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New Faculty Added This Fall

August 15, 2001

Eight new instructors will join Oklahoma Baptist University's nationally recognized faculty for the 2001-02 year.

A former Oklahoma high school and college theatre director, Dr. Joyce Aldridge has been named assistant professor of theatre.

As assistant professor of theatre at Castleton State College, Aldridge was awarded the school's Outstanding New Faculty Award in 1994. She also has been honored for excellence in teaching by fellow faculty at the University of Colorado and Rogers State College.

Aldridge earned a bachelor's degree from Southeastern State University and a master's degree from Oklahoma State University. She received a doctorate degree in theatre from the University of Colorado at Boulder.

Dr. Jerry Faught has been named assistant professor of religion. Faught has served at OBU as an adjunct instructor in Bible and church history. For the 2000-2001 year, he was assistant professor of religion at Bacone College. Faught also has served as chaplain for the Baptist Medical Center in Oklahoma City for five years.

The 1983 OBU graduate earned a master of divinity degree from Southwestern Baptist Theological Seminary and Ph.D degree in religion from Baylor University.

Gina Kraft comes to OBU from St. Anthony Hospital where she served as cardiac rehabilitation program coordinator and physical therapy technician. Kraft will be instructor of health, physical education and recreation, and director of OBU's wellness program.

Kraft graduated from OBU in 1998. She was a graduate assistant while she earned a master's degree in exercise and sport sciences and exercise physiology from the University of Oklahoma.

Dr. John Mouracade will join the OBU faculty as assistant professor of philosophy after teaching in the department of philosophy at Calvin College since the fall of 2000.

Specializing in ancient Greek philosophy and metaphysics, Mouracade also has instructed courses in political philosophy, reason and argument, medical ethics, and introductory philosophy and ethics.

While earning master's and Ph.D degrees from the University of Rochester, Mouracade taught at that university as well as the Eastman School of Music, St. John Fischer College, University of Rochester, Rochester Institute of Technology and State University of New York at Brockport.

He earned a bachelor's degree from Seattle Pacific University.

Kevin Pruiett has been named assistant professor of music. Pruiett has served as sabbatical replacement for a full-time studio professor at Eastern Illinois University during the 2000-01 year. In addition to teaching trumpet privately, he has been a graduate assistant at the University of Illinois at Urbana since 1997.

Pruiett has been in numerous instrumental performing groups including the University of Illinois Jazz Band, Wind Symphony, New Music Ensemble, and Graduate Brass Quintet. He has been principal trumpet in the Paris Brass since 1991.

Pruiett worked toward a doctor of musical arts degree from the University of Illinois and completed a master of music degree from Eastern Illinois University. He earned a bachelor's degree from Millikin University.

Dr. Richard Rudebock will join the OBU faculty as assistant professor of management after teaching at the University of Central Oklahoma and OSU. He also has worked as the manager of instruction for Dale Carnegie Training Systems in Oklahoma City.

He earned a doctor of education degree from OSU and a master of education degree from Texas Tech University. He earned a bachelor's degree from Kent State University.

Dr. David Urban will be assistant professor of English.

Most recently, Urban has taught English courses at Trinity International University. He also has taught at other universities in Chicago: University of Illinois, North Park University, Loyola University, Roosevelt University, Ort Technical Institute.

While completing his dissertation at the University of Illinois, Urban was given the Dissertation Research Award by the faculty.

He earned a master's degree in English from UI and a master of divinity degree from Trinity Evangelical Divinity School. He earned a bachelor's degree in English from Northwestern University.

Shawna York has been named assistant professor of chemistry. She has served as research assistant at OU since 1998. She also has been a teaching assistant in the physical chemistry laboratory.

She has co-authored of number academic publications and was awarded the J.J. Zuckerman Award and the Graduate Assistants in Areas of National Need Fellowship.

York is a graduate of Southern Nazarene University, where she earned a bachelor's degree in chemistry and physics. She received master's and Ph.D. degrees in chemistry from OU.