Deeply committed to student-centered, experiential learning, Casas connects communication theory to real-world application with distinctly Christian integration. She teaches courses such as Interpersonal Communication, Intercultural Communication, Public Speaking, and Communication Ethics & Professional Development. In recognition of her dedication to student success, she received CSU’s E.P.I.C. (Passion for Student Success) Award in 2025.

Dr. Michael Wilder, CSU provost, said, “Dr. Casas exemplifies CSU’s commitment to distinctly Christian, academically excellent education as she deeply invests in the next generation of thought leaders. She is a highly valued member of our university community, and we are grateful for her teaching excellence.”

Beyond the classroom, she serves as faculty advisor for Buc News Network mentoring students in storytelling, media strategy, and ethical communication. She also launched the inaugural CSU Public Speaking Invitational, creating a pathway for speakers to advance to the regional Lowcountry Public Speaking Invitational hosted by The Citadel.

Her scholarship examines conflict management and communication ethics through the lens of faith integration. She is the author of Conflict Toolbox: Biblical Communication Skills for Everyday Life (Integratio Press, forthcoming 2027).

Casas holds a PhD in communication from Regent University and a Master of Education in curriculum and instruction from Roberts Wesleyan University. Her research explores communication adaptability within marital conflict and reflects her broader interest in how communication shapes relationships.

Crossroads Community Church financially supported the students who go to Crossroads and help run the college ministry, Allie Wade, Corey Wade, and Jake Thompson with their GenSend trips. The church also financially supports the Redemption North Davis church plant. Crossroads is sending a team to assist the GenSenders in the summer of 2025.

Ed said, “Our church tries to visit at least some of the missionaries we support every year. Jake has been to Utah multiple times, and Corey and Allie both also did the spring break trip to Utah.” Corey has moved to Utah where he is working with the church planting team/internship while he finishes up the last semester of his Christian studies major online.

Ed and Angela traveled to Utah in March to hold a short apologetics conference and two teaching events.

Photo:
Angela Gravely, Allie Wade, Corey Wade, Ed Gravely, and Jake Thompson in Utah in summer of 2024. Fun fact: Allie and Corey are siblings.

 The book deals with the Agapist Framework—God’s actions to us as humans is motivated by His perfect love. Parker points to learning this truth at a young age through 1 John 4:8, “God is love.” He said, “I’ve studied theology and philosophy for a long time, but that fundamental truth has been the guiding principle for my academic endeavors, and in particular the work of this book.”

Parker said he and Wessling had two goals in writing the book. First, they sought to introduce students and scholars to the debate in scholarly literature about divine motivations. “Second, we wanted to make an argument for our position on divine motivation—that God is fundamentally motivated by love in all that he does,” said Parker.

 is available through Cambridge University Press.

Dr. David Palmer, dean of the Nielsen College of Business, said, “We are very pleased to have Dr. Chadwick as the new director of the Center for Personal Financial Management. Her research, teaching, and service with the late Professor Boyce Smith have proven her commitment to espousing a biblical worldview of personal finance. We will greatly miss Professor Smith but know Dr. Chadwick will continue his legacy and lead the expansion of the center’s impact both on campus and in the community.”

She has been assistant director of the Center for Personal Financial Management since 2019. Her dedication to student success has made her a key figure in the center’s growth and national recognition. Palmer said, “She is an excellent resource for students, faculty, alumni, and friends equipping them with biblical principles of financial wisdom and money management. Dr. Chadwick currently guides CSU students in the peer-to-peer coaching program, teaching them to provide financial counseling students and their families can utilize for the future.”

Chadwick earned an MA in applied economics from the University of Oklahoma and a PhD in education and human resource studies with emphasis in higher education leadership from Colorado State University. Her undergraduate education includes the United States Military Academy in West Point and Eastern Kentucky University as a Division I women’s tennis student-athlete. Her professional career extends through higher education, financial planning, government contracting, and the U.S. Government. She is originally from Richmond, Kentucky.

Leach holds a Master of Fine Arts in fiction from Warren Wilson College and a Master of Arts in English from Clemson University. A member of the ߣ�ѿ�Ƭ Southern faculty since 2020, he specializes in creative writing and teaches workshops in both poetry and fiction. With his trademark blend of Socratic dialogue and humor, he enjoys helping students discover and develop their voices in both academic and creative writing.

Outside the classroom Leach supervises the undergraduate literary magazine, Olive & Ash, and oversees the university’s Writers Guild, a club that meets weekly for the purpose of sharing and critiquing writing across genres.

Leach has two collections of short fiction published and is the 2023 recipient of Texas Review Press’s Southern Poetry Breakthrough Award. Hub City Press awarded him the South Carolina Novel Prize in 2024 and will publish his debut novel.

The annual Excellence in Teaching Award is sponsored by South Carolina Independent Colleges and Universities and honors one faculty member from each SCICU institution. Winners are nominated by the individual institutions and receive a $3,000 professional development grant.

The committee serves as peer reviewers for the educator preparation process. They review programs and reports and make recommendation to members of the Education Professions Committee.

To be selected for this position, Hiott went through an extensive interview process that involved a committee of Nielsen College of Business faculty, emeritus faculty, and other faculty from across campus. The selection committee chose Hiott based on her recent research activities in subjects like AI and because of her interests in future research that matches the described expectations of the chair.

