Erik Ankerberg[/caption]Concordia staffers to be a part of second online humanities consortium
Five of Concordia University Texas staff members—including Provost Erik Ankerberg—will represent the university in the Council of Independent Colleges Consortium for Online Humanities.
Professor Kelly Gordon of the theater department, Professor Chris Fitzgerald of the art department, Professor Jeffrey Utzinger of the English department and Connie Beran of the office of the registrar were selected in May to participate in the consortium.
The multiyear project looks to assess the effectiveness and cost-savings potential of online teaching and learning in the undergraduate humanities at CIC colleges and universities.
Ankerberg said the university places a “historic and important emphasis on online humanities.”
He said the Concordia professors have met several times internally and are developing online humanities courses that can be shared with other CIC colleges, including a William Shakespeare class developed by the English and theater departments, which will have an online component, and an online Romanticism course.
Ankerberg said the aim is to study “traditional topics in a nontraditional way.”
This is CIC’s second consortium, which builds on the innovations and lessons learned during the 2014 consortium, according to a Concordia news release.
Professors from St. Edward’s University, 3001 S. Congress Ave., Austin, are also participating in the 2016 consortium.
Concordia graduates Alyssa and Heath Padgett work and travel full-time in their Winnebago RV.[/caption]Alumni premier documentary of RV travels, hourly work across the U.S.
A couple of graduates from Concordia University Texas are preparing to premiere a documentary of their travels across the U.S., where they worked 50 hourly jobs in 50 states over seven months.
Speaking to Community Impact Newspaper from their recreational vehicle in Montana, Alyssa and Heath Padgett, who graduated from Concordia in 2012 and 2013, respectively, said the documentary, “Hourly America,” will premiere at the World Domination Summit in Portland, Oregon on Aug. 13.
Following the summit, the couple said they plan to head back to their alma mater to show the film in Concordia’s Blackbox theatre on Sept. 4 at 4 p.m.
At age 23, the couple—who remained in Austin after graduation—decided they did not want to spend their lives at desk jobs working 9 a.m.-5 p.m.
“We tried real jobs, and it was just terribly boring,” Alyssa said. “We talked about places that we wanted to possibly live, and then that kind of evolved into, ‘Let’s just travel for a year.’”
After finding a sponsor in SnagaJob—a company that helps workers get hourly jobs—Heath and Alyssa bought a 1994 RV in 2014 and began their honeymoon journeying through 50 states—traveling by plane to Hawaii—spending a day working at an hourly job and interviewing their coworkers, with Heath working and Alyssa filming.
Heath’s jobs included martial arts instructor, fudge maker, Buffalo Wild Wings server, lifeguard, baker and park ranger.
He said his time at Concordia—and his relationship with CEO and President Don Christian, who served as dean of business while the couple was at Concordia—influenced his decision to pursue his entrepreneurial passions.
“[Christian] took this approach of, ‘You don’t have to do things conventionally; you don’t have to take the standard approach, and you can be rewarded for that,’” Heath said.
The couple also operates an RV travel blog; records podcasts with interviews with other full-time travelers; freelance writes; and helps entrepreneurs and authors create, film and launch online educational courses.
Heath also released an e-book titled “The RV Entrepreneur,” on Aug. 8, in which he shares advice for making money while traveling and interviews other RV entrepreneurs.
Lane Hobbs was drafted in the 18th round of the MLB draft June 11.[/caption]Pitcher drafted by Chicago White Sox
A Concordia University Texas student was drafted June 11 by the Chicago White Sox in the 18th round of the MLB draft.
Lane Hobbs, a right-handed pitcher from Thrall, Texas, is the fifth player from Concordia to be drafted by an MLB team.
The six-foot-five Concordia junior—who will not be rejoining the Concordia Tornadoes baseball team next season—holds various recognitions, including West Region Pitcher of the Year by D3baseball.com and the American Baseball Coaches Association, first team ABCA All-American player and American Southwest Conference pitcher of the year.
During the 2016 college baseball season, the 21-year-old Hobbs led the Tornadoes in the Division III American Southern Conference with 11 wins, 92 strikeouts, nine complete games and four shutouts.
Hobbs' 2016 stats:
1.44 earned run average
92 strikeouts
81 innings pitched
11/1 wins/losses
