(May 1, 2012)

College welcomes Assistant Professor of Religious Studies

SHREVEPORT, LA — Dr. Spencer Dew will join Centenary College as an Assistant Professor of Religious Studies beginning in the fall 2012 semester. He will offer three courses including Introduction to World Religions, Introduction to Judaism, and Religion and Race.

"Dr. Dew will bring a new dimension to both the Department of Religious Studies and Centenary," said Dr. David Otto, Chair of the Religious Studies department. "A true scholar, an incredible teacher, a prolific writer, and a warm personality makes Spencer a perfect fit for the Centenary family."

After receiving a BA in religious studies, Dew completed graduate study at the University of Chicago Divinity School. He also participated in summer programs at the Naropa Institute and the Hebrew University of Jerusalem. The choice to come to Centenary was an easy one for Dew, who has been an instructor and lecturer in higher education since 2005.

"What excited me about Centenary when I visited, and what excited me about working here, is the enthusiasm and engagement of the students," said Dew. "The students who come here for college are coming to work, to challenge themselves, push their limits, and through that, come out not just as somehow 'smarter' or suited for some specific job, but as better people, better citizens—more thoughtful, more aware. To me, that is the essence of what American college education should be."

An accomplished author, Dew published Songs of Insurgency, a collection of short stories, in 2008. A novel titled Maintain will be published in the fall of 2012. He has also published various essays in Religion Dispatches and Sightings. Since 2005, Dew has been a regular reviewer for Rain Taxi Review of Books and decomP.