JBU News & Information

SILOAM SPRINGS, Arkansas (June 7, 2022) – John Brown University announced today the appointment of Rosemary Flaaten as executive director of the university’s Center for Healthy Relationships (CHR).

Flaaten, who begins her role Sept. 26, has spent two decades helping people build healthy marriages and interpersonal relationships through pastoral, teaching and consultancy work with churches, colleges and universities, government agencies and nonprofit organizations.

An international speaker on the topics of healthy relationships, marriage, spiritual formation, pastoral approaches, leadership development, sexuality and cultural issues, Flaaten has ministered in Haiti, India, South Africa, Mali, Colombia, El Salvador, Mexico, Cuba, New Zealand, Canada and the U.S.

“I am grateful and excited that Rosemary Flaaten will be the new executive director,” JBU President Chip Pollard said. “She has written books and spoken around the world about the importance of a biblical-informed understanding and practice of healthy relationships. She has also led workshops for a wide variety of audiences – including couples, singles, students and women’s groups on how to live out these values in day-to-day life. Rosemary will bring vision, energy and a deep love of Christ to her leadership of CHR. We look forward to her joining JBU.”

Since 2012, Flaaten has held adjunct faculty roles at a variety of institutions including Ambrose University, Alberta Bible College, Rocky Mountain College and Canadian Lutheran Bible Institute. While teaching classes in spiritual formation, biblical leadership, the practice of prayer and healthy sexuality, Flaaten has mentored and counseled students and spoken in chapel services.

“I am so excited to be moving to Northwest Arkansas to join the team at CHR,” says Flaaten. “It is an honor to be selected to build on its strong heritage and take the Center to the next stage of servicing JBU, NWA and beyond. I see the Center as a hub where everyone in the community has access to biblically-based resources that will help them build strong and healthy relationships. Whether it is thriving as a single person, developing robust marriages that can flourish at every stage or cultivating families that are full of grace and love, my vision is that the CHR will make a difference in God’s kingdom through each person we impact. I look forward to serving God through the CHR in this community.”

Flaaten is completing a Doctor of Ministry from Denver Seminary and holds a Master of Arts in Christian Counseling from American Christian College & Seminary and a Bachelor of Education from the University of Calgary. She is a member of the Christian Pastoral Caregivers Association and a licensed minister with the Evangelical Missionary Church of Canada.

Flaaten has been published in a variety of mediums. Her first book, “A Woman and Her Relationships: Transforming the Way We Connect,” won a Word Guild Award and is a Canadian bestseller while her second, “A Woman and Her Workplace”, went on to be published in Spanish as “La  Mujer en su Lugar de Trabajo”.

Flaaten and her husband Norlee have three adult children. They are looking forward to enjoying all that NWA has to offer, especially building new friendships and the outdoor pursuits of cycling, kayaking and hiking.

The Center for Healthy Relationships was founded in 1998 by Gary Oliver, Ph.D., to educate, equip and enrich people for developing healthy relationships through consulting, education, enrichment, resources, research and assessment. CHR serves college students, churches and the public with its relationship skills services that are directed toward singleness, marriage preparation, marriage enrichment and family and parenting skills. Oliver, who has served as executive director since its inception, is exiting the role but will continue to serve JBU as the Dr. Gary J. Oliver Endowed Chair.

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 (April 14, 2022) – On Tuesday, April 13, John Brown University's Soderquist College of Business revealed The Togami Center for Innovation to the public. The center, named after longtime JBU professor Kai Togami and his wife Wendy Soderquist-Togami, is now open to students on the JBU campus.

The space features brand-new movable whiteboards, a focus group room and spaces for business students to conduct interviews with potential clients. The center, while open to all students, focuses on giving business students an area for entrepreneurship and innovation.

The dedication featured presentations from Togami and Soderquist-Togami; Ryan Ladner, dean of the Soderquist College of Business; Eva Fast, assistant professor of entrepreneurship and marketing; and some former students who shared stories and experiences from their time at JBU.

"The benefit of having a space where the whole campus can come and work together is really special," Togami said. "Whether it's ENACTUS or the business students I've seen grow up giving back, that's the power when we stop thinking about ourselves."

Attendants then toured the inside of The Togami Center for Innovation on the second floor of the Soderquist Business Center.

