr. McFadden also expressed sincere gratitude for the community God has placed him in at Cairn. He is especially encouraged by students who love the Word of God and colleagues who share his faith in Christ.

Dr. Bryan Murawski

Associate Professor, School of Divinity

Dr. Murawski reflected on the seemingly “ordinary” moments in his life that have revealed God’s extraordinary providence. He is thankful that a mundane service led him into studying the Bible with a friend, which gave him an early opportunity to teach Scripture. He is thankful that when his youth group was not meeting certain needs, he visited another group and met the woman who would become his wife. Finally, he is thankful that a “boring” campus visit elsewhere eventually led him to attend Cairn, a place where God has continued to shape his life and calling. Even in the simpler moments, we can give thanks to God.

Dr. James Dolezal

Professor of Theology, School of Divinity

Dr. Dolezal highlighted Psalm 100 to show that God’s lovingkindness never ends and that He will finish the work He has started in His people through Jesus Christ. Dr. Dolezal shared that he is thankful to have grown up in a home where Christ was boldly and rightly confessed as Lord. He is thankful for parents who prayed faithfully, served their church, and spoke the true and saving gospel into his life. His prayer is that he would offer that same faithful witness to his own children and to his students, pointing them always to the goodness of God.

Dr. William Krewson

Faculty, School of Divinity

Dr. Krewson expressed his gratitude for something that brings simple joy to him and his wife: their three-year-old Maltipoo, Josie. He reflected on how God created animals and gave us dominion over them, and how even the smallest and frailest of creatures point to their Creator. Josie reminds him of our dependence on God for every need, but also of the unique way we are made in God’s image. Through this small gift, he is reminded of God’s kindness in all He has made.

Dr. Matthew McAlack

Professor, School of Divinity

Dr. McAlack expressed deep gratitude for the gospel and the power of God to save. He thanked God for his wife, a faithful partner in life and ministry as they approach 40 years together. And, he is grateful for his children and grandchildren and the joy they bring.

He shared how thankful he is for Cairn students. It is a privilege, he said, to watch God at work here. He is encouraged by moments like students sharing the gospel with a waitress at a local restaurant and volunteering to prepare food while talking with families in our community about the Lord. These glimpses of faithful ministry are a gift he continues to thank God for.

Dr. Anthony Hurst

Faculty, School of Divinity

Starting in Psalm 107, Dr. Hurst reminded the community of the call to give thanks. “Let the redeemed of the Lord say that He is good.” He thanked God for His grace and for using Scripture to guide, correct, and transform him. He thanked God for saving him and setting his life on a new path. Also, he is grateful for more than 45 years with his wife, for his two children who are serving the Lord, and for his five grandchildren.

Dr. Hurst also expressed how thankful he is for his colleagues and for the students he gets to teach. He shared that being at Cairn, and seeing God at work in the lives of students is a joy. He ended by praising God for the gift of eternal life; a gift that will never be taken away and gives us reason to be grateful forever.

We are thankful for opportunities like this to reflect on how God continually keeps His promises. In the smallest moments, and the biggest milestones, we can always rejoice and give thanks to God! Happy Thanksgiving!

Convocation Chapel Sets the Tone for 2025–26 Academic Year

Lydia Garrison — Tue, 26 Aug 2025 19:15:59 +0000

On Monday, August 25, the Fall 2025 semester began with Cairn students, faculty, and staff gathering together to celebrate the start of another academic year.

Continuing University tradition, the University faculty, donning their regalia, began the procession into the gymnasium. The freshman class then entered Convocation two by two, receiving a warm welcome of applause from the faculty, staff, and upperclassmen. This marks the beginning of an academic journey for over 160 new students who started their studies on campus this fall. The next time they take part in a procession into the gymnasium, it will be for their graduation.

After a time of song, Dr. Todd J. Williams, president, addressed the student body. He spoke on this year’s “One Scripture, One University” verse, a selection made by the Spiritual Life Committee ahead of the start of each academic year. This year’s verse is Deuteronomy 13:4 “You shall walk after the LORD your God and fear him and keep his commandments and obey his voice, and you shall serve him and hold fast to him.”

Dr. Williams told the students that this verse has made commands and that they perhaps can all be summarized by the final command to “hold fast”—a command included through Scripture “because we are prone to let go.” His charge to the students to, at the beginning of a new academic year, is to “pay attention to your walk and desire to follow after God.” The time spent at a Christian university should not be incidential but intentional, and one’s spiritual walk requires daily attention.

As the University closed in prayer and the hymn, “Great is Thy Faithfulness,” students, faculty, and staff began the new year with renewed determination to walk after God, fear him, keep his commandments, obey his voice, and hold fast to him.

Welcome, class of 2029!

Annual RIDE Seminar: Promoting the Practice of Professionalism

Isabelle Lazor — Wed, 30 Mar 2022 18:05:41 +0000

On the last weekend of February, 91�Թ� Enactus held its annual RIDE seminar. This year, nearly 70 students and 17 local businesses participated in the event.

RIDE (Resume, Interview, Dress, Etiquette) has been held annually for over a decade and is designed to equip students to enter professional careers after graduation. Local businesses and universities such as Biohaven Pharmaceuticals, Compassion International, and Feedonomics attended this year to build connections with students and serve as mock interviewers. The preparation seminar during RIDE also instructed attendants on how to shape a resume, master a first impression, dress to impress, and improve business etiquette.

Cairn’s continued partnership with Enactus, “the world’s largest experiential learning platform,” has resulted in several awards across the years. Cairn’s team has come in first place in 16 regional-level Enactus competitions and has been consistently ranked within the top 20 teams of the USA National Exposition. Through Enactus initiatives such as R.I.D.E, students across various fields of study have benefited from opportunities for professional development.

