Reflecting on my academic role at ACU since 2016 has been a fruitful experience in that it has allowed me to take stock of where I have been and how God has been at work. Around the same time I was thinking through the structure of my tenure portfolio and beginning to reflect on my ACU experiences to date, I read Master of One: Find and Focus on the Work You were Created to Do. This book focuses on God’s call on one’s life both professionally and personally. At the time, I was struggling to see whether God’s plan was for me to stay in academia long-term or be open to exploring other possible professional paths. Engaging in this significant reflection exercise while also reading this noteworthy book helped to solidify and reaffirm that I am in the role that God has for me and that I am using the gifts with which He has blessed me.
Of course, this exercise has also allowed me to see that there is still work to be done. Below is a list of some of the areas/activities I would like to pursue going forward in order to further grow and develop in my academic role:
- Develop other experiential classes similar to Social Enterprise Consulting where students advise organizations regarding significant challenges or opportunities related to the skill sets they are learning through their business education. In doing so, I would like to explore working with organizations in other countries as well as domestic consulting opportunities
- Revisit co-leading a COBA study abroad program to Southern Africa (which was previously scheduled but ultimately cancelled due to COVID-19)
- Develop long-term research partnerships with local organizations here in Abilene as an extension of my dissertation research (focused on partnerships to address societal issues)
- Develop more research collaborations within the College of Business and look for opportunities to foster cross-disciplinary collaborations across campus with those who have a strong research interest in the area of sustainability
- Create a faculty and staff interest group for those interested in fostering and pursuing sustainable development on campus and within the local Abilene community
- Look for opportunities to become more involved with local nonprofits and social enterprises in Abilene such as serving on a local board (which overlap with my teaching, research and background)
- Become involved in an Adams Center book club