"In my time at JBU I've followed a very simple equation," Soderquist-Togami said. "If I can get JBU students to think critically and I can get them in a room together, I can throw any problem at them and they will find a solution, and that's what we hope will happen here."

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 (March 9, 2022) – Ted Song, chief diversity officer and associate professor of engineering at John Brown University, has been selected as a Leading with Excellence award honoree by the Black Action Collective. 

Song was recognized as the winner of the Dr. David & Pattie Williams Ally Award, an award that recognizes the work to uplift and build a better future for African American and underserved communities.

“We are so grateful for Dr. Ted Song’s leadership at JBU and throughout Northwest Arkansas because he calls us to a biblical understanding of diversity and to strive to achieve it through our actions," said JBU President Chip Pollard. "Ted is well-deserving of this award for bringing together and supporting people from 'every nation, tribe, people and language' to help us better reflect the Kingdom of God.”

The Black Action Collective was founded in 2014 and works to educate and connect a multicultural collective of people to mobilize resources, ideas and projects to strengthen opportunities for the black community in Fayetteville, Northwest Arkansas and beyond. 

"I am deeply grateful to be recognized by the Black Action Collective," Song said. "I look forward to working with others to make our community even more hospitable, where all people can thrive by God’s grace."

The third annual Leading with Excellence awards gala took place on February 26, celebrating Black citizens and allies making a positive change in NWA.

Song joined JBU in 2012 and was promoted to chief diversity officer in 2021.

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 (February 15, 2022) – The John Brown University Board of Trustees approved the administration's recommendation of a 2.75% increase in tuition, room and board.

To help with the increase, the university will make an additional $1.25 million available for need- and merit-based institutional scholarships. For the 2022-23 academic year, JBU expects to award just over $18 million in scholarships with 95% of students receiving some form of institutional aid.

“The university has worked especially hard this year to keep our tuition rate as low as possible despite the rising inflation and its effects on our operating costs,” said Kim Hadley, vice president for finance and administration. “We believe JBU’s high-quality Christian education is worth the investment, and we are committed to helping students and their families through the financial aid process.”

The Wall Street Journal ranked JBU as the No. 1 college in Arkansas and in the top 10 Christian colleges in the nation in its 2022 College Rankings. For the sixth year, U.S. News & World Report ranked JBU as the top Arkansas school in its cohort. JBU's four-year graduation rates are near twice the national average and the university's 2019-20 graduating class exceeded the national average for career placement.

Although exact room and board costs may vary slightly based on students' selected dining and housing options, the cost breakdown for on-campus undergraduate tuition, fees, room and board for 2022-23 is:

Tuition costs for JBU's online undergraduate program remain at $300 per credit hour. Graduate program tuition rates also remained flat. 

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 (Jan. 12, 2022) – John Brown University has announced today the hiring of Aida Ramos, Ph.D., as the new dean of the College of Education and Social & Behavioral Sciences, effective July 1.

"Dr. Ramos brings incredible gifts as a respected leader at her previous institutions and across the Council for Christian Colleges and Universities, an award-winning teacher with a special calling for first-generation students, and a prolific scholar with dozens of papers and publications to her name," said Ed Ericson, vice president for academic affairs. "We are truly excited to have Dr. Ramos join us."

Ramos was introduced to JBU in 2018 when she gave a visiting lecture on supporting first-generation Latino students at Christian colleges and universities.

Ramos is an accomplished scholar on topics related to first-generation college students, as well as Latinx worship. She co-authored the book "Latino Protestants in America: Diverse and Growing" and has published multiple papers, articles and chapters on the subjects.

"I am looking forward to working with the talented and inspirational students, faculty and staff at JBU," Ramos said. "The level of academic expertise and excellence, combined with the genuine care for others, is one-of-a-kind. I am blessed to be a part of it."

Ramos has served as department chair and in all-campus administrative roles related to student success and diversity at George Fox University and at the University of Mary-Hardin Baylor where she currently serves as an associate professor in the social work, sociology and criminal justice department.

Ramos, who holds a master's degree and a doctorate in sociology, won the Award of Excellence at George Fox University in 2019.

"I hope students sense Christ's love in every aspect of their experience at JBU," Ramos said. "I want them to feel heard, supported and appropriately challenged in ways that are in line with God's calling on their lives."

Ramos will assume her position on July 1, supervising all of the academic programs within the college, as well as teaching courses in her academic specialization of sociology.

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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