GET ACQUAINTED WITH DAVIS! Faculty Feature Jerry Franz
“Dr. Jerry Franz came to Davis College from Moody Bible Institute in July 1989. He was one of the librarians there and an adjunct instructor. For the next 18 years, he served as the library director and professor, teaching Western Civilization I and II and Church History I and II. A big emphasis in the early 1990s at Practical Bible Training School was the move to a four-year bachelor’s program and the name change to Practical Bible College. Jerry worked hard to organize and grow the library to pass the rigorous criteria from New York State and Middle States Accreditation. Jerry and Wendy lived on campus for many years and their young son and daughter still have
fond memories of growing up on campus. Jerry also taught many college introduction classes to incoming freshmen and endeavored to disciple some of the male students through the chapel discipleship program. He also regularly taught his history courses at the extension sites in Syracuse and Albany, NY in evening classes, while continuing his education with an M.A. and PhD. In mid-2007, Jerry and his family left Davis College and moved to Fort Myers, Florida, his hometown, to be near his aged mother. However, not long afterward, Davis College asked Jerry to begin teaching his history courses online for the college. Jerry still teaches history both locally and online for another university, in addition to his adjunct work with Davis College. He writes, ‘Being involved with the students at Davis College is a great joy, which now in 2024, has extended to about 35 years. I love to see God’s hand on them as they train for various ministries through Davis. To be just a small part of their educational experience is an amazing privilege.’”
Online Student Feature
Travis Shearin “I chose Davis College online because of the unique opportunity that it provided me to gain ministry experience while working in a church and completing my degree. Because of the convenience of the 8-week classes, it has enabled me to complete more classes during a semester than I would be able to in person. While ministry as an online student can be very challenging, when it is found it is very beneficial. It can be difficult, as you must take the time to seek ministry out. However, with my job in the church I can seek out ministry and use what I’m learning to glorify the Lord. I am working towards earning a Bachelor’s in Religious Education, with a focused concentration on Christian Counseling. By taking this concentration, I am wanting to prepare myself to interact and help others in ministry. My goal is to be a pastor, and I think every pastor needs to understand counseling from a Christian perspective. A pastor’s role is to shepherd and to do that well you need to understand people. While being online has its benefits, the transition from being at Word of Life to now being online has been a struggle. I
Made with FlippingBook - Online Brochure Maker