About JBU

SILOAM SPRINGS, Arkansas (May 10, 2023) – John Brown University has named Robert Norwood, Ph.D., as the university's next vice president for academic affairs.

As of June 1, Norwood will be responsible for the overall leadership of the faculty and academic administration, encouraging excellence in scholarship, teaching, advising, institutional service, Christian discipleship, curriculum and program development, institutional research, student academic success services, library services, external accreditation and all other programs or services related to the academic mission of the university.

Norwood will also serve on the President’s Cabinet, an eight-person team that works with JBU President Chip Pollard to set the strategic direction for JBU and oversee and implement planning, major initiatives and policies. 

“Dr. Norwood's extensive experience and outstanding contributions to our university make him an excellent choice for this critical role,” Pollard said. “Having served JBU for 14 years in academic administration, Rob has demonstrated his expertise, unwavering commitment, and faithfulness to the entire JBU community.  He will excel in this new role, and I look forward to working with him.”

Norwood has served at JBU since 1998 and has been in the Office of Academic Affairs since 2009, first as the dean of undergraduate studies and then as associate vice president for academic administration. Norwood has been a key academic administrator for all on-campus undergraduate, online undergraduate, and graduate programs, with responsibilities including faculty evaluation, course evaluation, institutional assessment, oversight of the core curriculum, and state authorizations.

Since 2007, Norwood has also been JBU’s primary contact with the institutional accreditor, the Higher Learning Commission and has served on many HLC peer review teams.

“I’m very excited about the opportunities the new role will provide to continue working with the wonderful faculty and staff at JBU as we prepare students to honor God and serve others," said Norwood.

Norwood holds a B.S., M.S., and Ph.D. in electrical engineering from Stanford University.

John Brown University is a leading private Christian university, training students to honor God and serve others since 1919. Arkansas’ top-ranked university (The Wall Street Journal) and top-ranked regional university (U.S. News), JBU enrolls more than 2,400 students from 33 states and 44 countries in its traditional undergraduate, graduate, online and concurrent education programs. JBU offers more than 50 undergraduate majors, with top programs including nursing, psychology, kinesiology, engineering, biology, family and human services, and graphic design. Eighteen graduate programs are available in business, counseling, cybersecurity, education and higher education. 

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SILOAM SPRINGS, Arkansas (May 10, 2023) – John Brown University has named Trisha Posey, Ph.D., as the university's next dean of undergraduate studies.

Starting June 1, 2023, Posey will have primary oversight of all on-campus and online undergraduate programs, core curriculum, and international studies. She will report to Robert Norwood, Ph.D., JBU's new vice president for academic affairs, and will partner with him with respect to hiring, managing, and evaluating faculty and program evaluation. 

"I have had the pleasure to work with Dr. Posey in many situations in the past, and it is exciting to think about how our skills and ways of thinking will complement each other as we work together in the future," Norwood said.

Posey has served as a faculty member at JBU since 2007 and has been the director of JBU’s Honors Scholars Program since 2012, overseeing the honors academic program for over 200 high-achieving students. Posey will continue to dedicate 40% of her time to this role for the next year as JBU transitions the program to new leadership.

"I am excited to move into the role of dean of undergraduate studies, and look forward to supporting our excellent faculty and academic staff as they continue their work of carrying out JBU's mission," Posey said. "I'm especially looking forward to working with Dr. Norwood. After working with him for over 15 years, I have the highest respect for him and his work."

Posey has served in various administrative roles at JBU, including department chair of history, chair of the Faculty Status Committee and Honors Faculty Committee, Deans Council, Campus Diversity Committee and as a member of the Undergraduate Council. She has also partnered with Arkansas Honors Program and Colleges on a variety of programs and serves as the co-chair of the CCCU’s Scholars’ Semester at Oxford Advisory Board.

“Dr. Posey’s passion for education, commitment to student success and collaborative spirit make her an outstanding choice for this role,” said JBU President Chip Pollard. “She has been instrumental in leading our Honors Scholar Program and has extensive service in leading various important academic committees on campus. In this new role, she will continue to grow in her leadership in ways that will deepen and extend JBU’s mission.”

Trisha holds a B.A. in history from Grand Canyon University, an M.Phil. from the University of Kent and a Ph.D. from the University of Maryland.

