Introduction
After several months of connecting on-line, I had the privilege of meeting Michael in Lancaster, PA. What brought him to my neck of the woods? His research on John Williamson Nevin (1803 – 1886). John Williamson Nevin not only taught in the seminary of the German Reformed Church in America in the mid-nineteenth century, but also served as the president of Franklin and Marshall College. Furthermore, he was a friend to James Buchanan, the 15th president of the United States. Did you know that Buchanan lived in Lancaster, PA? Please join me in welcoming Michael to the growing family of Emerging Scholars contributing to the blog. If you’re interested in joining our blogging team, please read Want to write for the ESN blog? and drop me a line with a proposal 🙂 To God be glory!
Part One – Returning to Grad School
In the spring of 2011, I did something that many would consider to be foolish, I resigned my job so I could return to school to work on my doctorate. This might not seem like such a big deal, except that it had been nearly twenty years since I had been a full-time student. It was not that I had been out of education entirely; I was a high school theology and history teacher and principal in various Christian schools. I enjoyed my work as a teacher and a principal, but I had long desired to teach theology at the post-secondary or graduate level. But to be able to do that, I needed to go back to school to get more education. Additionally, I felt like I had reached a point where I needed to get more education to advance in administration on a secondary level. So, I was in a position where I needed to go back to school; the question then became a matter of which direction I was going to pursue as my life vocation. [Read more…] about Returning to Graduate School – Thoughts by Michael Stell (1)
