Division of Humanities & Social Sciences

Faculty

Dr. Rick Ostrander
Dean of Undergraduate Studies
Associate Professor of History

As Dean of Undergraduate Studies, a position he has held since 2002, Dr. Rick Ostrander supervises undergraduate academic programs, the core curriculum, international study programs, academic advising, and the registrar's office. As associate professor of history, he teaches upper level electives in U.S. history as well as Arkansas History online. Dr. Ostrander also directs the German Summer Studies program, an annual four-week study tour of Germany that focuses on European history, religion, and culture.

Dr. Ostrander earned his Ph.D. in American History from the University of Notre Dame in 1996, a master's degree from Notre Dame in 1992, and bachelor's degrees from the University of Michigan and Moody Bible Institute in 1990.

Dr. Ostrander came to JBU as a history professor in 1997 and has subsequently served as chair of the Division of Social and Behavioral Studies, the Faculty Development Committee, and the Faculty Association. He has published two books, The Life of Prayer in a World of Science: Protestants, Prayer, and American Culture, 1870-1930 (Oxford University Press, 2000) and Head, Heart, and Hand: John Brown University and Modern Evangelical Higher Education (University of Arkansas Press, 2003).

In Spring 2004 Dr. Ostrander served as a Fulbright Senior Scholar in Wurzburg, Germany, where he taught courses in American History and lectured on American higher education to various German audiences.

Dr. Ostrander is an avid cyclist who dreams of someday competing in the Tour de France.