Dallas Baptist University on LinkedIn: Pursuing Her Passion: Meet Alumna Reese Jay Manning (2024)

DBU students, Emma Sumlin and Jonathan Collins met in their freshman Intro to Digital Media class and quickly connected over film. In Fall 2022, Emma and Jonathan created the film We Were Happy, which premiered at DBU in July 2023. Emma directed the film, while Jonathan served as the editor. They are currently working on their most ambitious project yet: Timeless, a black-and-white silent film set during World War II.The film is based during World War II and will star another DBU student, Grace Adams. They began pre-production in September 2023 and plan to shoot in July 2024 in Springtown, TX, and Grapevine, TX.Emma Sumlin shared her inspiration for the film. "For most of my life, I believed it would be impossible to create a period piece without a substantial budget, but since I leaned into this project, trusting the Lord, I've seen him open doors I didn't think were options to me."Emma and Jonathan credit their professors, Chris Fore and Dr. Jodi Grimes, for their support throughout the production process and as students. They have both served as mentors to them, teaching them skills in storytelling and film and regularly providing encouraging feedback on their work. Both Emma and Jonathan have interned at Kingdom Story Company, a Christian filmmaking organization that has produced recent hits like Unsung Hero, Jesus Revolution, and I Can Only Imagine. When the team found out that the two were fundraising for Timeless, they donated to the project on behalf of the organization.We love what our students are doing and the horizons they are pushing. To read more about the film, click here: https://lnkd.in/g843rDcB

83

3 Comments

Today is National Higher Education Day! We are honored to be a part of so many peoples' educational journey and train up strong leaders and believers. To celebrate this day, here are some fun facts about our student body:- Our student to faculty ratio is 11:1- We have 605 international students with 50 countries represented- 92% of first-year students receive financial aid- 84% of faculty hold doctorates or terminal degreesAt DBU, we are committed to delivering a Christ-centered education to students all over the world and equipping them to be leaders in their field. If you have ever considered getting a degree (or another), you should consider choosing DBU! Join us at dbu.edu/apply!

67

1 Comment

This semester, we had the honor of hosting Dr. Russell Moore to speak at the 2nd Baptist Distinctives Lecture Series, an event held to teach people what it means to be a Baptist and pay homage to the leaders who came before us. Dr. Russell Moore is the Editor-in-Chief of Christianity Today and the author of Losing Our Religion, an Altar Call for Evangelical America. He previously served as the President of the Ethical and Religious Liberty Commission and was also named one of POLITICO Magazine's Top 50 Most Influential Makers in Washington in 2017.At the event, Dr. Moore spoke on Mark 5:1-20 and explained how Jesus sought out a demon-possessed man who had lost his personal identity and saved him. Dr. Moore related this story to society today, saying that society has caused some Baptist rituals and distinctives to subside, but the ones that have prevailed are the essentials. With this, Dr. Moore emphasized the importance of Christ-centered community because a community apart from God is destined to fail on its own. Therefore, we must weaken tribalism in our society with true community. Dr. Moore used his closing remarks to encourage attendees to continue treating each member of the congregation, regardless of their age, as an essential member of the body of the Church, saying, "The message that Baptists should have, in the 21st century, plagued by belonging to everyone and thus belonging to no one, people who are wondering if I am 100% dedicated to these people and do I have to prove it by hating a certain group, or am I instead a person and not just a cog in some machine. The Baptist movement has a great deal to contribute if we can remember who we are. And if we can say, 'You must be born again.' Jesus loves not just us but me. If we can retain this message, we will be able to detox from a really toxic time."Read more about Dr. Moore and his speech here: https://lnkd.in/gZ52KZJq

23

National Day of Prayer occurred on May 2. For over twenty years, DBU has hosted a breakfast for faculty and staff to celebrate this day.Kristi Coleman, Director of the Rogers Intercessory Prayer Ministry, explained the importance of the National Day of Prayer, saying, "Scripture tells us to humble ourselves together and pray for God to heal our land. The concept of corporate repentance is a prerequisite for God to change the direction of our land, but it feels foreign to us Americans. Furthermore, our prayers tend to be limited to our own best ideas of what God should do for us and our immediate family. We miss out on God's bigger work in our nation and the world. This special day reminds us to pray corporately for our leaders on every level."At the breakfast, faculty and staff prayed for international leaders, the military, local leaders, first responders, families, communities, students, and the university. We are a university committed to prayer and ensuring that everything from students to classes to the trees planted has been covered in prayer. The Prayer Ministry, founded in 1988, plays a significant role in advancing the culture of prayer on campus.Read more about this event, its history at DBU, and the prayer ministry here: https://lnkd.in/gU_ttWeP

55

Looking back at some highlights from the best school year and counting down the minutes until we can do it all over again!What was your favorite moment from the year?

