Scholars Speak
Scholars Speak is a collection of articles based on research and geared for the general audience. Each short essay is written by a member of the Fresno Pacific University faculty or staff and examines an issue of community interest through the lens of that writer’s scholarship and expertise. Faculty at FPU are experts in their fields and see it as part of their mission as educators to share their knowledge beyond the campus. The pieces in Scholars Speak offer a variety of perspectives, subjects and writing styles.
Latest Articles
- In a black and white world, try thinking gray
- By Rod Reed - June 12, 2008
- Decisions, decisions. It’s a big world out there, with lots of decisions to make. It’s a busy world, too, so we better make those decisions quickly, right? Not always, says Rod Reed, campus pastor and dean of spiritual formation at Fresno Pacific University. In the June edition of Scholars Speak, Reed makes the case that unhurried decisions can be the best decisions.
- Freedom and limits at the library
- By Wayne Steffen - May 12, 2008
- Scholars Speak again goes monthly for the summer. For May, Wayne Steffen wonders what ought to be the mix of education and entertainment at the public library. Does Scary Movie 4 stand with Schindler’s List? Foxy Brown with The Philadelphia Story? More important, who decides and how can we all participate?
- The economic stimulus big give
- By Tim Neufeld - April 16, 2008
- The federal government is giving away money! What should we do with it?
- President Bush and other leaders want us to spend the windfall on domestic goods and services. Call it an economic stimulus package or a tax rebate—it is a tried and true method of jumpstarting the economy. Supporters hope this short-term boost will have long-term benefits. A few others call saving the money, or at least paying down debts, more responsible. Tim Neufeld, biblical and religious studies professor at Fresno Pacific University, offers a third suggestion so far unheard in the public discussion. Find out what this is in this week’s Scholars Speak.
- Have you done a good math problem lately?
- By David Youngs - April 7, 2008
- Innumeracy—it’s a big word for a malady many of us picked up in elementary school: the sweating palms, the shaking knees, the lightheadedness that occurs when a teacher says, “Please open your math books.” Sadly, these symptoms may remain throughout life, manifesting itself during budget meetings at work and tax time at home. Strangely, carriers of innumeracy often wear their illness as a badge of honor. Unfortunately, it can also be contagious, spreading down the generations.
- Dave Youngs, mathematics education professor at Fresno Pacific University, has a warning and a solution in this week’s Scholars Speak.
- Relief sales combine doing good with having fun
- By Kevin Enns-Rempel - March 31, 2008
- Helping others does not have to be a sacrifice, and Mennonite relief sales are living proof: everything from quilts and furniture to art and old books get sold, food from a variety of traditions gets eaten and everyone has fun, while raising millions for those facing poverty and disasters—natural and manmade. One such sale happens in Fresno April 4 & 5. Kevin Enns-Rempel gives a historic background to the event in this week's Scholars Speak.
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- All articles express the views expressed of their authors, not the official position of the university.
