Seminar: Sharing Our Scholarship with Others
4:45 PM EDT / 1:45 PM PDT

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Speaker & Panelist Details

Dr. Elizabeth Sung

Guest Speaker

Elizabeth (Lisa) Sung, Ph.D., is a systematic theologian and a spiritual director. She is Visiting Associate Professor in Theology at Regent College (Vancouver, Canada); Visiting Professor at Northeastern Seminary (Rochester, NY); Visiting Researcher at The University of Saint Mary of the Lake (Mundelein, IL); and Theologian-in-Residence at The InterVarsity Institute. In both academic and ministry contexts, she teaches theology to foster the lived reality of personal integrity and flourishing in Christ as the catalyst for missional living, in a framework that explicitly reconnects systematic theology to spiritual formation, moral transformation, and world service.
 

Dr. Steven Garber

Guest Speaker

Steven Garber has been a teacher of many people in many places, and was the founder of the Washington Institute for Faith, Vocation and Culture, now also serving as the Senior Fellow for Vocation and the Common Good for the M.J. Murdock Charitable Trust, as well as Professor at-Large for the Economics of Mutuality, and for several years was the Professor of Marketplace Theology at Regent College, Vancouver BC. The author of several books, his most recent is The Seamless Life: A Tapestry of Love and Learning, Worship and Work.

 

Models of Integration: Senior Scholars Panel (Wednesday)

Praveen Sethupathy

Panelist

Praveen is Professor of Physiological Genomics and Chair of the Department of Biomedical Sciences at Cornell University.  He leads a research lab focused on genome-scale and molecular approaches to understand physiology and human disease.  Praveen received his BA degree from Cornell University and his PhD in Genomics from the University of Pennsylvania.  After completing a post-doctoral fellowship at the National Human Genome Research Institute under the mentorship of the previous NIH Director Dr. Francis Collins, he moved in 2011 to the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill as an Assistant Professor in the Department of Genetics.  The same year he was selected by Genome Technology as one of the nation’s top 25 rising young investigators in genomics.  In 2017, he returned to Cornell University. Praveen has authored 150 peer-reviewed publications in scientific journals such as PNAS, Cell and Science and has served as a reviewer for over 50 different journals.  Honors include a faculty merit award for outstanding teaching and mentoring, the prestigious American Diabetes Association Pathway To Stop Diabetes Research Accelerator (which is awarded to only three people per year), and the inaugural Boehringer Ingelheim Award for Excellence in Research Mentorship.  Praveen is an advocate for thoughtful discussion at the interface of science and faith and has served on the advisory board of the Dialogue on Science, Ethics, and Religion in the American Association for the Advancement of Science (AAAS), serves on the Board of BioLogos, is a frequent speaker for the Veritas Forum, and a mentor in the Veritas Faculty Scholars program.

 

Lakeya Afolalu

Panelist

Dr. Lakeya Afolalu is an Assistant Professor of Language, Literacy, and Culture at the University of Washington’s College of Education. A former elementary and middle school teacher, she grew up navigating her Nigerian and African American cultures—a hybrid identity that shapes her scholarship on African immigrant and transnational youth. Specifically, Dr. Afolalu’s research examines Nigerian immigrant and transnational youth's languages and literacies, including digital literacies, focusing on how they construct and negotiate their identities. Her scholarship has been published in Teachers College Record, the Journal of Literacy Research, and the Journal of Research in Childhood Education. Her work has been recognized through prestigious fellowships and awards from the National Council of Teachers of English (NCTE) and the Literacy Research Association (LRA). She also received the 2022 Outstanding Dissertation Award from the American Educational Research Association’s Bilingual Education Research Special Interest Group.

A creative writer and public speaker, her public scholarship has sparked discussions on identity and race through platforms like TEDx, ESSENCE Magazine, and NPR Radio. Dedicated to community-focused scholarship, she founded LitiArts, a nonprofit that blends literacy and the arts to affirm the identities of youth of color and support their well-being. Outside of work, she enjoys traveling the world with her husband, spending time with family and friends, and trying new recipes.

