News by Carolyn Stent "...I understood that he is a wordsmith and a craftsman."

Back to Table of Contents | Back to Main Index Previous News | Send mail to The Voice Dr. Arthurs accepts position at Gordon-Conwell Theological Seminary in Boston, Mass. Dr. Arthurs, his wife Liz, and son Daniel enjoy living in Portland, Ore., but look forward to life in Boston. -Dr. Arthurs, photo Dr. Jeff Arthurs, professor of speech communication and homiletics, has resigned after 10 years at Multnomah Bible College. In July, he will begin his new position as associate professor of preaching at Gordon-Conwell Theological Seminary near Boston, Mass. "The job itself is a great, or a better, opportunity to do what I feel called to do: to preach and to equip others in the field of communication," Dr. Arthurs said. He said he looks forward to focusing on preaching, working alongside his new colleagues, and working with students who plan to go into full-time ministry. Dr. Arthurs will also be dean of chapels, and will be responsible for scheduling chapel speakers and overseeing the chapels. He said he will have more time and opportunity to publish as well. During his sabbatical two-and-a-half years ago, Dr. Arthurs and his family lived at Gordon-Conwell. Dr. Arthurs graduated from Purdue University in Indiana with a doctorate in speech communication. He came to Multnomah Bible College from Wheaton College in Illinois, where he taught for a year and wrote his dissertation. Multnomah hired him to teach public speaking and preaching. Dr. Wayne Strickland, academic dean, said, "The very first time I ever heard him speak, he really struck me because he was so careful [and] deliberate. As I got used to that, I understood that he is a wordsmith and a craftsman." Dr. Arthurs developed the speech communication department. When he arrived at Multnomah in 1992, students only majored in Bible and theology. In 1994, the college revised its curriculum and developed a communications major with concentrations in speech and journalism. Then in 1997 the speech department became a separate major. In the first year, the department had seven or eight students. Dr. Arthurs said most of those people are still his personal friends. This year, 63 MBC students have a major or minor in speech communication. When he came to Multnomah, Dr. Arthurs thought he had to give up theater and art. Instead, he brought them with him and introduced them into Multnomah's curriculum and activities. He proposed and taught oral interpretation, a class he considered a gift from God. "When I first added [oral interpretation], it provided a component to Multnomah's education that was lacking: art, imagination, creation and artistic expression," Dr. Arthurs said. He also worked with Professor Miriam Gibby to start the Destiny drama team, which he coached until last year. While traveling with Destiny in the summers, he said he enjoyed in-depth contact with students and seeing places such as the Grand Canyon and Hawaii. Amanda Feaver, 21, said she goes to Dr. Arthurs for wisdom and advice. Feaver, a senior speech communication major, traveled with the Destiny drama team to Hawaii. She said, "Dr. Arthurs expects a lot out of us both academically and in the way we live as Christ in the world." Dr. Arthurs also served as chair of the Christian Life conference committee and of the arts and sciences division. He has helped Multnomah maintain a balance between providing a high-quality education and preparing students for effective ministry in God's kingdom, Dr. Strickland said. At the same time, he is "very much a churchman, not just an ivory tower academician. He has been involved in the ministry all his years here." Dr. Arthurs said, "The statement is often made any time you leave somewhere that there is always a pull and a push. You've seen the pull. It is a wonderful opportunity. But what I want to say is there is no push. I love my colleagues, I love my students, I love Multnomah, and my family loves Portland. So it is with a sense of loss that we are leaving." He and his family will travel to Massachusetts the first week of June to look for a house. They will leave Portland on July 12. Back to Table of Contents | Back to Main Index Previous News | Top Of Page Send mail to The Voice| Journalism department website © 2002 The Voice. No part of this publication may be reproduced in written or electronic form without prior written consent from the journalism adviser of Multnomah Bible College. All rights reserved.