This position is the first research endowed chair in the Nielsen College of Business. As the newly named chair,  Hiott will propel research efforts of students and faculty in the Nielsen College of Business. The chair position allows for a research stipend to help fund buying data, conducting surveys, or other activities that CSU business faculty have not previously had available to them.

Hiott said that being named the Breland/ Adams Endowed Chair of Business is a huge honor. She said, “It is incredible to have financially backed research that will hopefully provide practical solutions for businesses and fill a niche in academic literature that will get CSU’s name out there.” 

Hiott first came to CSU as an MBA student and has been a professor at CSU for the past six and a half years. She started as an adjunct professor of marketing in 2016 and was hired as a full-time professor in 2018. Hiott said, “After taking students to China on a joint business as mission trip, I realized my love for the college student population, and I desired to be on a campus that was Christ-centered to step into a new career challenge.”

Throughout her time at CSU, she has served the local community as well as international communities through the very class that brought her to CSU, Creative Teamwork. This class is a culmination of business and mission and provides students the unique opportunity to use giftings in business to spread the Gospel to unreached groups. 

As the Breland/Adams Chair, Hiott hopes to incorporate her passion for business as mission into research efforts. She said, “I hope that through the research some of the sustainable business practices and solutions will be able to be  implemented with our future clients in creative teamwork.” 

Hiott shared what she hoped to accomplish as the chair. She said, “I hope to be able to contribute to the academic research that is already out there and provide students the opportunity to research unique academic topics that will aid in their career development.” 

Dr. David Palmer,  dean of the Nielsen College of Business, said, “Dr. Hal Adam’s desire is that the chair should spearhead the development of a pedagogy that prepares future leaders to be ethical, value-driven, and empathetic decision-makers, dedicated to reducing the environmental and social costs of business in the advanced digital economy. 

“Dr. Hiott’s growing stream of research in the effects of artificial intelligence in relation to marketing and customer dynamics, that includes social and emotional costs, is right in line with the donor’s wishes. We expect Dr. Hiott’s research to be well-read, well-respected, and in the forefront of AI marketing literature, especially in relation to biblical integration in business.” The aim of the Breland/Adams  Chair  is to promote the study and application of sustainable, transparent, and ethical business practices at all levels of corporate infrastructure and equip students to lead fruitful lives in business, armed with a strong education in honest and ethical corporate strategy. 

In addition to her work with Read for the Record, Dr. Zakrzewski leads our teaching candidate retention program, creating spaces for celebration, encouragement, and connection. Through her thoughtfully organized parties and events, she fosters an inclusive community that supports and uplifts our future educators. Dr. Zakrzewski’s heartfelt reminder, “You can do hard things,” has become a motto for many of her teaching candidates as they navigate the demands of becoming skilled, compassionate teachers. Our college is grateful for Dr. Zakrzewski’s unwavering commitment to empowering our community’s future educators and young students. Her passion and dedication are a source of strength and inspiration for everyone she meets.

CSU has been a supporter of this organization since its early days. Affiliate Professor of Computer Science, Dr Valerie Sessions, was one of its founding members. 

“CSU has been a proud supporter of many CHSWIT’s initiatives – from hosting CodeON Hour of Code nights on campus to supporting the Women in Industry Day conferences. ߣ�ѿ�Ƭ Southern’s own Women in STEM club volunteer during the events and you will always see CSU faculty members like Andrea Glover, Emory Hiott, and alumni Napiya Nubuya (and even hall of famer Karan Sorenson)”, says Sessions. 

“We are incredibly proud of the work of CHSWIT and pledge our support for future programs and initiatives. Organizations such as CHSWIT are changing the face of tech in the Lowcountry, and we are honored to play a part,” says Dean of the College of Science and Mathematics, Dr. Todd Ashby.

A scholarship has been named in Dr. Valerie Sessions and Mary Beth Westmoreland’s honor – two long serving founding members of CSHWIT. This scholarship provides a hand up to women looking for new opportunities in tech by funding attendance at code camps, leadership forums, conferences, and more. You can donate !��

Dr. Scott Yarbrough, vice president for academic compliance, institutional effectiveness, and accreditation and one of Busch’s former undergraduate professors, said, “College Composition and Communication is the number one professional journal for composition studies in the U.S. and is a huge deal. It is a serious academic coup for Dr. Busch.”

Busch remains in her full-time position as an English professor and chair of the CSU English Department.

She said, “Though we—as professors—often want to separate out research, service, and teaching as three distinct activities, they’re very intertwined. We cannot teach well without knowing our disciplines and fields; we know and learn our disciplines and fields through ongoing research and service; our classroom time with students often inspires our research and motivates us to serve further. I believe that professors thrive professionally when these three aspects of scholarly life support one another.”

 She said working as the managing editor at College Composition and Communication allows her to deeply engage with current scholarship that moves the conversations in the discipline forward. In turn, this work influences her own pedagogical practice and service as chairperson of the department. 

 Busch describes herself as an organizer. She and co-editors, Matt Davis at UMass Boston and Kara Taczak at the University of Central Florida, inherited production systems for the journal that they felt didn’t work smoothly. She said, “I’m looking forward to creating new systems that mimic those that we’ve been using for the past five years at Composition Studies and implementing them on a larger scale for College Composition and Communication.”