New Professor is Specialist in Foreign Policy and Military History

Scot D. Bruce

(SALEM) - A 34-year-old doctoral student whose specialties are American foreign policy and military history has been hired as a full-time professor at Corban College.

After completing his Ph.D. at the University of Nebraska this summer, Scot D. Bruce will begin teaching classes at Corban this fall. He is Corban's third full-time social science faculty member, joining Professors Robert Mathisen and John Scott.

"This is wonderful for Corban. We're continuing to move forward, to grow and to attract quality candidates," Mathisen said.

Bruce and his wife, Jennifer, visited Salem in early March to be interviewed, tour campus and meet faculty and staff. During his visit, Bruce gave mini-lectures in Civil War, Judaism and Christianity, and American Thought and Culture classes. Then he flew home to Nebraska with a formal job offer from the college's search committee.

"He's very much a people person," Mathisen said. "He connected well with everyone and is very much interested in investing in the lives of students."

Bruce readily accepted the job, saying he'd been hoping to teach at a Christian college. Small class sizes and the chance to encourage students in their faith were important factors, and the attitude among students and staff sealed the deal, he said.

"Jennifer and I both felt as if we were treated in a Christ-like manner and that we mattered to Corban," Bruce said. "It's one thing when Christian colleges say they're about Christian education. It's another thing to see it in action."

The son of a Wheaton College professor, Bruce grew up in Chicago. He attended Taylor University, went on to earn a master's degree in history from the University of Colorado and will complete his Ph.D. this summer. During his years of graduate study, he was a college instructor.

"We were looking for someone who we don't have to bring up speed on the integration of faith and learning," Mathisen said. "There were about a dozen applicants for the job, but we were particularly impressed by Scot."

One of Bruce's University of Nebraska advisors wrote, "Throughout my 38-plus years on the history faculty, I have not known or worked with any student who takes his faith more seriously than Scot. He is the epitome of a Christian scholar who upholds the highest standards of historical scholarships but who also seeks to integrate his faith into his academic work."

This fall, Bruce will begin teaching two sections of American Thought and Culture with English Professor Jim Hills. For the past eight years, Hills and Mathisen have team-taught the course, which explores history, literature, art and music. Then last fall's enrollment the largest in Corban's history made it clear that a new professor was needed, Mathisen said. With Bruce's arrival, the college will now offer four sections of the required class.

Next spring, Bruce will teach a military history course. Diplomacy and war are his areas of interest and study. His doctoral thesis deals with post-World War I Europe, Africa and the Middle East and explores whether the peace process eliminated colonialism as its leaders claimed.

"There have been very few years in human history when our world wasn't in some semblance of turmoil," Bruce said. "Studying war can be a bothersome experience, but I think it's better to understand the conflicts than to ignore them."