B

riercrest College and Seminary's English Department is doubling in size--Rhoda Cairns of Miami University is joining our faculty team as Assistant Professor of English Literature.

"It will be wonderful to have another professor to ... bring more flavour to the English department," said Paige Jensen, a current student in the Humanities program. "As it is, English classes are challenging and enlightening; another professor will only add to their richness as well as provide opportunities for further student growth."

Cairns isn't only making a significant contribution to the English Department--she'll also be a welcome addition for female students as one of only four female professors at the college.

"It [will be] a bonus to have another female professor to encourage dialogue and new ways of thinking," said Jensen. "Having someone with a new perspective is always refreshing. I think that Rhoda Cairns will make a unique contribution [by drawing] on her particular experiences and interests as she participates in shaping our school."

Cairns is no stranger to Saskatchewan--she was born in Nipawin and completed a B.A. in English at the University of Regina before going on to graduate studies there. "Briercrest has already written itself into my personal history in significant ways," she said. "During the eight summers I spent at Bible camp, many counselors and camp speakers who came from [Briercrest] helped shape my spiritual journey.

"In addition, three of my four siblings, my son, several nieces, and a nephew have attended CHS. So, in one way, coming on faculty seems more like a continuation of my past connections to the school than a new beginning in a strange place...I am looking forward to joining a learning community at Briercrest that values the classroom as a place where learning and biblical faith intersect in uniquely transformative ways."

Cairns joins us from Miami University (Ohio, USA), where she currently teaches English and Composition. Her specialties and academic interests include Renaissance and 17th-century English literature, rhetoric, composition, early modern women writers, the rhetoric of the English Civil War, transatlanticism, and women and religion.

Her term at Briercrest College will begin August 1, 2008.