BOLIVAR, Mo. – Joseph Wilson, a rising senior chemistry major and Gordon and Judy Dutile Honors Scholar at Southwest Baptist University, is one of 14 college students to be selected to participate in the 2020 Wheaton College Interdisciplinary Liberal Arts Symposium, which will be held virtually on May 26-30.
In order to apply to this selective symposium, students must be at the incoming junior
or senior status, enrolled full time in a Council for Christian Colleges and Universities
(CCCU) institution and nominated by a faculty member. The application process also
includes a writing submission.
“Joseph is a chemistry major; however, he reads widely and is generally curious,” said Dr. Jodi Meadows, director of the Dutile Honors Program at SBU. “In our interdisciplinary honors Colloquium classes, he is consistently engaged, asks excellent questions, and does high-quality research.
“Wheaton sends the invitation to every school in the CCCU, which includes around 180 colleges and universities in the U.S. and Canada. Only 14 students are selected for participation.”
Accepted students to “Issues, Ideas, and Integration” will participate in the art of interdisciplinary collaboration, as well as interact with other college thinkers who share a passion for cross-disciplinary conversations, according to the Interdisciplinary Studies Program at Wheaton College.
“It is a tremendous honor to be selected as a participant in the Wheaton Interdisciplinary Symposium,” Wilson said. “I am excited to study the importance of an interdisciplinary approach to problems in society and the church, especially with the guidance of Dr. Jeffry Davis, an expert in the field. I am also excited to broaden my knowledge of these issues through discussion with the other participants, and I hope to better understand how each person's chosen discipline influences their perspective.”
The symposium is designed to benefit students in a variety of ways, which include learning about key issues regarding liberal arts interdisciplinarity, especially from a Christian perspective, practicing academic literacy skills and gaining insights into complex problems facing contemporary society.
“The Wheaton symposium is in its third year,” Meadows said. “Another honors graduate, Sarah Fortna, participated in the inaugural year and stated that it was one of the most intellectually influential experiences of her undergraduate career.”
*Published: 5-25-2020