The Optimist
  • Home
  • About
    • Advertise
    • Policies
    • Staff Contacts
    • Jobs
  • News
  • Sports
  • Opinion
    • Columns
    • Editorials
  • Multimedia
    • Photo Galleries
    • Videos
  • Features
  • Print Edition
    • The Pessimist
    • Special Projects
  • Police Log
  • Classifieds
You are here: Home / News / Seven professors chosen for faculty renewal leaves

Seven professors chosen for faculty renewal leaves

April 19, 2006 by Jared Fields

By Jared Fields, Sports Editor

Seven professors have been granted sabbaticals for the 2006-07 school year. Dr. Dwayne VanRheenen said the sabbaticals, or faculty renewal leaves, are usually given to five to eight professors a year to allow them time to study or write and come back to the school “refreshed.”

VanRheenen, provost of the university, said the faculty renewal leaves are selected from a faculty committee.

Those leaving on sabbatical are: Dr. Cheryl Bacon, chair of journalism and mass communication; Mr. Robert Green, professor of art and design; Dr. Fred Bailey, professor of history; Dr. Foy Mills, professor of agricultural and environmental sciences; Dr. Tim Coburn, professor of management sciences; Dr. Donald Isenhower, professor of physics; and Dr. Ken Cukrowski, professor in the Graduate School of Theology.

Bailey is taking next spring off to dedicate time to writing a book, currently titled Triumph of Aristocracy.

The book will be a culmination of about 20 years of research Bailey has done into the mindset of the southern white aristocrat during the late 19th and early 20th century.

Bailey said he wants the book to be an explanation of why the civil rights movement had such a hard time catching up in the South.

“I want to get these thoughts out for other historians to look at,” Bailey said. “Just as a mortician looks at death, I look at understanding why society has had such a difficult time.”

Isenhower will be on leave for the entire 2006-07 school year. Isenhower, in his 20th year teaching at ACU, has been on leave twice before, in the early ’90s and the spring of 1998.

He will be gone during the summer to work at Brookhaven national lab before returning to Abilene for most of the school year. In Abilene, his salary will be supplemented by some of the work he will do and grants he will receive.

“It will be a great way for me to fill the other half of my salary,” Isenhower said. He said one grant is for three years and will pay $150,000 -$180,000 to students’ salaries who work in the program also.

Isenhower will also be part of a small business innovative research program. The business could help the community and university by giving faculty a place to do other work or bring in more people capable of teaching and working on research.

Isenhower also said the school might benefit financially by being associated with it and getting money through patents the research could generate.

Filed Under: News

Other News:

  • Provost adopts new policy for emeriti faculty

  • Demolition begins on Sherrod residential apartments

  • ACU Gives exceeds goal, raises over $919,000

About Jared Fields

You are here: Home / News / Seven professors chosen for faculty renewal leaves

Other News:

  • Provost adopts new policy for emeriti faculty

  • Demolition begins on Sherrod residential apartments

  • ACU Gives exceeds goal, raises over $919,000

Follow us online

  • Facebook
  • Instagram
  • Twitter
  • YouTube

Optimist on Twitter

Retweet on Twitter The Optimist Retweeted
optimistsports Optimist Sports @optimistsports ·
26 Jun

The United Athletic Conference is officially taking the place of the Western Athletic Conference in the 2026-2027 athletic year. The UAC is a joint football effort between the WAC and the ASUN but will now extend to all sports. #acuoptimist #acuathletics #wac #uac

Reply on Twitter 1938240320854008109 Retweet on Twitter 1938240320854008109 2 Like on Twitter 1938240320854008109 7 Twitter 1938240320854008109
Retweet on Twitter The Optimist Retweeted
ashleyh1607 Ashley Henderson @ashleyh1607 ·
3 Jun

My second year at ACU was full of opportunities that grew me as an individual and a journalist.

In my first year as editor in chief of @acuoptimist, we published six print issues, filmed a 3-hour live election show, and revamped our newscast, all while producing news weekly.

Reply on Twitter 1929734328445178254 Retweet on Twitter 1929734328445178254 1 Like on Twitter 1929734328445178254 1 Twitter 1929734328445178254

Optimist on Facebook

The Optimist

1 years ago

The Optimist

Video

View on Facebook
· Share

Share on Facebook Share on Twitter Share on Linked In Share by Email

The Optimist

2 years ago

The Optimist
"Ending my college education early was always the plan for me, but the things that I have been able to see, experience and examine about ACU’s community were not. I have found immense growth in ACU over the past three and a half years, but ACU still has a long road to climb if it wants to keep catering to students as the world changes around them." To read more of this article visit acuoptimist.com or click the link in our bio. #acu #abilenechristianuniversity #privatechristianuniversity #collegestudentopinion #acuopinion ... See MoreSee Less

Photo

View on Facebook
· Share

Share on Facebook Share on Twitter Share on Linked In Share by Email

Videos

Optimist Newscast Feb. 28, 2024

Our top stories today include a recap of The Musical Comedy Murders of 1940, the ... [Read More…]

  • Optimist Newscast Feb. 21, 2024
  • Optimist Newscast Feb. 14, 2024
  • Optimist Newscast Jan. 24, 2024

Latest Photos

  • Home
  • About
    • Contact
    • Subscribe
    • Policies
    • Advertising Policy
    • Letters to the Editor and Reader Comments
  • News
  • Sports
  • Opinion
    • Columns
    • Editorials
  • Multimedia
    • Videos
    • Photo Galleries
  • Features
  • Advertise
    • Paid Advertisement
  • Police Log

© 2025 ACU Optimist · All Rights Reserved