Forester Lecture: What if the Great Commission was your driving force in everyday life? 11.21.2024

November 21, at 7:00 p.m. at College Park UB Church, Ted J. Song, MDiv, PhD, will give a Forester Lecture titled, “What if the Great Commission was your driving force in everyday life?”

Dr. Ted Song has been serving as Chief Intercultural Engagement Officer in the President’s Cabinet since 2021. He joined JBU in 2012 as a professor of electrical engineering and has served as Coordinator of Diversity, Chair of the Faculty Affairs Committee, Director of Innovation, and Chair of the Engineering, Computer Science, and Cybersecurity Departments. In addition to his Chief Intercultural Engagement Officer role, he started serving as Chief Innovation Officer in 2023.

Ted grew up both in the U.S. and Korea and is a CQ® (Cultural Intelligence) certified facilitator. He was an ROTC cadet during his undergraduate studies and served as an Air Defense Artillery Officer in the Republic of Korea Army. He received his Doctor of Philosophy (Ph.D.) in electrical and computer engineering from the University of Texas at Austin, his Master of Divinity (M.Div.) from Southwestern Baptist Theological Seminary, and his law degree (M.S.L.) from Samford University, with a concentration on higher education law and compliance.

Outside JBU, Ted serves as a Peer Reviewer for the Higher Learning Commission (HLC) and Chair of the Council for Christian Colleges & Universities (CCCU) Diversity & Inclusion Commission. In addition, he serves on the Boards of Water for Good and Western Benton County Partnership. As a passionate teacher and leader in Christian higher education, he is a proud recipient of the 2012 Texas Exes Teaching Award, the 2018 JBU Faculty Excellence Award, and the 2022 Leading with Excellence Award from Black Action Collective. In 2023, Ted was selected as an inaugural CCCU Presidential Fellow.

Ted and his wife, Michelle, live in Siloam Springs, Arkansas, and have three daughters. They are members at Siloam Springs Bible Church (an Evangelical Free Church), where Ted leads the College Ministry and serves as an elder.