Town and Gown lectures are free and open to the public
All sessions will be held in Providence Hall Room 160 6:00-8:45 p.m. with the second session beginning at 7:30 p.m."
October 13, 2014
Following Sports: Trivial Timewaster or Training for the Mind?
Hunter Baker
Hunter Baker, J.D., Ph.D. is an associate provost and associate professor of political science at Union University in Jackson, Tennessee. He is the author of three books (The End of Secularism, Political Thought: A Student's Guide, and The System Has a Soul), has contributed chapters to several others, and has written for a wide variety of print and digital publications. His work has been endorsed by Robert P. George, Russell Moore, David Dockery, John Mark Reynolds and others. He is the winner of the 2011 Michael Novak Award conferred by the Acton Institute and has lectured widely on religion and liberty. In addition to his work at Union, Baker also serves as an associate editor for the Journal of Markets and Morality, as a contributing editor for Touchstone: A Journal of Mere Christianity, and as writer at large for The City(a journal he co-founded). He is also a research fellow of the Ethics and Religious Liberty Commission.
Youth Sports: Professional Preparation or Playtime? A social, psychological, and medical discussion of modern youth sport culture
Jennifer Farroll
Jennifer Farroll is the Program Director and Assistant Professor for Athletic Training Education Program at Union University. Ms. Farroll is originally from Florida, where she completed her undergraduate degree at the University of Central Florida. She then accepted a Graduate Assistantship at the University of South Carolina to work Cheerleading and Equestrian and then to serve as the head athletic trainer at an inner city high school while completing her M.S. degree in Physical Education: Athletic Training. The title of her thesis at USC was "Keeping your head in the game: The relationship between sport-specific imagery and anxiety among injured athletes". Ms. Farroll is currently in her second year of coursework as a doctoral candidate at Union University pursuing her Ed.D. in Higher Education Leadership. The focus of her doctoral dissertation will be the psychological construct of "grit" and its relationship to student success on the national recognized Board of Certification Examination for athletic trainers. Prior to coming to Union, Ms. Farroll as the head athletic trainer at Palm Beach Atlantic University for 4 years.
In addition to teaching in the Athletic Training Education Program at Union University, Ms. Farroll has done professional presentations at both the National Athletic Trainers' Association's annual conference and the Tennessee Athletic Trainers' Society's annual symposium. Her work has also been published in the Journal of Athletic Training. At Union, Ms. Farroll teaches Care and Prevention of Athletic Injuries, Orthopedic Assessment, Therapeutic Modalities, and three clinical courses for athletic training majors. She will be adding a course on Research and Professional Ethics in Sports Medicine to her schedule in the Fall of 2015. Ms. Farroll is very passionate about athletic training and sports medicine. She believes the role of the athletic trainer is to be an advocate for the health and safety of all athletes under their care, especially as it pertains to pediatric participants. Ms. Farroll is dedicated to educating the public about the need for sports medicine professionals in general, athletic trainers specifically, in each high school, middle school, and even youth sporting club in the country.
When not working, Ms. Farroll is training for her first full marathon (Walt Disney World Marathon Weekend, January 2015), and enjoys reading, watching movies, or playing with her 3 dogs Zoe, Hannah, and Lacy. Ms. Farroll resides in Medina, TN.
October 20, 2014
London 2012 Olympics: A Retrospective
Tim Ellsworth
Tim Ellsworth is associate vice president for university communications at Union University. He served for several years as the sports editor for Baptist Press, covering the Super Bowl, the 2008 Olympics in Beijing, the 2010 Olympics in Vancouver and the 2012 Olympics in London. He is the author of two books: God in the Whirlwind and Pujols: More Than the Game.
A 1996 graduate of Union, Ellsworth completed his master's degree from Southern Illinois University. He previously served as associate editor of the Illinois Baptist, director of news and information at Southern Baptist Theological Seminary, a reporter at the Southern Illinoisan and as a high school social studies teacher before returning to his alma mater in 2004. He and his wife Sarah have three children.
Why Are Sports So Important in Our Culture? #sports#obsessed#whatsupwiththat
Debbie Snell
Dr. Debbie Snell joined the Union University staff in July of 2013 as the Associate Vice President for Compliance and Athletic Programs. Snell came to Union after three years as the Associate Director of Athletics for Compliance/Senior Woman Administrator at California Baptist University.
Snell is no stranger to the world of athletic administration. Prior to her three years at California Baptist, she served as the Associate Director of Athletics/Internal Operations at Dominican University (Calif.).
Before her time at Dominican, Snell was the Director of Athletics at Texas A&M International University from 2007-2009 and the Associate Director of Athletics for Compliance and Academics at Campbell (N.C.) University from 2006-2007.
Snell spent almost seven years at Palm Beach Atlantic University as the Assistant Director of Athletics/Senior Woman Administrator and Compliance Coordinator prior to her time at Campbell. She was also the women's basketball coach for the Sailfish.