 

Models of Integration: Emerging Scholars Panel (Thursday)

Evan Laksono

Panelist

Evan Laksono is an Indonesian PhD student in Applied Physics at Stanford University, specializing in nonlinear and quantum optics. His research centers on understanding fundamental principles, developing practical designs, and conducting experimental implementations of frequency comb technologies and optical computations. He has completed his M.S. (Applied Physics) at Stanford University and B. Sc. (Physics) at National University of Singapore and is now working towards his PhD degree in Applied Physics. Beyond academia, his Christian faith has been significantly shaped by the International Fellowship of Evangelical Students (IFES), where he served actively with FES Singapore (2014–2018) and Stanford IVGrad (2019–2024). 

 

Stephanie Bent

Panelist

Stephanie Bent is a Ph.D. candidate in the Higher Education, Student Affairs, and International Education Policy program with a concentration in Student Affairs at the University of Maryland-College Park. She is also a student in UMD’s Latin American and Caribbean Studies graduate certificate program. She holds a Master of Education in Anthropology and Education from Teachers College-Columbia University and a Master of Science in Higher Education-Student Affairs from Florida State University. While at Teachers College, Ms. Bent researched ethnic identity construction among Caribbean Americans.  Stephanie Bent recently completed a Fulbright fellowship in Barbados, completing data collection for her dissertation about Barbadian youth's understanding of decolonization. Broadly, her research sits at the intersection of Caribbean culture and higher education. She explores how Caribbean people in the region and the diaspora form political knowledge and integrate cultural knowledge into their professional practice, with particular attention to the experiences of tertiary students and educators She has presented at various conferences, including the Caribbean Studies Association, the Caribbean Tertiary Level Personnel Association, and the American Education Research Association’s Caribbean and African Studies in Education Special Interest group. Bent has also worked in student affairs (or student services) at several higher education institutions in the United States, with experience in academic advising, residence life, and student leadership programs. She has received awards for her educational programming at Georgia State University and Valdosta State University. Most recently, in 2023, her dedication to student success and inclusive education was recognized when she was selected as Academic Advisor of the Year by the University of Maryland’s Office of Undergraduate Studies.

 

Jordan S Goheen

Panelist

Jordan S Goheen is a second-year PhD student in Anthropology at UT Austin with interests in indigeneity, religion, identity, historical consciousness, and statecraft in Taiwan. His Masters Thesis looked at the role of the Christian Church in Taiwanese Indigenous communities. His current work focuses on issues of both indigenous and national sovereignty in Taiwan. Jordan's initial connection to Taiwan is through his mother, a first-generation immigrant to the United States. That said, he also has a personal interest in the mixed-race and diasporic Taiwanese experiences. Outside of academia, he dabbles in several creative practices (mostly poetry, documentary film, and design), and loves basketball. He became involved in InterVarsity as an undergraduate student, helping to lead an International Student Ministry. In his masters program, he was the social secretary for the Graduate Christian Forum at the University of Oxford. Currently, he serves in an incarnation ministry in his majority asylum-seeking neighborhood in Austin as well as co-leads a prayer group through Graduate InverVarsity at UT Austin.

 Details about Meet Ups

Connect with colleagues in your field or area of interest during our dedicated networking block on Tuesday, March 25 at 4:45 PM EDT / 1:45 PM PDT. This meetup session offers multiple specialized discussion groups, allowing you to choose the option most relevant to your work or interests.

Discovering Truth, Beauty and God through Art
Hosted by Bonnie LeCompte

This Bible study invites non-Christian international students to explore Scripture creatively, with no art experience required. Through drawing prompts, participants engage with Bible stories on a heart level. It offers a unique space to connect faith, art, and culture.

 

Being On Staff With a Mental Health Diagnosis
Hosted by Laura Vellenga

Being on staff with a mental health diagnosis can be...interesting. Come meet other folks who know what it's like, share some best practices, and learn about resources that can help make things slightly less difficult!"

