“Fantastic and Wonderfully Different”
Professor of Physics Dennis Krause says the truth about our universe— particularly at the atomic level of many of today’s important scientific breakthroughs—really is stranger than fiction.
He knows this better than most.
A voracious reader and short story writer, Krause is also a theoretical physicist whose research looks at quantum mechanics, unstable particles, and the search for new dimensions. During a passionate, personal, and inspiring 36th Charles D. LaFollette Lecture in the Humanities last fall, he delivered the wonders of that “fantastic and wonderfully different” quantum world to the doorstep of his fellow professors in theology, philosophy, literature, art, classics, music, and theater.
Exceptional Teacher-Scholars
In December, President Gregory Hess and Dean of the College Scott Feller announced the promotion and tenure of three members of the faculty.
DEBORAH SELTZER-KELLY
• Associate Professor of Education Studies
• MA (History), PhD (Curriculum and Instruction), University of Nevada, Reno
• Led the Chicago Urban Experience, and recent courses include Philosophy of Education, Diversity and Multicultural Education, and a freshman tutorial that used dance as a vehicle for exploration of 20th Century U.S. Culture. Collaborates often with students—in 2014 Alexander Hernandez ’16 was her co-author for “Culture, Education, and Difference: Negotiating a Pedagogy of Shared Experience,” published in Hybrid Pedagogy.
Dean of the College Scott Feller: “Debbie is an exceptional mentor to students committing to the vocation of teaching, but we hear in comments from students across the College that she is an especially caring faculty member who is dedicated to the success of all students.”
ADRIEL TROTT
• Associate Professor of Philosophy
• MA, PhD (Philosophy), Villanova
• Particularly interested in how philosophy can be brought to the public sphere; directs GLCA Ancient Philosophy Research and Teaching Collaborative Initiative; honorary member of the Malcolm X Institute of Black Studies; focuses on ancient philosophy as a resource for diagnosing contemporary political life; teaches Philosophy of Commerce.
• Author, Aristotle on the Nature of Community, Cambridge University Press
Dean Feller: “Adriel helps students understand the central role of philosophy in a liberal arts education, bringing ancient philosophy into the modern era through engaging dialogue in her classes and through the development of courses in the philosophy of race and the philosophy of commerce.”
"Widely Recognized and Respected"
“Rick Warner’s election as president, the excellent research and publishing work of [Wabash Professor] Stephen Morillo, and the fact that the most recent conference of the Midwest World History Association (MWWHA) was held on the Wabash campus, are all evidence that the College has become a widely recognized and respected center for academic and teaching excellence in the rapidly growing field of world history.”
– Former WHA President Craig Benjamin
BRONWEN WICKKISER
• Associate Professor of Classics
• MA (Latin) and PhD (Classics), University of Texas
• A specialist in ancient Greek history and culture, especially the intersection between religion and medicine; teaches Ancient Greek Religion & Magic and Health Care in the Greco-Roman World; led immersion experiences to Greece and Italy; grants from research fellowships from the National Endowment for the Humanities, the American School of Classical Studies in Athens, and the Loeb Classical Library Foundation.
• Author, Asklepios, Medicine, and the Politics of Healing in Fifth-Century Greece, Johns Hopkins University Press
• Co-creator of Web site, The Thymele: A Harmonics of Healing: www.thymeleofepidaurus.co.uk
Dean Feller: Bronwen brings the ancient world to life for students. She helps them see the intersections between the ancient and modern worlds. Students and colleagues see her as an innovator, one who takes the class out into the community.
Off the Presses
Labors of Love
Derek Nelson ’99 wrote or edited four books published in 2015, but Resilient Reformer is closest to his heart.
Begun by his mentor, the late Timothy Lull, the biography of Martin Luther was completed by Nelson after Lull’s unexpected death at age 60 from complications after surgery.
“Luther is alive on the pages of this intellectual biography that is both well researched and an engaging read,” writes Pacific Lutheran Professor of Lutheran History Kirsi Stjerna. “Derek Nelson has brought to a commendable conclusion the original work of the late Dr. Lull. A biography like this—focusing on the theological drama while presenting the very human Luther and his associates— fills a vacuum. Students and teachers alike will be happy to use this labor of love!”
“Tim worked on the biography for 20 years, and after he died, his widow asked me if I would finish it, and I've been working on it ever since,” Nelson explains. “I had students read a draft of the manuscript in a Wabash class two years ago and they offered great feedback before it was published.”
Internationally known expert on Luther and Roanoke College Professor Paul Hinlicky calls the book “an account that is genuinely significant, with an acute treatment of painful issues like Luther and the Jews but also endearing glimpses at Luther as a family man. The book, in a unique way, blends the story of Luther's traumatic life with a fresh interpretation of his thought. This makes the substantial book of flowing prose a pleasure to read.”
The cover art for the book was painted by prominent artist Brad Holland, whose work has appeared on magazine covers and in museums throughout the world. Holland was Tim Lull’s childhood best friend.
“When I called him to discuss the cover, Samuel L. Jackson was sitting in his studio being painted for the playbill of the Broadway debut of Selma, in which he plays Martin Luther King Jr.,” Nelson recalls.
Nelson also honored the legacy of his undergraduate mentor, Professor Bill Placher ’70, in 2015, updating a second edition of Placher’s Readings in the History of Christian Theology for Westminster John Knox.
His book One Hope: Re-Membering the Body of Christ—co-authored with Martha Stortz, and Jessica Wrobleski—was published by Liturgical Press.
Read about more publications by Wabash faculty at WM Online.