by Jane Terry

Welcome to new students, faculty, and staff, and Welcome Back to those returning!  We’re excited about beginning a new semester and seeing everybody on August 20.  Hopefully our students and faculty have enjoyed a relaxing summer and are looking forward to a successful semester.

This fall the Department of Religious Studies begins under new leadership: Dr. Stephen C. Berkwitz, REL Professor, is our new Department Head, assuming his duties this August after returning from his doing research at the Käte Hamburger Kolleg at Ruhr-Universität Bochum in Germany last year.  Many students will know him from classes in Buddhism, Religions of China and Japan, and World Religions, as well as graduate-level classes in South Asian religions.

 

Dr. Jack Llewellyn, who has served as our Department Head for the past five years, stepped down this summer.  He will be on sabbatical this fall and will return to full-time teaching in our department in Spring 2013.  Many thanks to Jack Llewellyn for his service to our department, our students, and the University!  And we look forward to continued success under our new head, Steve Berkwitz!

 

 

Dr. Martha Finch is on sabbatical this year (congratulations, Martha!), and we are happy to welcome back Dr. Julia Watts Belser from Harvard Divinity School, where she was on research leave last year.

All students are invited to visit the department (Strong 251) anytime, use our Student Lounge to relax or study (M-F, 8:00-4:30), and visit with other students and our faculty.  If you have questions, problems, or suggestions, feel free to contact me, Jane Terry, Religious Studies Administrative Assistant at 836-5514 or JaneTerry@missouristate.edu.

Thanks, and Best Wishes for the semester!