 

Planting Faculty Ministry on your Campus or Urban Area
Hosted by Kathy Tuan-McLean

Are you interested in planting a faculty fellowship or just started planting? Join this meet-up to hear about best practices, meet others on this journey, and to workshop together how to serve faculty.

 

Connecting Alumni to Marketplace Resources
Hosted by Mark Washington

As students graduate, my hope is to help them find a great church, a wonderful mentor, and a vibrant faith and work group. Hear how MBA Ministry has done this and share what’s worked for you.

 

Grief, Recovery, and Healing
Hosted by Mary Tuttle

Especially after the Covid pandemic and what is now described as long Covid, lack of self-awareness and of group integration may impede chaplains from effectively serving the college campus. As a chaplain, I operate at an optimal level when I embody self-awareness through surrender to the triune God and group integration through intentional involvement in the faith journey of others. Let’s discuss what keeps chaplains stress hardy whatever may come.

 

Caring for your Black students in an uncaring environment
Hosted by Gary Hogans

Students of Color are not hopeful in our current political landscape. This environment is a distraction to their academic journey. I hope the session will stir ideas that will refocus our students on trusting in God in every situation and environment.

 

Science and Faith from a historical and theological perspective
Hosted by Darren Hsiung

In conversations around science and faith, it is common to take for granted that science is objective and critical, ceding to it the high ground over dogmatic and opinionated religion. Insights from the history of science, however, problematize this premise. This meetup will present a brief case for a symmetry between scientific and theological knowledge production, with discussion on how this can be fruitful for science-faith conversations.

 

Ministering and caring for International Graduate Students, Faculty, and Scholars in these uncertain times
Hosted by Bok Chew

National directives, policies, and politics are impacting the lives of Internationals on our campuses. How might we encourage and equip those in our ministry spheres to care for their International friends well?  Note this is open to all staff and will address questions relevant to both ISM and general GFM chapters.

 

Building Bridges for Internationals with Alpha
Hosted by David Heckendorn

Alpha invites guests to explore the meaning of life, together, with a meal, a structured talk, and an opportunity to discuss the talk, all in about two hours over ten weeks. A retreat midway through focuses on the Holy Spirit. Ideally, discussion groups include two leaders, two helpers and eight guests- but we have done Alpha with as few as a leader and two guests- or, even, two leaders and one guest. Our session will describe our (favorable) experience with Alpha, and provide some tips for getting started on campus.

 

Building and sustaining partnerships with other ministries on-campus
Hosted by Mickey Sanchez

Join Mickey to explore best practices for developping partnerships to advance ministry on campus. This seminar create space to explore the experiences, best practices, and opportunities within partnerships with non-InterVarsity organizations on campus.

 

Relational Apologetics: bringing our whole selves to the apologetic conversation
Hosted by Rick Mattson

Some people claim that classic apologetics is dead. One thinks of impersonal, philosophical, abstract argumentation, or worse – hostile debate. Yet, as Christians, we need to respond to the secular truth claims of the university. A Christian apologetic is desperately needed. Can we reclaim apologetics as a respectful, caring tool of witness? Can we bring both intellect and heart to the table for productive dialogue with others?

 

Latino Scholars and Professionals: Update & Prayer
Hosted by Steve Tamayo

A team of GFM staff have been meeting regularly to pray for Latinos Scholars and Professionals and discern what next steps God is inviting GFM to take. Join Steve to learn more about this ministry and intercede for Latino Graduate Students and Faculty.

 

Spiritual Formation in Divisive & Anxious Times
Hosted by Carrie Bare

Join Carrie to explore spiritual practices to sustain staff in this difficult moment on campus.

 

Ministry with people training in healthcare professions
Hosted by Angela Caffrey

Join Angela to discuss how we can help people in healthcare training forge deep spiritual roots in times of uncertainty. This meet-up is open to all staff and will provide time to discuss the challenges healthcare students and faculty are experiencing and the ways we are learning to mentor, shepherd, and walk alongside trainees.