John Brown University is a leading private Christian university, training students to honor God and serve others since 1919. Arkansas’ top-ranked university (The Wall Street Journal) and top-ranked regional university (U.S. News), JBU enrolls more than 2,400 students from 33 states and 44 countries in its traditional undergraduate, graduate, online and concurrent education programs. JBU offers more than 50 undergraduate majors, with top programs including nursing, psychology, kinesiology, engineering, biology, family and human services, and graphic design. Eighteen graduate programs are available in business, counseling, cybersecurity, education and higher education.

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SILOAM SPRINGS, Arkansas (Feb. 24, 2023) – John Brown University awarded the final two Presidential Scholarships to Emma Sun from Shenzhen, China, and Gracein Moore of Locust Grove, Oklahoma, earlier this month.

Each year, JBU's hosts two Scholarship Competitions in November and February and invites qualifying prospective students based on academic performance. The competition includes rigorous interviews conducted by various faculty and staff on the JBU campus.

Over the two weekends, JBU awarded five Presidential Scholarships to five students who demonstrated great academic, social and spiritual enthusiasm. The scholarship is valued at $116,000 awarded over 4 years.

The other three Presidential Scholarship winners, announced in the fall were Danny Barajas from Rogers, Arkansas, Mayson Montgomery from Plano, Texas, and Melody Mathis from Fayetteville, Arkansas.

JBU also awarded more than $3 million in Chancellor's Scholarships to some of the students that participated in the competition.

For more information on scholarships at JBU, please visit jbu.edu/scholarships.

John Brown University is a leading private Christian university, training students to honor God and serve others since 1919. Arkansas’ top-ranked university (The Wall Street Journal) and top-ranked regional university (U.S. News), JBU enrolls more than 2,200 students from 37 states and 48 countries in its traditional undergraduate, graduate, online and concurrent education programs. JBU offers more than 40 undergraduate majors, with top programs including nursing, psychology, kinesiology, engineering, biology, family and human services, and graphic design. Eighteen graduate programs are available in business, counseling, cybersecurity, education and higher education.

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SILOAM SPRINGS, Arkansas (Feb. 9, 2023) - John Brown University will host D.C.-based entrepreneur Marcus Bullock on Feb. 21 for the Soderquist College of Business speaker series "Working for the Common Good."

Bullock is the CEO of Flikshop, a company that works hard to keep prisoners connected to their family members and other community resources through low-cost postcards. Bullock has been featured in a TED Talk that has been viewed over 1.8 million times, and he was awarded Prison Fellowship's Charles Colson Advocate of Hope Award in 2020.

When Bullock was 15 years old, he was arrested and sentenced to spend 8 years in adult maximum security prisons. During his first two years, Bullock says he became very dark and depressed but was saved by the letters his mother wrote him for the remaining 6 years. Bullock's mother and those letters became the inspiration for Flikshop. 

"We're excited to host Marcus on JBU's campus to speak with our business and entrepreneurship students," said Brad Gatlin, associate professor of business at JBU. "Marcus' story of redemption and resilience is inspiring. His business Flikshop is an excellent model of how Christians can use business to honor God, serve others, and impact the world."

Bullock's keynote, "Faith and Resilience: What I learned While Growing a Startup After Prison," starts at 7 p.m. in Simmons Great Hall and is free and open to the public.

Bullock will also speak at noon on Feb 21 during the Office of Diversity's lunch series "Where I Come From," where he will share his life story with JBU faculty, staff and students.

The "Working for the Common Good" speaker series started in 2017 to engage the broader JBU community on the idea of business as a means of honoring God, serving others and impacting the world. Previous speakers include executives and CEOs from different companies around the world.

John Brown University is a leading private Christian university, training students to honor God and serve others since 1919. Arkansas’ top-ranked university (The Wall Street Journal) and top-ranked regional university (U.S. News), JBU enrolls more than 2,200 students from 37 states and 48 countries in its traditional undergraduate, graduate, online and concurrent education programs. JBU offers more than 40 undergraduate majors, with top programs including nursing, psychology, kinesiology, engineering, biology, family and human services, and graphic design. Eighteen graduate programs are available in business, counseling, cybersecurity, education and higher education.

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SILOAM SPRINGS, Arkansas (Dec. 14, 2022) – Anastasia Pace, a junior electrical engineering major at John Brown University, was recognized as a recipient of the PES Scholarship. The IEEE Power & Energy Society selected 75 students from the United States and Canada to be recognized as the most promising future engineers.

