Sabbatical Provides Significant Research Opportunity

EUGENE, Ore.  - The Spring semester of 2009 was a pivotal time in the life and career of professor Mick Bollenbaugh, and he didn't spend a single minute in the NCU classroom. Bollenbaugh was awarded a semester sabbatical and will return to Northwest Christian University this fall with a large body of material to share with the academic community.

Dennis Lindsay, Vice President for Academic Affairs and Dean of Faculty said, "Sabbaticals are often mistakenly construed as an 'extended vacation', however the real purpose is to allow professors to engage in a different kind of scholarly activity that will provide personal growth and renewal and enhance the educational offerings that they are able to bring back to the campus community upon completion of the sabbatical."

A sabbatical, for which NCU faculty members are eligible to apply after six consecutive years, give professors the opportunity to refresh and recover from the demands of teaching and also gives the opportunity to pursue and refine research interests that often lie dormant because of heavy teaching loads.

For Bollenbaugh, who has been a full-time professor over multiple disciplines for fifteen years, the sabbatical was an opportunity to return to the subject of his Ph.D. dissertation from 15 years prior related to the writings of Danish philosopher, theologian, and literary critic Soren Kierkegaard. "This opportunity allowed me to read and research much of Kierkegaard's written materials that were outside the scope of my original dissertation," said Bollenbaugh. "I am grateful to the University for its commitment to keeping faculty members refreshed and sharp by providing sabbaticals for them."

The long period of uninterrupted study has generated a number of titles for articles that Bollenbaugh plans to publish over the next few years. Currently he is focused on an article that involves Kierkegaard's understanding of ecclesiology, the nature of the Church. As part of his research, Bollenbaugh travelled to Denmark for a short period of study in Kierkegaard's home town of Copenhagen.  Beyond the written materials that were made available, he was able to see the places that Kierkegaard did his work, the churches he attended and preached in, and he was able to visit the cemetery where he is buried.

Upon returning from Copenhagen, Bollenbaugh spent time as a summer scholar at the Kierkegaard Library at St. Olaf's College in Northfield, Minnesota. "Although I was there for just a short time," said Bollenbaugh, "I was able to access one of the best collections of Kierkegaard research in the world and rub shoulders with some top flight Kierkegaard scholars."

Bollenbaugh will return to the classroom at NCU this fall with many pleasant memories and teaching possibilities. He said, "Hopefully in the near future I will have the opportunity to offer a special topics course on Kierkegaard. While I have come to believe that Kierkegaard is relevant for anyone, I think students in philosophy, theology, communications, biblical studies and literature would find him especially compelling and though provoking."

Lindsay added, "Mick, just as the subject of his sabbatical research, represents a unique mixture of Philosopher/Theologian. He is equally at home teaching an ethics course where theology is never off his radar screen or a biblical studies course where he is able to probe the philosophical underpinnings. His renewed research on Kierkegaard will enhance the education of NCU students in both classroom settings."

Other full-time faculty members will be taking sabbatical leaves during the 2009-2010 school year, including Anne Maggs, Associate Professor of Business and Management, and Dr. Michael Kennedy, Professor of Business and Management.