Student Focus

How would you describe the sense of community at the Salem campus?
(Casey Olson) I would describe the sense of community at the Salem campus as wonderfully diverse. From the classroom, to chapel, and everywhere in-between, you can expect excellent relationships with people from different demographics who genuinely care about getting to do life with you.
(Trenton Reich) The small community atmosphere that is created by classmates of various ages and professors from all walks of life makes us a diverse family. A family all with the same goal, seeing others come to Christ. Due to the limited number of people, you would think that there wouldn’t be such a noticeable difference between the individuals but with my experience there you really can’t put any single one of us in a box. We all have such a unique background and call, but we all want to impact the world whatever it costs.

What do you see are the (non-academic) benefits of being a student at the Salem campus?
(Trenton Reich) I think the largest benefit (non-academically) of being a student at the Salem Campus is the relationships we can build with those serving in local churches all around the area. When you go to larger schools you have people from all over the country or world attending a campus for the experience or the education, but we are all local church goers looking to further our ability of leading local communities in Oregon. Each week we get to step outside our large difficult world and come together to learn, grow, and encourage one another.

How is what you are learning in the classroom helping you in your current ministry role(s)?
(Casey Olson) Classroom curriculum and encouragement from professors has been extremely helpful in my ministry role. There have been countless weeks that I have been able to apply a class' teaching directly to a situation I have to work through in my ministry role.

New Instructors
We are pleased to be adding several new instructors to our already exceptional faculty.
Robert A. Frank: Professor Frank has an extensive teaching background, serving the following institutions: Corban University, Northwest Christian University, Atlanta Christian College, Crichton College, Great Commandment College, and ITT-Tech. His educational background includes a MA in Specialized Ministry from Western Seminary and an Instructional Systems Technology (IST) certificate from Indiana University. Professor Frank will be teaching information systems management this fall and project management in the spring.
Rev. Sean Odell: Professor Odell is the Lead Pastor of Alsea Christian Fellowship with campuses in Alsea and Waldport, Oregon. In additional to his pastoral role, Rev. Odell taught at Evangel Heights Christian Academy. Professor Odell’s educational background includes a Master of Divinity (M.Div.) from Liberty University and is currently working towards a Master of Theology (Th.M.). Pastor Odell is credentialed with the Oregon Ministry Network of the Assemblies of God and will be teaching ministry administration this fall.
Please go to our website for a full directory of the Salem campus faculty.