Jessica Sanders ’06 and Dr. Bill Young Round Out Symposium Speakers List

Westminster Today’s three-week roundup of Hancock Symposium speakers with ties to our college community ends today.

The 14th annual Hancock Symposium runs from Sept. 18 to Sept. 19 next week on the Westminster College campus. Alumni presenters include Derick Dailey ’11, Gretchen Kinder ’94 ΚΑΘ, Ian Mackey ’09, Bailey Mitchell ’17 ΚΑΘ, Karen Oyerly ’99, John Rollins ’87 ΦΔΘ and Jessica Sanders ’06. Beloved Professor Emeritus of Religion Dr. Bill Young also will be featured.

In all, about 20 speakers will descend on campus next week, including the first female U.S. Secretary of State, Dr. Madeleine K. Albright. For a complete schedule and descriptions of all presentations, feel free to download our detailed Hancock Symposium booklet here.

Read below about what Sanders and Young have been up to since their days at Westminster, and make plans to join us on campus next week for Hancock Symposium!

Jessica Sanders ‘06
Jessica Sanders was named Elementary Teacher of the Year for the Little Rock School District in Little Rock, AR, in May. She also made the news for her non-traditional teaching methods, including before-school sessions of mindful yoga. Recently named a 200-HR Certified Yoga Instructor, Sanders has taught for 10 years at Gibbs International Magnet School in Little Rock. Her presentation — titled “Teaching From Your Core: Reaching Inward for Deep Learning” — will mine how Sanders applies innovative classroom techniques to instill the skills necessary to meet Common Core, state and content-specific standards. Sanders maintains that such strategies create curriculum that celebrates character, strategy and process above talent, solution and success. Her methodology promotes student self-regulation and personal investment. For more information on Sanders, see the story Westminster Today ran on her here. Sanders will speak in at 2:30 p.m. on Sept. 18 Coulter Science Center 306.

Dr. Bill Young, Professor Emeritus of Religion
Bill Young, Ph.D., of Columbia, MO, was a favorite faculty member and campus leader at Westminster from 1975 until his retirement in 2010. While at the College, Young served as a professor and as chaplain. Additionally, he taught in the Missouri Scholars Academy, served as Founding Director of Churchill Academy and established and directed Westminster Seminar and Theta Alpha Kappa, the Religious Studies Honorary Society. During his tenure at Westminster, Young won several awards for his teaching, including the Governor’s Teaching Award. He is the author of several books on the world’s religions and one on the history of the Church of St. Mary the Virgin, Aldermanbury. He has also written two books on the subject of the struggles and triumphs of Native American and African American baseball players. Young will bring his expertise on the subject to his presentation, titled “Trailblazers: How Native American and African American Players Broke Through the Color Barriers in Major League Baseball.” Young will speak at 2:30 p.m. on Sept. 18 in Coulter Science Center 204.

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Sarah Rummel Backer

Sarah Rummel Backer is the Director of Media Relations and Senior Writer at Westminster College in Fulton, Missouri. A proud Westminster graduate, Sarah has more than 20 years of experience in marketing and strategic communications in the areas of higher education, medicine, agriculture, and the private business sector.