The IEEE PES Scholarship Plus Initiative is a national organization that provides scholarships and real-world experience to undergraduates interested in power and energy engineering careers.

The PES Scholarship is given to high-achieving electrical engineering students with strong GPAs and distinctive extracurricular work and who are committed to exploring the power and energy field.

"I am incredibly honored to be recognized as an IEEE PES Scholar," Pace said. "I want to give special thanks to my amazing professors, family, and friends who have encouraged me during my time as a JBU Engineering student. I would also like to thank Allgeier Martin for giving me the opportunity to explore a career in power engineering through a summer internship. Lord willing, I will use this recognition to further pursue a career in power and encourage young women to consider engineering as a career path.

Pace’s extracurricular activities include serving as the Society of Women Engineers treasurer and running sprints and hurdles for the JBU Track and Field team.

Pace also worked as the Marketing Coordinator for the Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers and plans to pursue an MBA in engineering management and work for a power engineering consulting firm after graduation.

John Brown University is a leading private Christian university, training students to honor God and serve others since 1919. Arkansas’ top-ranked university (The Wall Street Journal) and top-ranked regional university (U.S. News), JBU enrolls more than 2,200 students from 37 states and 48 countries in its traditional undergraduate, graduate, online and concurrent education programs. JBU offers more than 40 undergraduate majors and 18 graduate programs.

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SILOAM SPRINGS, Arkansas (Dec. 1, 2022) – John Brown University announced today the appointment of Ryan Ladner, as the next vice president of enrollment management, after a national search. Ladner is slated to begin in the role on June 1, 2023, and succeeds Don Crandall, vice president of enrollment management, who retires in May 2023 after 30 years in the role and 38 total years of service to the university. 

Ladner, who holds a Doctorate in Business Administration, also becomes a member of the President’s Cabinet, an eight-person team that works with JBU President Chip Pollard to set the strategic direction for JBU and oversee and implement planning, major initiatives and policies. 

Ladner joined JBU in 2015 as a professor of business and has served as chair of the undergraduate business programs, chair of graduate business programs and currently as the dean of the Soderquist College of Business (SCOB). Ladner was instrumental in launching seven new undergraduate and graduate business programs, contributing to continued growth in business student enrollment. 

“John Brown University has been a huge blessing to my family and me for over eight years, and I am honored to be a part of this community,” said Ladner. “I have enjoyed working with our faculty and staff in the Soderquist College of Business to launch new programming and expand business enrollment. I am excited to continue at JBU, serving in a capacity that connects my professional, scholarly, and academic experience. It will be a daily privilege to honor God by collaborating with our enrollment team, administration, faculty, staff and students to shape the future of JBU and recruit students to this institution that means so much to so many people.”   

In April, Ladner was appointed as a special advisor to Kim Hadley, DBA, JBU’s chief operating officer, to direct the enrollment team and strategies for the graduate and online undergraduate programs during personnel transitions. Both programs have seen impressive new student enrollment growth under Ladner's leadership in the past six months. 

"Ryan is an innovative leader with expertise in higher education admissions and marketing," said Hadley. “Over the last several months, Ryan led the graduate and online admissions team to dramatically improve the effectiveness and efficiency of the admissions processes. I have personally watched that team thrive under his leadership, and I am confident that Ryan will excel in his new, expanded role as vice president for enrollment management.” 

With Ladner’s appointment, the enrollment teams for on-campus undergraduate, online undergraduate and graduate programs will be centralized under his leadership.

Before coming to JBU, Ladner was an assistant professor of marketing at Palm Beach Atlantic University. He also served as an assistant professor, director of online operations and director of enrollment at Bryan College.

Ladner obtained his Doctor of Business Administration from George Fox University, where he wrote his dissertation on “The lived experience of college choice.” He also has a Master of Arts in Theological Studies from Liberty University, an MBA from Mississippi College and a bachelor’s degree from The University of Southern Mississippi. 

John Brown University is a leading private Christian university, training students to honor God and serve others since 1919. Arkansas’ top-ranked university (The Wall Street Journal) and top-ranked regional university (U.S. News), JBU enrolls more than 2,200 students from 37 states and 48 countries in its traditional undergraduate, graduate, online and concurrent education programs. JBU offers more than 40 undergraduate majors, with top programs including nursing, psychology, kinesiology, engineering, biology, family and human services, and graphic design. Eighteen graduate programs are available in business, counseling, cybersecurity, education and higher education.

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