July 2007 - Southern Adventist University

Southern Adventist UniversityNew Campus Safety Director Comes to SouthernThis summer, KevinPenrod will transfer fromAndrews University toSouthern Adventist University,where he will becomeSouthern’s new campussafety director.Penrod has been atAndrews University’s departmentof public safety since1990, and has served as thedepartment’s chief for thelast 10 years. Prior to that,he worked for the IllinoisSheriff’s Department, wherehe spent some time on anentry team that served highriskwarrants. This experience,he says, gives himan edge when faced withan emergency situation. “Iunderstand what extremepressure is, and I’ve had tomake high-risk decisionsin a team environment,” hesays. “When you’ve had thatopportunity, you bring moreto the table.”Penrod places a highpriority on building relationshipswith individuals he’scalled to protect, which hedoes by having one-on-oneSecret of the Cave to be Distributedand small group conversationswith individuals acrosscampus. “It’s important toearn trust,” he says, “and tocontinue to allow studentsand parents to realize thatI take my job seriously andam continuously searchingfor better ways to beprepared.”—BY Lori FutcherSouthern’s Schoolof Visual Art and Designfaculty and students haveachieved yet another success.A distribution dealfor the school’s film, Secretof the Cave, has beensigned with First Look Studiosin conjunction withCarmel Entertainment.“The plan is to sellthe DVD at Wal-Mart andTarget in the fall,” saysMark Thomas, professorin the School of Visual Artand Design and one of thefilm’s producers.The DVD will also beavailable to churches andschools to show to congregationsand students;then the organizations canbuy multiple DVDs at adiscounted price to sell asfundraisers.—BY Katie MinnerSecret of the Cave is the story of a young boy who solves the mysteryof puzzling events in an Irish fishing village.Southern Evangelism Experiences Rapid GrowthIn its first year of operation,Southern’s EvangelisticResource Center(ERC) sent 53 students intothe mission field in theUnited States and abroad.This summer, in its secondyear, the Center is sendingmore than 80 students topreach the Gospel in locationssuch as the DominicanRepublic, Honduras,India, and Nicaragua, aswell as places closer tohome, Arizona and Texas.“It’s been such a blessingto watch the increasingnumber of peoplePictured are students who participated in the Dominican Republicmeetings last year. They returned to Southern with manystories about their experiences, which helped fuel interest for thisyear’s student evangelists.that God has called,” saysStephanie Sheehan, coordinatorof the ERC.The ERC, throughSouthern’s Pierson Instituteof Evangelism and WorldMissions and a partnershipwith The Quiet Hourand ShareHim, focuses onencouraging, supporting,and funding non-theologystudents in their spiritualgrowth through participationin evangelism; discouragingthe idea thatoutreach and evangelism isonly for pastors.—BY Katie MinnerJuly 2007 • TIDINGS 25