HU announces endowed Arts & Sciences Chairs

Huntington University is pleased to announce the faculty appointments for the Luke J. Peters Chair in the Arts and Sciences and the Edwina Patton Chair in the Arts and Sciences. Dr. Tim Smith, left, professor of history, has been named the Edwina Patton Chair in the Arts and Sciences. Dr. Tom Bergler, professor of Christian thought and practice, has been named the Luke J. Peters Chair in the Arts and Sciences.

These endowed chairs were established to recognize the significant talents, accomplishments and leadership of members of the Huntington University faculty and to support them in their teaching and research. Appointment to the chairs is a three-year award, carrying a reduced teaching load and annual professional development funds of $5,000 per year.

“It is an honor to be recognized by Huntington University with this award. The previous holders of the Edwin Patton Chair are all exemplary HU scholars, and it is incredibly humbling to be considered worthy for inclusion amongst their number,” said Smith. “I intend to use the award to further my research into Cambodian and Kashmiri statecraft and use this as a foundation for producing my fifth book.”

Bergler also intends to focus on writing, stating that this is “an opportunity to put more time and energy into researching topics that I’m interested in, so I plan to research and complete writing a book on Generation Z and spiritual growth, spiritual formation, among generation Z. It’s a great honor to be offered this; it means that my colleagues and the university have recognized me as someone that they want to provide extra time to do research that will be a benefit to the university and to the church and to society.”

Dr. Luke Fetters, vice president for academic affairs and dean of faculty, stated that “Dr. Smith and Dr. Bergler were recommended by peers within the faculty because of their outstanding scholarship which contributes to the academic reputation of Huntington University. Both of them have published numerous books and journal articles in their respective disciplines. I’m excited that their selection for an endowed chair will provide time and funding for them to continue research and scholarly publication.”