Methodist University will host its 2025 Fall Convocation this Friday, September 19, from 11 a.m. to Noon in Huff Concert Hall. The annual event, co-sponsored by the Office of the Provost and the Office of Engagement, Community, & Belonging, serves as a time for the MU community to come together in reflection, and shared purpose. This year’s Convocation speaker is Bryan Dewsbury, Ph.D., with a talk titled “Beyond Content – Education for Meaning and Purpose.”
Methodist University will host its 2025 Fall Convocation this Friday, September 19, from 11 a.m. to Noon in Huff Concert Hall. The annual event, co-sponsored by the Office of the Provost and the Engagement, Community, & Belonging Office, serves as a time for the MU community to come together in reflection, and shared purpose. This year’s Convocation speaker is Bryan Dewsbury, Ph.D., with a talk titled “Beyond Content – Education for Meaning and Purpose.”
Dewsbury is an associate professor of Biological Sciences at Florida International University and principal investigator of Science Education and research. His work focuses on the societal context of teaching and learning, Specifically, exploring how bias, stereotypes, and identity shape relationships in education.
“Dr. Dewsbury reminds us that culture, economic mobility, and equity are inseparable from what takes place in the classroom,” said Quincy Malloy, Ed.D., MU’s vice president of Engagement, Community, and Belonging. “No one is simply a student with an ID number, but an individual with unique dreams, goals, and challenges. That reflects the very mission of Methodist University.”
Dewsbury said he hopes students will come to see their college experience in a new light. First-year students are expected to attend, and other students plus faculty and staff are also invited.
“I want students to have a different, more aggressive conception of their education,” he said. “College is not just a place to passively collect subjects and grades, but a space to always be answering deeper questions.”
In addition to the student Convocation, a separate special session exclusively for faculty will also be held that afternoon. “For faculty, this means embracing the art of teaching in a comprehensive, holistic way that cultivates the whole person,” Dewsbury said.
The faculty event will be held from 2 to 3:30 p.m. in Hendricks 222, creating space for more in-depth conversations on teaching, learning, and equity.
This year’s Convocation challenges students, faculty, and staff together, to engage in a conversation that moves “beyond content,” and reflect on personal and academic journeys. Dewsbury says he is inspired by MU’s updates in curriculum and into the direction of vocational discernment.
“I’m very, very happy and proud that Methodist University is taking that step,” he said. “I’m happy to be a part of that.”