In 2011, Ottawa University launched The Fredrikson Center for Faith and Church Vitality (named in honor of the Reverend Dr. Roger and Ruth Fredrikson.) The initial goals of supporting and expanding on-campus student ministries have been met. Community leaders joined with O.U.’s president, faculty, staff and guest alumni for dialogue and solution proposals in a variety of areas including “How to Strengthen Student Ministries, “Integrating Faith with Career” and “What Christian Colleges Can do to Better Promote Faith.” 

The Center developed and offered programming which targeted faith-based leadership training to undergraduate students and forged additional partnerships among faith-focused (on-campus) student organizations, community non-profits and area youth. Guest lectures and seminars included sharing from campus faith leaders, area ministers and national speakers. For example, one convocation series featured renowned author and theologian, Os Guinness.

One year later, the next phase of the Center was underway. In cooperation with the ABC Central Region, a year-long pastoral training and mentorship program was offered to active pastors in KS, AR, SD and NE. This includes fielddwork designed to increase the vibrancy and resources of their church families. Additionally, programming was initiated which worked to strengthen the faith-life of those in education and care-giving professions, as well as those providing home-care to loved ones (whether or not they had previous affiliation with the University.)

In September of 2012, we began enlisting volunteers from our student-faith leadership team and the community to join with us in programming designed to connect 19-30 year-old participants at various levels of faith maturity, as they offer assistance to the frail, the elderly or those encountering unexpected need. The next month we launched the website that will enable connection and communication, both locally and the communities with churches lead by pastors participating in our "developmental cohort." This website includes monitored ‘chat’ functions for sharing with peers and for private conversations with the campus minister and the Fredrikson Center Director (a triage-chaplain and clinical psychologist who will serve as a life-coach to those interested.) Monthly training offerings for potential volunteers (free of charge and open to anyone) will be posted on this site.

You may contact committee members directly by clicking on their name-links...

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Perspectives for Online and Adult Campus...

Paula Artac

Paula Artac, D.Min, ATR-BC, is a professional watercolor artist, board certified art therapist with the American Art Therapy Association, member of the International Expressive Arts Therapy Association, university instructor, liturgical art designer, illuminator, illustrator and author.  For 40 years, Paula has accomplished much as a professional artist. She created her own business, Water Art by Paula Artac, trained as an archival artwork framer. Her watercolor paintings have won local and national recognition.  “Wolf Eyes,” her award-winning watercolor, was published in Best of Watercolor II, Rockport Publishers, 1997.  Her artwork hangs in international, national and local collections.

She currently holds the position of Professor in Charge of the Expressive Arts Therapy concentration within the Master of Arts in counseling graduate program at the Ottawa University, Surprise campus.  She is a published author on the topic of art therapy, spirituality and healing.

Paula is the founder of 2 Dots and A Line non-profit, creator of the Two Dots and a Line Personal Symbol Development art therapy process, and originator of the Art Spa concept at Granite Reef Senior Center in Scottsdale, Arizona.  Dr. Artac has been a regular presenter at numerous national and international art therapy and expressive arts conferences and workshops since 2000.  She has developed wellness art programs with Banner Thunderbird Hospital/MD Anderson, Ironwood Cancer & Research Center, as well as Barrow Neurological Outpatient Center and Treasure House to establish and facilitate expressive arts therapy groups.

Dame Commandeur Paula Artac serves as chaplain for the Priory of the Light, SMOTJ, Sovereign Military Order of the Temple of Jerusalem.

 Mary Alice Grosser

Mary Alice Grosser, MSW, has been with Ottawa since 2003, first as an Adjunct Instructor in Human Services and then as the Professor in Charge of Human and Social Services (APGS) since October of 2016.  Mary Alice had been a Social Worker and Supervisor in the Child Protective Service field for over 30 years.  She has practiced Social Work both in Wisconsin and California where she lived for 20 years.  Ms. Grosser first became invested in working with students as a field instructor for interns placed at the agency she worked.  Eventually she became the supervisor in charge of the Social Work Internship program with San Bernardino County Child and Family Services.  While supervising interns at Waukesha County for Ottawa University, she came to know the faculty and programs and happily transitioned to teaching at Ottawa after retiring from Social Work.   She loves teaching the next generation of Human Services Workers, and truly enjoys being part of the Ottawa Family at the Wisconsin Campus.

Perspectives for Residential Campus Locations...

 Pilar Galiana Abal

Dr Pilar Galiana Abal is a French-educated clinical psychologist specializing in forensic neuropsychology. She teaches Psychology courses at OUKS where she is the Lead Faculty for the Bachelor of Science in Applied Psychology, a new major that she has recently designed.

