Grove City College Professor of Physics Dr. Shane C. Brower is the Omicron Delta Kappa (ODK) 2020 Professor of the Year.
Usually announced in the spring, this year’s award was delayed by the coronavirus pandemic. Brower accepted the honor Thursday, Sept. 24, in Harbison Chapel on campus.
College President Paul J. McNulty ’80 presented the award, noting Brower’s status as an “impactful leader to all of his students” who has promoted excellence and innovation at the College through student-faculty research, online education and publications, and service to the community through his work as missions coordinator with Lifeway Baptist Church in Cranberry, Pa.
“Not only does Dr. Brower devote his best efforts to serving the community, investing in campus and continuing his professional development, he also teaches every course with enthusiasm, passion and genuine care for his students,” McNulty said.
“Being named professor of the year is very humbling when I consider all the talented faculty who’ve received this award in the past,” Brower said. “I’m also sincerely honored by the award. I love what I am doing at Grove City College, and to be named professor of the year is an affirmation of the love I have for teaching and for this College.”
Brower teaches a variety of classes, from introductory physics and astronomy to upper level courses in optics, electricity and magnetism and classical mechanics. He earned his undergraduate degree at Bucknell University and his masters and doctorate degrees from University of Maryland, Baltimore County. He joined the faculty at Grove City College in 1999 because of the College’s commitment to science.
“Solid programs in science and engineering require resources and funding that many Christian colleges aren’t willing or able to provide, especially in a Christian liberal arts setting. I was attracted to GCC because of their commitment to the STEM disciplines as a key part of their liberal arts curriculum, and not merely an afterthought,” he said.
“By far the best part of my job is the opportunities I have to interact with students both in and out of the classroom, not only teaching them the principles of physics, but pointing them to the God who authored these principles,” Brower said. “Every bit of God’s character, every biblical doctrine, we see reflected in nature.”
“Everyone can – and should – understand the principles of physics. God’s word clearly indicates that he designed nature to be understood because he designed it to reveal himself to mankind as a part of his redemptive plan,” he said. “And the best way to understand physics is to do physics. So, whether we’re working through calculations or conducting an experiment, I want my students to actively participate in the learning process, with an eye toward where they see God’s character revealed through the underlying physics.”
Brower lives in Boyers, Pa., with his wife Charlene. They have three three children: Shelton, a freshman at the College, Chalina and Cheylan.
The Professor of the Year award was initiated in 2000 by the Omicron Delta Kappa campus leadership honorary and is sponsored by the Grove City College Alumni Association.