The president of Enactus, Karla Sanchez, shared that the event and students this year received highly positive feedback. Once again, through RIDE, students gained valuable experience in practicing professionalism.

For more information concerning business programs at 91�Թ�, please visit cairn.edu/business.

One Scripture, One University Launches for 2021–2022 Academic Year

Juston Wolgemuth — Tue, 14 Sep 2021 14:49:49 +0000

With the start of the fall semester, the 91�Թ� community draws on a new passage for “One Scripture, One University.” This is an initiative where the Cairn community focuses on one passage of Scripture, creating a climate for spiritual growth both on- and off-campus. The passage for this academic year is Colossians 1:15–17, with special emphasis on verse 17.

“[The Son] is the image of the invisible God, the firstborn of all creation. For by him all things were created, in heaven and on earth, visible and invisible, whether thrones or dominions or rulers or authorities—all things were created through him and for him. And he is before all things, and in him all things hold together.”
Colossians 1:15–17

The University has long emphasized Christ and His Word as two central themes of a Cairn education. The Spiritual Life Committee implements One Scripture, One University with the belief that God uses His Word to transform people into the image of His Son Jesus. Focusing on one Scripture passage together will provide a central point from which all other University initiatives can flow.
Through consistent communication of this scripture in classrooms, chapel, and social media, the Spiritual Life Committee prays the Spirit will lead individuals to initiate their own conversations and reflections on this passage.
For ideas on how to take part in this initiative, visit cairn.edu/one-scripture-one-university. Share your thoughts, reflections, songs, artwork, and more on social media with #OneScriptureOneUniversity.

Cairn Opera Theater To Present Moliére’s The Imaginary Invalid

Juston Wolgemuth — Wed, 04 Nov 2020 13:33:59 +0000

On Friday, November 6 and Saturday, November 7, Cairn students will take the stage in Chatlos Chapel for a rendition of Moliére’s 1673 play, The Imaginary Invalid.
Known in its original French title as “The Hypochondriac,” this story follows Argan, a self-centered man who constantly seeks unnecessary medical attention for himself, manipulating those around him to get it. Argan navigates his relationships with his second wife, Béline, who awaits his death and inheritance; his daughter, Angélique, who is in love with Cléante; and his witty housemaid, Toinette. Despite Angélique’s love for Cléante, Argan plans to arrange a marriage between her and a rich, aspiring young doctor, Thomas Diaforious, in an attempt to secure more medical attention for himself. With this love-triangle, Béline’s plots for an inheritance, and Argan’s constant antics, it is up to Toinette to ensure the family does not end in destruction.
The selection of this play is timely for several reasons. With concerns about COVID-19 and rehearsal schedules for students on campus, this play calls for a smaller cast and can allow for more distancing on stage. Additionally, the main character is a hypochondriac, which allows masks to be seamlessly incorporated as a prop. Ultimately, though, this play was chosen because it is a comedy, and as Cairn professor and play director Dr. Mike Breece explained, “we could all use a bit of humor and fun in our lives right now.”

Junior Kayla Powlison is serving in the role of assistant director for the production, but she noted, “I’ll make a tiny cameo in Act III, so keep an eye out for that.” Kayla expressed excitement to be part of the first non-musical play that the Cairn Opera Theater has performed in many years. For Kayla, it’s the first play she has been a part of since Pirates of Penzance in Spring 2019.

Preparing for this play has served as a welcome opportunity for Kayla and her fellow performers to come together during this unique semester: “It’s been an absolute joy to watch our actors grow in their skills, to laugh until we have tears streaming down our faces, to play with props and costumes, and to pray together. Doing theater together turns you into a family.”

The cast prepares while remaining socially distant.

An in-person performance of The Imaginary Invalid will take place in Chatlos Chapel for students, faculty, and staff on Friday, November 6 at 7 pm. A second performance will be live-streamed on Saturday, November 7 at 2 pm, which is available for free to the public.
For more information or to secure your live stream tickets, visit cairn.edu/tickets.

Mark Jalovick Named University Chaplain

Lydia Garrison — Fri, 24 Jul 2020 17:04:45 +0000

In preparation for the 2020–21 academic year the University has appointed Mark Jalovick to the role of chaplain in the Office of 91�Թ�. The reinstatement of this role in the life of the University resulted from the direction of President Todd J. Williams and his goal to center the students’ spiritual formation around a discipleship model.
Mark comes into this role with over 30 years of institutional experience. For most of that time, Mark served as the director of the Wisconsin Wilderness Campus (WWC), the University’s first year program from 1988–2013. His responsibilities at WWC were varied, but his role as a discipler and mentor to the first year students was paramount in their transition to college and adulthood. It is for these reasons that Scott Cawood, senior vice president of student affairs and administration, notes that Mark is “the logical choice to lead our students as chaplain.”
The vision for the University chaplaincy is to create a center for both the corporate and personal aspects of discipleship and spiritual formation. Specifically, this includes overseeing the chapel schedule to maintain a common message of biblical truth; shaping the ministry credit program to make an impact in our churches and the local community; and developing discipleship, prayer, and Bible study groups among the incoming students and the remainder of the student body. Mark will also continue to teach courses through the School of Divinity such as the new Life & Calling freshman course that focuses on what it means to live faithfully as a servant of God.
“In my previous roles, I was involved with students in areas of their lives beyond the classroom, and that experience was not just beneficial to many students’ personal growth but to mine as well,” said Mark. “If I am calling students to be disciples of Jesus, I need to be one first. I am looking forward to working again more directly in areas of 91�Թ� that impact the entire Cairn community.”