It has been a profound privilege to lead the Emerging Scholars Network over the past five years, and in particular, through the COVID pandemic. We launched ESN Conversations which now has over sixty recorded conversations on our YouTube channel. We addressed issues of racism, anti-Asian hate and published the first article on Critical Race Theory within InterVarsity. And we began an online post-doc group, with the help of Washington University post-doc/now faculty member, Ben Wormleighton. I was very pleased to work with the multi-talented Hannah Eagleson to publish Scholars Compass.
My last day with InterVarsity and the Emerging Scholars Network will be this Saturday, August 31. I will be completing forty-eight years with InterVarsity, working in both Undergraduate and Graduate and Faculty Ministry. I am so grateful for the opportunity to know Christ and make Him known among students and faculty. And I am profoundly grateful for all those I’ve worked with: students, faculty, donors, and colleagues, including one of those colleagues who will succeed me as the director of the Emerging Scholars Network.
Beginning September 1, Jamie Noyd will serve as the new director of the Emerging Scholars Network and I could not be happier with this choice! I first met Jamie at one of Graduate and Faculty Ministry’s Following Christ conferences in 2008. Jamie was working with a church-based ministry serving graduate students at the University of Cincinnati (UC). She asked if we could stay in touch because she appreciated the opportunity to exchange ideas with others working with grad students.
That led to teaming up in planning retreats for OSU and UC grad students and a growing appreciation for the spiritual and intellectual depth she brought to work with students. When things changed in her relationship with those who had supported her work, it was my delight to hire her to join our team, continuing her work at UC. Over the next years, she expanded the work with grad students and launched faculty ministry, working with a number of faculty groups at UC, which she continues to do. She also began working with faculty at Northern Kentucky University, where her father had been a professor.
When I transitioned from leading the work in Ohio Valley in 2020, Jamie was one of two people to take over leadership of that work. Then COVID hit and our Faculty Ministry team started working with creating online pilgrimages. Jamie joined our team to lead this effort, coordinating four such pilgrimages, as well as several in person pilgrimages. These were huge successes, serving faculty who were exhausted by the heavy workloads connected with transitioning to online teaching during the pandemic.
This emphasis on pilgrimage is an essential aspect of Jamie’s life. Her doctoral dissertation at Union Institute and University was titled, “Literary Pilgrimage: Interpreting Literature at the Intersection of Story, Place, and Reader.” On her LinkedIn profile she writes:
“By walking the path of story people become aware of the narratives that are shaping their lives, along with nourishing stories that are deeply rooted in their hearts. Along this way they step into a holy retelling of their stories. This unfolds through the practices of pilgrimage that invite them into the stories of scripture, of places, and of other people. As they engage with these narratives, walk and pray alone and with companions, and take steps along this life path with expectancy, God’s good story begins to inhabit their being. This good story celebrates life in all its beauty and goodness, heals souls, and creates community as people become more deeply rooted in God’s love together.”
This so fits the work of the Emerging Scholars Network. We call our newsletter “Scholar’s Journey,” reflecting our sense that our mission is to encourage and equip scholars who follow Jesus on their journey from undergraduate college, through graduate and post-doctoral work and into faculty or other roles. Jamie’s vision for that pilgrimage and her many years of walking with students and faculty on their pilgrimages suits her so well for this work. In addition, Jamie is a skilled organizer, writer (including a number of articles for ESN), and has worked with a variety of online formats.
Jamie is coming off of sabbatical September 1. To not clutter her sabbatical with ESN responsibilities, we decided ESN will take a hiatus for a short period as she transitions into the role. If you want to welcome her into this role, she’d love to hear from you AFTER September 1. Just drop a comment in the blog.
I am so grateful for all of you who have engaged with the Emerging Scholars Network over the years and I hope you will join me in praying for Jamie as she leads ESN in this next leg of the journey!
Bob Trube is Associate Director of Faculty Ministry and Director of the Emerging Scholars Network. He blogs on books regularly at bobonbooks.com. He resides in Columbus, Ohio, with Marilyn and enjoys reading, gardening, choral singing, and plein air painting.