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Dr. Ron Jackson Revs Up to Fill Church Relations Role

 |
Carol Best
Rev. Dr. Ron Jackson

Starting his next chapter of life, Dr. Ron Jackson accepted the call to become assistant to the president for church relations in September. Jackson retired from teaching full time in 2024 but continued to accept speaking engagements and direct The Call @ MNU. With Dr. Randy Cloud’s retirement, the church relations position needed a new shepherd.  

“Ron is a seasoned leader, educator, and pastor, bringing more than 40 years of ministry experience across the local, district, and global Church of the Nazarene to this position,” said Dr. Jon North, MNU president. His previous leadership at MNU since 2008 has included serving as assistant professor of youth ministry, director of The Call at MNU (a youth institute), director of summer conferences, director of Land Gymnasium and dean of campus life. He is widely recognized for his work in youth and college ministry, having served in a variety of roles for churches in Alabama, North Carolina, Texas, Oklahoma and Kansas, including as college and senior high pastor at Olathe College Church of the Nazarene. 

Dr. Jackson is an ordained elder in the Church of the Nazarene and has been honored with numerous accolades, including the Excellence in Youth Ministry Award, the Timothy Award from the Kansas City District, the Charles K. Morrow Service Award from the Nazarene Student Leadership Conference and the Lifetime Achievement Award from Youthfront. He holds a Doctor of Education from Olivet Nazarene University, a Master of Arts in Christian Education from Nazarene Theological Seminary, and bachelor’s degrees in religion and history from Trevecca Nazarene University and the University of Alabama, respectively. 

“It is a great honor to serve MNU and the Church of the Nazarene in this capacity,” Jackson said. “No account of my life would be complete without a description of the impact of both these institutions on my life. I look forward to working closely with pastors, district leaders, and congregations across the region to support their ministry and share the life-changing mission of MNU.” 

Dr. Jackson and his wife, Sharon, reside in Olathe, Kansas. They have two married daughters and are members of Olathe College Church of the Nazarene. 

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Dr. Abby Hodges

Vice President for Academic Affairs

PhD; Organic Chemistry, Yale University 
MS; Organic Chemistry, Yale University 
BS; Chemistry, Denison University

Dr. Hodges began her career in higher education at Azusa Pacific University as a chemistry professor from 2008 to 2014. She then moved to MNU where she taught and in 2018 was appointed Chair of the Department of Natural, Health, and Mathematical Sciences. From 2022-2023, before accepting the Interim Vice President for Academic Affairs, Dr. Hodges was the Dean of the College of Arts and Sciences.

Dr. Hodges’ career research has focused on protein folding and protein engineering, and she has mentored over twenty students in these research projects. She has also furthered the MNU first-year experience program and chaired the General Education committee for five years. Dr. Hodges was recognized as the MNU Faculty of the Year in 2021.

Dr. Hodges lives in Olathe with her husband Ryan and two boys.

University Cooperative Program

Advantages of the MNU & K-State Cooperative Program:

  • Exposure to graduate-level courses not offered at MNU
  • Opportunity for an accelerated pathway for a master’s degree from K-State Olathe
  • Access to additional professional development resources offered through K-State

To qualify for program entry at MNU students must:

  • Be a junior or senior at MidAmerica Nazarene University
  • Be majoring in biology or similar field
  • Maintain a 3.5 GPA or higher
  • Have the recommendation of MNU faculty

To qualify for program entry at K-State students must:

  • Complete a minimum of 75 hours of undergraduate degree prior to applying for program
  • Complete a minimum of 90 hours of undergraduate degree prior to attending K-State classes
  • Provide a short essay detailing why the student wants to participate in the advanced sciences program
  • Complete the application process

Other restrictions and qualifications may apply.  For more information visit https://olathe.k-state.edu

For additional information, contact Jill Speicher at jspeicher@mnu.edu

University Cooperative Program

Advantages of the MNU & Kansas City University of Medicine and Biosciences partnership program:

  • Students spend 3 years at MNU and 4 years at KCU
  • Requirement for Medical College Admission Test (MCAT) is waived
  • Students graduate with a degree from both institutions (B.S. from MNU and D.O. from KCU)
  • The Program is available at both Kansas City and Joplin campuses

To qualify for entry into the program at MNU students must:

  • Enter the program at MNU at the beginning of the freshman year through the application process
  • Have a minimum ACT score of 28
  • Participate in community service
  • Have a dedication to the field of osteopathic medicine
  • Meet regularly with the MNU pre-professional committee

To qualify for program completion at KCU students must:

  • Complete all General Education requirements at MNU
  • Complete a minimum of 99 hours of course work at MNU
  • Maintain an overall GPA of 3.25
  • Maintain a science coursework GPA of 3.5
  • Participate in KCU-Com’s weeklong Summer Learning Enhancement Program
  • Complete the following course with a grade of “C” or higher at MNU:
    • Biological Sciences 12 hours
    • Chemistry 13 hours
    • Biochemistry 3 hours
    • Physics 8 hours
    • English Composition 6 hours

 

Other restrictions and qualifications may apply.

For additional information, contact Rion Taylor at rgtaylor@mnu.ed

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