Have you ever seen this man riding his bike through campus, perhaps with a ponytail billowing in the wind behind him, and wondered who he was? Well mystery solved, folks! The banjo-strumming, harmonica-blowing gentleman pictured above is CNU’s own Dr. Kip Redick. Her Campus wanted to make sure y’all were aware of this fantastic educator so we named him Campus Celebrity. Read on to get a taste of just what this man is all about!
What is your position here at CNU?
“I have a lot of positions. I am the chair of the Department of Philosophy and Religious Studies, the director of the pre-seminary program, and the NCAA faculty athletic representative.”
And how long have you been at the school?
“I have been a professor at CNU since 1991 and before that I was enrolled as a student from 1984 to 1987.”
So what keeps you at the school?
“Being able to teach beyond the classroom by taking students on the Appalachian Trail and on the Camino in Spain and to Scotland. Teaching in these unique environments allows me to interact with the students on a deeper level. While out on the trail, the pretensions between student and teacher that exist in a traditional classroom setting are eroded. Out there it is not about the grades or about the student jumping through hoops for the professor, but it is about a more authentic education experience.
“Not only does that type of education challenge the students to listen and reflect, it challenges me to meet the students where they are. It really is my favorite thing and much better than walking out of my office down to the hall to a classroom with a study guide in hand.”
How do you continue to bring your own style into a classroom setting which typically facilitates a much more regimented learning format?
“I use phenomenological support and subject matter to open students up to a holistic approach, to challenge them to open their whole self up to the material. I also make sure to keep up with current writings, and to share that up-to-date knowledge with them.
“I think the ‘other’ is always an important part of who we are. We need to listen to the voice of the other and I try to encourage my students to do this by asking them questions like: How can we listen? Is it possible the flora and fauna have a voice? How can I have a dialogue that transcends natural language with that other?
“I try to make sure all educational experiences, inside and outside the traditional classroom, are meaningful for students for a big chunk of, if not all of, their lives.”