Northwestern College announces faculty promotions and tenurings

Six members of Northwestern College’s faculty have been awarded tenure or promoted for the 2017–18 school year.

Dr. Derek Brower, Dr. Chris Hausmann, Dr. John Hubers, Phil Scorza, Emily Stokes and Dr. John Vonder Bruegge have all been promoted to the rank of associate professor. Hausmann and Stokes have also been awarded tenure.

Brower joined the college’s education department in 2006 after teaching secondary science for 12 years at schools in Iowa, Botswana, the Marshall Islands and Thailand. A graduate of Northwestern, he earned a second degree in science education and a master’s degree in technology education from Western Washington University. He completed a doctoral degree from Montana State University with a focus on science education curriculum and instruction.

A member of Northwestern’s sociology department since 2011, Hausmann is a scholar of social theory, research methods, microsociology, emotions, social movements and global sociology. After graduating from St. John’s University with a degree in peace studies, he earned a master’s degree and doctorate from the University of Notre Dame. Before joining the college’s faculty, Hausmann worked in Notre Dame’s Center for Social Research, assisting researchers with survey design.

Hubers, a member of the college’s religion faculty since 2010, has 13 years of experience living in the Middle East, teaching English and serving as a pastor. Northwestern’s director of global education, he previously supervised mission programs in the Middle East and South Asia for the Reformed Church in America. A Northwestern graduate, Hubers earned a Master of Divinity degree from New Brunswick Theological Seminary, as well as a master’s degree in theology and a doctorate from the Lutheran School of Theology at Chicago.

Scorza served as a graphic designer and creative director for over 20 years before joining Northwestern’s art faculty in 2004. He teaches Introduction to Studio, photography and graphic design courses for the department, in addition to using his expertise to serve nonprofit and community-based organizations. His work has been exhibited nationally and internationally. A Northwestern alumnus, he earned a bachelor’s degree in graphic design at Iowa State University and a Master of Fine Arts degree from Lesley University College of Art and Design.

Stokes, a member of the college’s art faculty since 2011, has presented her work at solo exhibitions at Illinois Wesleyan University, Arizona State and the University of Michigan Hospital. Her work has also been part of group exhibitions at galleries across the U.S. After earning a degree in studio art and English at Wellesley College, she earned a Master of Fine Arts degree in printmaking from Arizona State University.

Vonder Bruegge joined Northwestern’s religion faculty in 2004 after serving as a research assistant at Harvard and Yale and as a teaching fellow and lecturer at Yale Divinity School. In addition to teaching in the religion department, he serves as the co-director of Northwestern’s Honors Program. A graduate of the University of Missouri, earned a Master of Divinity degree from Covenant Theological Seminary, a master’s degree in theology from Harvard University and a doctorate from Yale University.