2008-2009 Bishop James C. Baker scholarship recipients announced

The General Board of Higher Education and Ministry’s Office of Loans and Scholarships awarded a total of $15,000 in scholarships to the four recipients.

The Bishop James C. Baker Graduate Awards are for clergy who are currently serving in a campus ministry/chaplaincy capacity, have an M.Div. degree or its equivalent, are interested in improving their skills as a campus minister in higher education through advanced study, and expect to remain in campus ministry.

“Campus ministers and chaplains play a critical role in the development of future leaders for the church and the world. Often, a campus minister is the sole connection to church for a young adult who is away at college. These awards offer an opportunity for advanced training and study to those campus ministers and chaplains who plan to continuing working on campuses,” said Angella Current-Felder, executive director of the Office of Loans and Scholarships at the General Board of Higher Education and Ministry.

The 2008-2008 Baker Graduate Award recipients are:

• Tanya Bennett. Bennett is a first time recipient of the Baker award, and a prior recipient of the Esther Edwards award. She is currently in the dissertation phase of her Ph.D. program in Sociology of Religion at the Graduate Division of Religion at Drew University in Madison, N.J. An elder in full connection in the Greater New Jersey Annual Conference, Bennett is appointed to serve Drew University full-time in the role of chaplain to the university.
• William Finnin. Finnin is a four-time Baker award recipient. For the past 28 years Finnin has served as senior chaplain and minister to the university at Southern Methodist University in Dallas, Tex. He is pursuing an independent study on practical theological and ethical issues related to Christian inclusivism within a campus setting.
• Robert Hicks. A renewal recipient of the Baker award, Hicks is director of the Wesley Foundation at Washington State University. He is pursuing a Ph.D. in leadership studies at Gonzaga University and lives in Colfax, Wash.
• Alice Knotts. A former Baker recipient, Knotts is on the board of directors and assists as campus minister for the Wesley Foundation at San Diego State University. She is pursuing an independent study to research and discern directions for campus ministry. Much of this research will be collected at The Third Global Conference of University and College Chaplains and Campus Ministers and Religious Professionals meeting in July 2008 in Tampere, Finland.