Snell earned her bachelor's in physical education, master's in kinesiology and doctorate in higher education management all from the University of Arkansas. She also played basketball for the Razorbacks during her time there.
With much of her training in education, Snell has also served as an instructor. She taught in the sports management department at Dominican, the education department at Campbell and in the physical education/athletic training department at Palm Beach Atlantic. Snell was also the department head in education and wellness at Northwest Arkansas Community College.
She has also taught and coached at the high school and junior high levels. Snell has two sons, Dillon and Kyle, a daughter, Calandra, and two granddaughters, Presley and Emery.
October 27, 2014
'I am not a role model': Why We Should Have Listened to Charles Barkley, 20 Years Ago
Matt Brunet
Matt Brunet is an Assistant Professor of Sport Management at Union University, where he previously served as Assistant Softball Coach, Volunteer Assistant Baseball Coach, and Director of Wellness Services. He completed his undergraduate degree at Indiana Wesleyan University where he was a member of the varsity baseball team. He completed his M.A. degree in Sport Management at Wayne State University, where he also served as the Assistant Strength and Conditioning Coach. Dr. Brunet holds a doctorate degree in Educational Leadership from Union University. His doctoral dissertation focused on the impact of intercollegiate athletics on undergraduate enrollment. His article, Impact of Intercollegiate Athletics on Undergraduate Enrollment at a Small, Faith-Based Institution was recently published in the Journal of Applied Sport Management.
Dr. Brunet teaches Sport Law, Sport Ethics, Current Issues in Sport, Sport Ministry, and Organizational Leadership in Sport. In his free time, he coaches softball at Trinity Christian Academy. Dr. Brunet resides in Jackson, TN, is married to Marie Brunet, and together they have two children: Maddox and Madelyn.
Sanctified Idolatry: The Vices and Virtues of Sport
Micah Watson
Micah Watson is Director of the Center for Politics and Religion and Associate Professor of Political Science at Union University. He is a native of the great golden state of California, where he completed his undergraduate degree at U.C. Davis. He completed his M.A. degree in Church-State Studies at Baylor University in Waco, Texas, and holds an M.A. and doctorate degree in Politics from Princeton University, where he was also a 2010-11 William E. Simon Visiting Fellow in Religion and Public Life. His doctoral dissertation focused on the conflict between religion and politics as considered by John Locke, Jean-Jacques Rousseau, and John Rawls. He is co-editor of Natural Law and Evangelical Political Thought, and has contributed to other volumes such as A Second Look at First Things: The Hadley Arkes Festschrift, Political Philosophy and the Claims of Faith: Reason, Revelation, and the Civic Order (forthcoming, NIU University Press), and KJV400: The Legacy and Impact of the King James Version.
Dr. Watson teaches Western Political Thought, Christian Political Thought, American Political Thought, and an Honors Community course on Justice. He has taught previously at Villanova University and Princeton University. His broad research interests include political philosophy, politics and religion, politics and literature, and ethics and public policy. When he can get away with it, he loves to study the connections between popular film and political thought. Dr. Watson is married to Julie Watson and together they have four daughters and a son: Abigail, Anastasia, Annika, Alexandra, and John. Accompanied by their faithful dogs Jack and Ripley, the Watsons make their home in Jackson, Tennessee.
November 3, 2014
'I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me!' - Oh, Really?
Paul Jackson
Faith and Sport: Getting your Head in the Game
Todd Brady
Brady serves as pastor, educator, administrator, and writer. He has served as pastor of a local church, interim pastor in several churches and in various University roles. In addition to providing leadership to the chapel, Brady leads ministries to students, faculty and staff and the University�s relationships with churches and ministry organizations in Tennessee and throughout America. He is a graduate of Union University, Southwestern Baptist Theological Seminary, and Southern Baptist Theological Seminary.
A regular columnist for The Jackson Sun and various periodicals and a frequent conference presenter and speaker, he also is serving as interim preacher at First Baptist Church, Tupelo, Mississippi. He has contributed chapters to two books—Shaping a Christian Worldview and Reclaiming the Gospel at Home: Biblical Truths for Men.
This year, Brady founded Adoption and Family Matters — a soon-launching organization for families in West Tennessee who are pursuing family through adoption. He and his wife, Amy have 5 sons: Jack (10), William (8), Isaac(6), Benjamin(5) and Miller (2).
Last spring, Jack pitched a no hitter, and this fall Brady is enjoying post-dinner family whiffle ball games in the backyard.
November 10, 2014
Sports as Character Formation: A Personal Reflection
Katie Woodruff
Katie Woodruff started in her current position of Associate Director of Athletics and Senior Woman Administrator in the 2011-12 school year. In this role she serves as liaison for academic and eligibility related issues, Life Skills Coordinator and serves as the advisor for the Student Athlete Advisory Committee. She also spent nine seasons with the Lady Bulldogs as the assistant coach. She is a native of Fayetteville, Arkansas with a degree in Psychology from John Brown University and a Masters in Recreation Management from the University of Arkansas, Fayetteville.
