Faculty

Ken Beals
As an undergraduate student at Wittenberg University, I had a double major in psychology and philosophy. My graduate degrees from Boston University School of Theology were in systematic theology and church ministries, with a concentration in Biblical studies. My doctoral research examined whether and why pastors refer church members for professional counseling, and that interest has continued as I served on the Social Services Board and the Valley Community Services Board in Staunton. I was a pastor of United Methodist churches in Ohio and here in the Shenandoah Valley for 25 years, including three years as a campus minister at JMU. As a pastor I did a pulpit exchange that enabled me to serve two churches in Kingston upon Hull, England for a summer, which was a great experience for the whole family. I did my first college teaching at the former Staunton Correctional Center while serving a church full time, and my JMU experience led to an opportunity to teach graduate courses at Eastern Mennonite Seminary. Soon after that I was offered a full-time sabbatical replacement position teaching medical ethics at Wingate University, and since then I have taught essentially full time.

My academic interests include ethics (especially medical and leadership ethics), Biblical studies, and world religions. But I still enjoy teaching the basic survey course in philosophy, in which students have their first exposure to some of the Big Ideas that philosophers have struggled with for centuries.

My wife, Jackie, taught biology at MBC for 14 years and is currently a freelance science writer. Our two children are Eve, currently completing her doctorate in clinical psychology at the New School in New York City, and Kurt, a graduate student in German studies at Berkeley.

Jim Gilman
My undergraduate degree is in psychology; my graduate degrees are in theology (MDiv), classical antiquities (MA), and philosophy of religion (PhD). I am fortunate to be able to teach courses in both philosophy and religion. My favorite philosophy courses to teach are Introduction to Philosophy, History of Modern Philosophy, and Modern Political Thought. My favorite religion courses to teach are Christian Faith and Social Justice, Greek Myth and Religion, Religion, Politics, and Public Policy, and Judaism, Christianity, and Islam. I have studied overseas (Oxford) and taught for a summer in Suva, Fiji. I am faculty coordinator of Mary Baldwin’s Ethics Bowl Debate Team. My recent research and publications are in Christian Ethics ( Fidelity of Heart: An Ethic of Christian Virtue, Oxford University Press) and in Philosophy of Religion ( Faith, Reason, and Compassion: A Christian Philosophy of Religion, Rowman & Littlefield Pub.). I have also submitted for publication a manuscript titled The Awful Grace of God: An Ethic of Christian Mercy.

I am an advocate of volunteerism and community service and am involved in a number of activities and organizations. I teach a college level mediation/conflict resolution course, but I also volunteer as a mediator with a local non-profit agency and with the courts. Along with some students, I helped initiate the MBC Habitat for Humanity chapter and continue to promote and participate in Habitat events. For 16 years I have been a mentor for a gentleman in the mental health community and work for the welfare of others who are mentally challenged. I also participate in peace and justice activities locally and nationally. Other interests and concerns include the Food Bank, Social Welfare Services, and the Valley Mission.

I enjoy reading poetry, hiking, music, concerts, museums, camping, and traveling internationally. I am active in a local church as a deacon, a chorister, a teacher and occasional preacher. I have two lovely children who are the loves of my life.

Patricia Hunt
A North Carolina native, Pat has been chaplain to Mary Baldwin since 1985. She served churches in Tennessee and West Virginia. At Mary Baldwin she created and directs the Quest Program of spiritual exploration and teaches a course in Christian scriptures as well as a spiritual exploration course called “Faith, Life and Service.” She also has various responsibilities for religious life on campus.

Pat Hunt has two adult children, a hound dog, and a cat. She likes to hike and is a movie buff, an interest that has been made easier with Staunton’s new Visualite Theater specializing in movies you will not see at the mall. She reads a lot, and has been known to collide with telephone poles as a result of reading and walking at the same time.

Mary Baldwin has published a book of her sermons, and she writes a weekly column for The News Virginian, the Waynesboro newspaper. She has twice been editor-at-large of the Presbyterian Outlook, and has been taught preaching at Union Theological Seminary in New York, Auburn Theological Seminary, and Memphis Theological Seminary.

She received her BA from Wake Forest University and her MDiv from Union Theological Seminary in Virginia.