122

2 Comments

Meet DBU alumnus Dr. Andru Gilbert, class of '21.Dr. Gilbert is from Red Oak, Texas. He began college at a larger university but quickly desired to be in a smaller environment where professors could make a deeper impact. This led him to DBU's education program, where he was poured into by professors like Professor Oldenburg, Professor Abercrombie, Dr. Carona, Dr. Jenkins, Dr. Dugger, Dr. Lee, and many more. He graduated in 2011 with a B.A. in English/ Language Arts Teacher Education and continued to seek education. Andru received his Master of Education in Public Administration from Texas A&M University in 2016 and his Doctor of Education in K-12 Educational Leadership in 2021 from DBU. Dr. Gilbert has taught in the grade school setting and served as an Assistant Principal. He has even taught some classes at DBU as an adjunct professor. Currently, he serves as the Assistant Superintendent of Administration for Denison ISD, where he supports campus and district leadership. He is proud to have been part of the team that passed a historic $132 million bond with overwhelming support from the community in 2023.Reflecting on his education at DBU, Dr. Gilberts says, "DBU has the best education program in the nation. This means that the educators produced by the program are ready and equipped to conquer the challenges of the classroom today. The bar is high, but so are the stakes when we are given a classroom of students to lead and grow."He is married to his wife, Carly, and they have one daughter. You can read more about Dr. Gilbert here: https://lnkd.in/grFyJUjq

25

Today, we honor and remember the heroes of our nation who have made the ultimate sacrifice for our freedom. Let us never forget or forsake their bravery and selflessness.

85

2 Comments

Meet Dr. Joshua Longmire, Assistant Professor of Leadership and Director of the M.A. in Leadership and M.A. in International Relations. After Joshua's mother passed away when he was eleven years old, he began to find comfort and identity in his schoolwork when he was young. Learning new things and expanding his mind became Joshua's passion early in life. After Joshua found Christ, he realized he should put his identity in Christ rather than in knowledge or academic achievements.As a first-generation college student, Joshua attended Texas A&M University in Corpus Christi for his undergraduate degree and went on to pursue the higher education field. He has received an M.A. and MBA from DBU, an M.S. in Economics and Finance from West Texas A&M University, an M.A. in Political Science from Sam Houston State University, and a Ph.D. in Leadership Studies from DBU. He is currently working on an M.A. in History and a second Ph.D. in Public Policy with a cognate in Foreign Policy from Sam Houston State University.He says that, "When asked about my job, I always say that I am a minister first, a missionary second, and an educator third. Therefore, I am always waiting, praying, and hoping for God to do amazing works through my students, our programs, the university, and our city."Read more about Dr. Longmire here: https://lnkd.in/gqxk_WPk.

67

2 Comments

At the inaugural National Collegiate Digital Marketing Championship, DBU marketing students placed second out of some of the top schools in the nation! In the entire competition, one of our own, Akobir Hadjihanov, was the number one top-performing student.This competition was hosted by Baylor University's Business School.The DBU team members included Alec McKisic, Karsyn Bennet, Akobir Hodjihanov, Rachel Gerich, and Kaden Vaughan. They were selected by DBU Professors Sandra Crawford Williamson and Dr. Kyle Allison and coached by Dr. Allison. Some of the challenges included preparing a pitch on key performance indicators for a client, a quiz of cognitive questions on digital marketing, and managing a digital advertisem*nt budget.Reflecting on the team's success, Alec McKisic mentioned, "The team succeeded because we know our education doesn't stop in the classroom. I don't know any other school with professors caring about their students outside of class like DBU. DBU is full of students overflowing with Kingdom values and a responsibility to do something with the education God has given them at DBU."Read more about the success our students had at the National Collegiate Digital Marketing Championship here: https://lnkd.in/gfyhQSQz.

115

3 Comments