Additional reporting by Jordyn Morel
Milligan introduces three new academic programs to campus this fall. The Ministry Leadership Program and Musical Theater major both seek to build on similar pre-existing degrees, while the Physician Assistant Program is brand new this year.
The Ministry Leadership program will be directed by Milligan alum and recent employee, Dr. Ron Kastens, who has almost thirty years of experience and a passion for preparing students for practical ministry.
In this update on the general 36 hour major Bible major previously offered, the Bible major concentrations are now roughly 48 hour individual majors including church leadership, student ministry, children’s ministry, worship arts and intercultural studies (missions). According to Kastens, the increase in hours required has been in the “practical ministry side of things.”
These changes seek to address the fact that the previous program, though theologically sound, did not provide for the development of practical skills for students going into ministry. Kastens spoke about one such piece to the Ministry Leadership program that is being called “leadership seminars.”
“We’re going to have as many of those as possible taught by actual pastors who are neck deep in ministry every week, but also who specialize in specific areas of ministry,” Kastens said. “We’re not just talking about theory out of a book, but rather having someone who can say, ‘Here are the challenges we’re wrestling with in our church right now, and here’s how we’re trying to solve those issues,’ instead of just ‘Here’s a book that someone wrote on this issue five years ago.’ We’re hoping that this will help what students are learning to be more relevant and, hopefully, more in real time.”
Kastens hopes to add increased internship opportunities and hands-on learning to the already strong classroom education, as well. He says these adjustments will “reflect the needs of a changing world.”
The program is being funded by a million-dollar donation from First Christian Church in Johnson City, according to a Milligan press release.
In addition to these changes, the new Ministry Leadership Program has teamed up with Emmanuel Christian Seminary to offer a six-year program which includes a bachelor’s degree and a Master of Divinity. According to Kastens, these degrees could take 7 years or longer if acquired separately.
Milligan also offers a new musical theater program this year, offering courses in a variety of disciplines such as theatre arts, dance, and music performance, according to a Milligan press release. In response to the creation of this program, Dr. Carrie Klofach was welcomed to Milligan as assistant professor of musical theatre in February, overseeing “the musical theatre productions, and recruiting and marketing within the administrative structure of the music department and Performing, Visual, and Communicative Arts area,” she said.
Milligan’s first Physician Assistant class of the new program also began this fall. One of the most important steps in creating this new program was achieving Accreditation-Provisional status, granted to Milligan’s PA program by the ARC-PA. According to a Milligan press release, this accreditation demonstrates an expectation that this new program has the ability to meet ARC-PA standards. This status is limited to the next five years after which the program will need to be reevaluated to ensure that standards are being upheld. In an interview with paeaonline.org, PA program director Andrew Hull said the class size of only 26 students helps promote stronger mentoring relationships between professors and students.