Dr Galiana Abal’s initial academic training started as social anthropologist studying Pakistani and North Indian rites of passage, and as a linguist specializing in South-East Asian languages. As a clinical psychologist, Dr Galiana Abal has been actively working as a consulting forensic psychologist and behavioral analyst in forensic and criminal cases involving violent crime, terrorist attacks, organizing crisis interventions and psychologically assessing perpetrators and survivors. In France, Dr Galiana Abal acquired solid experience working as a clinical neuropsychologist in both private practice and rehabilitation facilities dedicated to brain injury survivors. In this clinical context, she created a psychotherapy method (“Narrative Expressive Therapy”) that combines art-therapy, narrative therapy and psychodrama that has proven efficient in terms of enhancing acquired executive function, working memory and autobiographical memory deficits. Dr Galiana Abal has an extensive international experience working with clients of culturally diverse backgrounds (tribal, refugees and migrant patients) and with members of the LGBTQIA community, with a particular emphasis in supporting clients with transgender identities during the sex reassignment process. Some of her main publications involve:

PLANCHE, N., GALIANA y ABAL, P., JOUVENCEL (de), M. (2015). Can we identify clinical features in transgender patients in the process of sex reassignment? (Quelles sont les composantes cliniques du transsexualisme ? A propos de 212 cas de demandeurs de réassignation sexuelle) Médecine Légale du Vivant), 5-6, vol. 58, 1-1.

GALIANA y ABAL, P. (2012).  Divine Transferences. Potentially Therapeutic Aspects of Ritual Offerings in the Rite of Darśan (Transferts vers le divin. Aspects potentiellement thérapeutiques de l‘offrande florale dans la pratique du darśan). Journal des Anthropologies. 123-124, 139-160.
 
GALIANA y ABAL, P. (2009). When God Heals…Darśan as a therapy? In Sébastia, B., Restoring Mental Health in India, Oxford University Press, New Delhi, 97-124.

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Alan Boelter

Alan Boelter has been working in education for the past 30 years.  His higher education journey began at Grand Canyon University where he worked as the Student Conduct director.  Alan oversaw the growth at GCU from residents of about 4,500 to well over 9,000.  Working with students who sometimes make poor choices and seeing them turn it around is a passion of Alans.  After GCU Alan came over to OUAZ to help launch the new university in 2017 as the Director of Resident Life and shortly after that the Dean of Student.  This work captured Alan as he lived and worked with these students on campus.  It was at that time he could feel the call to step into a roll that was more spiritually in nature and moved over to Arizona Christian University to help with residence life, spiritual life and Assistant Dean of Students.  After a year at ACU the position of Director of Campus Ministries/ Campus Pastor opened up at Ottawa University. After prayer and clear direction Alan started that position in 2021.  His love for students and for the work of the Kingdom is what drives Alan in this role and life.

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Andy Hazucha

Andrew Hazucha is Professor of English and chair of the Arts and Humanities division at Ottawa University.  A scholar of eighteenth-century British literature, he also regularly teaches interdisciplinary team-taught courses on Irish and Scottish literature, and he has taken groups of Ottawa students to Ireland and Scotland’s Orkney Islands on eight separate occasions.  He has written over a dozen articles on topics as various as William Wordsworth, Nelson Algren, Conor McPherson, the 1977 Chicago L-train crash, and the poetry of former Kansas City Royals pitcher Dan Quisenberry.  His essay entitled “The Subplot as A-Plot: The Function of Baseball in Yoko Ogawa’s The Housekeeper and the Professor” is due to appear in the Spring/Summer 2019 issue of Aethlon.

Hazucha organizes the annual Baseball in Literature and Culture conference hosted by Ottawa University and is the co-editor, with Gerald C. Wood, of the volume Northsiders: Essays on the History and Culture of the Chicago Cubs (McFarland Press, 2008).

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Karen Ohnesorge

Dr. Karen Ohnesorge is currently the Dean of The School of Arts & Sciences, Dean of Instruction at The College and professor of English.  She earned her Bachelor of Fine Arts and Bachelor of Arts from the University of Tennessee, both with highest honors.  She earned her master’s in English-creative writing from New York University and her doctorate in English from the University of Kansas.

She has served as adjunct instructor for Neosho County Community College Extension in Ottawa, Quinsigamond Community College in Worcester, Mass. and Johnson County Community College.

Dr. Ohnesorge’s past experience involves assistant editor for the American Art Review, director for the Academic Achievement Center in Ottawa, project assistant and support services coordinator for Supportive Educational Services/Student Support Services at the University of Kansas, project coordinator for TRIO Dissemination Partnership & Dean’s Scholars Program and associate director of Academic Programs for Excellence at the University of Kansas, and director of the Center for Excellence at OU.

Dr. Ohnesorge has extensive published works, has conducted several conference presentations, and holds many honors including OU’s College Class of 1966 Award from the Senior Class for having “changed lives and challenged students to achieve.”

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Sam Potter

Sam is in his 6^th year of teaching at OUAZ and enjoys interacting with students on the topics of Christianity, theology and religion in general.  Sam has also taught courses at GCU and for OU online.  At OUAZ he teaches mostly the World Religions and Dimensions of Faith courses.

He holds a Master of Divinity degree from Bethel College & Seminary in St. Paul, Minnesota and a BA in Human Development from The University of Wisconsin, Green Bay.  He also received an Associate of Science degree and would welcome guesses as to the unusual area of study.

Besides teaching college, Sam has worked at a Christian social work agency in Phoenix, was a Pastor in Wisconsin and a Youth Pastor.

Sam has two adopted sons and lives in Surprise, Arizona, not far from the OUAZ campus.  When not grading assignments, he likes to read books on a variety of topics, travel and occasionally going sailing.