Roderic Lewis Owen
Dr. Roderic Owen has been a faculty member at Mary Baldwin College for over 25 years teaching introductory philosophy courses, applied and advanced ethics seminars, and a survey of the world's religions to a diverse range of students: women in the residential program, graduate MAT students, PEGs, and returning adult students. His doctorate is from the College of William and Mary, Virginia, and his dissertation was focused on Models for Teaching Ethics at the Undergraduate Level.Over the past several years, Dr. Owen has developed and taught a seminar primarily focused on ethics and education to graduate students and an honors colloquium on Science, Religion, and the Search for Meaning; helped implement community service courses and internships; and created a multi-disciplinary minor focused on Peacemaking and Conflict Resolution. He has team-taught a number of different types of courses including freshman colloquia, the senior seminar in philosophy and religion, a graduate-level seminar on philosophy and education, as well as a number of interdisciplinary honors colloquia.

Dr. Owen’s areas of philosophical research and professional interest include character education; interdisciplinary approaches to the teaching of ethics; and the interfaith dialogue. His most recent sabbatical was spent at a woman’s college in Madurai, India where he led faculty seminar on interfaith issues and gave talks at the local Gandhi Centre. He is a member of the APA, the regional Philosophy of Education Society, the Association for Moral Education, the Virginia Humanities Association, the Association for Ethics across the Curriculum, and the Association for Practical and Professional Ethics.

In personal terms, Dr. Owen is a native of Wales and is married to Linda, a fourth grade teacher and school counselor, and they are parents to three sons — two of whom are college students. He is currently a member of the City of Staunton School Board, has served as an elder and teacher in the Presbyterian Church, U.S.A., and recently completed a term as President of the North American Association for the Study of Welsh Culture and History. Ph: 540-887-7309 Fax: 540-887-7137

Rev. Andrea Cornett-Scott
My educational journey began at the Seven Hill Schools, a private college preparatory program in Cincinnati, Ohio. I attended Howard University and graduated from Morris Brown College receiving a BA in Spanish. My undergraduate interests in language, anthropology, and ministerial studies prompted me to study in the Dominican Republic at Universidad Católica Madre y Maestra. During this study abroad experience, I became intrigued by the continuity of culture that was evident among people of the African Diaspora. I attended Payne Theological Seminary, receiving the Master of Divinity degree. While a seminary student, I led a missionary tour to Guyana, South America for the African Methodist Episcopal Church Department of Missions. My interest in African cultural continuities inspired my thesis research entitled: Ain’t Got Time to Die: the African Spiritual Inheritance of the African Methodist Episcopal Church. As a member of the Mary Baldwin College philosophy and religion faculty, I teach African-American Religion and Community and Practice, two courses that support the African-American studies minor. I have also taught religious studies courses as a part of the May Term study abroad experience in South Africa and have supervised ministerial practicums for pre-seminary students.

My work at Mary Baldwin College is shared between the philosophy and religion department and Student Affairs. For the past ten years, I have served as the Director (Dean) of African-American and Multicultural Affairs and the Associate Vice President for Student Affairs. My work as a retention specialist has helped to transform the diverse face of Mary Baldwin College. Prior to coming to Mary Baldwin, I served as the Director of Minority Affairs at Monmouth College and taught in the religion departments at both James Madison University and Virginia Tech University.

My ministerial career has spanned 28 years. As an ordained African Methodist minister, I have served three congregations: Bethel A.M.E. Church - Harrisonburg, Virginia, Ebenezer A.M.E. Church - Roanoke, Virginia, and Christ Our Redeemer A.M.E. Church - Staunton, Virginia. I planted Christ Our Redeemer in 2000 to address the spiritual needs of college students and to offer opportunities for ministerial supervision for students interested in campus ministry. My work as the coordinator for the Virginia Annual Conference Women in Ministry resulted in programming designed to mentor and support female clergy. I currently serve as the registrar and a member of the teaching faculty for the Virginia Annual Conference Board of Examiners (African Methodist Episcopal Church).

I participated in the 1999 spring voyage of Semester At Sea traveling throughout the Caribbean, South America, Africa, and Asia with my husband and son. I am an avid supporter of civic engagement and cross-cultural learning. I spend my summer hiatus playing in my garden and the school year nurturing students, helping them to become their best selves.

Main Campus: Staunton, Virginia
Regional Centers: Charlottesville, Richmond, Roanoke, South Boston, Staunton, Weyers Cave, Williamsburg

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