Dr. Karen Liller, Distinguished University Health Professor in the College of Public Health at the University of South Florida, shares how consistent, respectful openness about her Christian faith—something as simple as wearing a cross daily—has sparked student conversations, encouraged fellow faculty, and shaped her public-health advocacy and research on injury and suicide prevention. She also spotlights USF’s faculty prayer community, her Activist Lab, and the role churches can play in reaching youth.

Read more about Karen Liller online:
 https://meettheprof.com/view/professors/entry/karen-liller/

Resources from Faculty Commons, a Cru ministry:

• Find 500+ Christian professors at https://meettheprof.com/
• Faculty Commons – https://www.facultycommons.org/
• A Grander Story – https://a.co/d/8VoYXSV
• EveryStudent.com – https://www.everystudent.com/

Watch MTP on YouTube – https://www.youtube.com/@MeetTheProfOfficial/videos

Support Shane Hartley's ministry with Meet The Prof through Cru online: ⁠⁠https://give.cru.org/0424344⁠⁠

Spence and I were impressed by Karen's compassion for her students. In part 1 of this interview, Dr. Karen Liller, Distinguished University Health Professor at the University of South Florida and Director of the Activist Lab, shares her journey of faith, grief, and resilience. From childhood imagination to moments of public embarrassment, to losing her sister to cancer, Karen reveals how God patiently restored her faith and gave her opportunities to love and teach with compassion. 

Read more about Karen Liller online:
 https://meettheprof.com/view/professors/entry/karen-liller/

Main Takeaways

• Professors face embarrassing and humbling moments that become growth opportunities.
• Faith can be tested deeply through family loss and grief, but God’s patience leads us back.
• Compassion is an essential quality for caregivers, professors, and students alike.
• Personal loss can fuel greater love for others and open doors for deeper conversations about faith.

Resources from Faculty Commons, a Cru ministry:

• Find 500+ Christian professors at https://meettheprof.com/
• Faculty Commons – https://www.facultycommons.org/
• A Grander Story – https://a.co/d/8VoYXSV
• EveryStudent.com – https://www.everystudent.com/

Watch MTP on YouTube – https://www.youtube.com/@MeetTheProfOfficial/videos

Support Shane Hartley's ministry with Meet The Prof through Cru online: ⁠⁠https://give.cru.org/0424344⁠⁠

This episode is part 2 of our roundtable discussion with Christian professors from around the country. We explore themes of Sabbath rest and identity in Christ, and professors share personal stories and practical ways to keep Jesus at the center of academic life and our identity.

Main Takeaways

• Practicing Sabbath is vital to resisting the pressure to overwork and to reorient identity around Jesus.
• A Christian worldview informs not just professional work but all of life—relationships, attitudes, and service.
• Professors can openly identify as Christians in class while tactfully building relationships with students.
• Encouraging and mentoring students often begins with simply making faith known early in the semester.
• Avoiding work-based identity requires intentional rest, prayer, and seeing worth in how God sees us.
• New faculty outreach, such as gift bags and welcome luncheons, can be strategic entry points for ministry.

Resources from Faculty Commons, a Cru ministry:

• Find 500+ Christian professors at https://meettheprof.com/
• Faculty Commons – https://www.facultycommons.org/
• A Grander Story – https://a.co/d/8VoYXSV
• EveryStudent.com – https://www.everystudent.com/

Watch MTP on YouTube – https://www.youtube.com/@MeetTheProfOfficial/videos

Support Shane Hartley's ministry with Meet The Prof through Cru online: ⁠⁠https://give.cru.org/0424344⁠⁠

In this unique roundtable format of Meet The Prof, we gather over a dozen Christian professors from campuses across the country to discuss a timely and personal question: how do we avoid getting our identity from our work instead of Christ? Inspired by a powerful clip from Sara Myers, the episode explores real struggles, vulnerable stories, and practical steps professors are taking to keep Jesus at the center.

Main Takeaways

• Professors often derive their sense of worth from their productivity or professional status, but this can lead to burnout and discouragement.
• A Christ-centered identity offers greater peace, purpose, and emotional resilience.
• Vulnerable stories from professors show how course evaluations, promotions, and academic rejection can influence mood and self-worth.
• Professors need to intentionally create boundaries and reframe their roles as part of God's story.
• Regular community and reminders help Christian professors stay grounded in their faith.

Resources from Faculty Commons, a Cru ministry:

• Find 500+ Christian professors at https://meettheprof.com/
• Faculty Commons – https://www.facultycommons.org/
• A Grander Story – https://a.co/d/8VoYXSV
• EveryStudent.com – https://www.everystudent.com/

Watch MTP on YouTube – https://www.youtube.com/@MeetTheProfOfficial/videos

Support Shane Hartley's ministry with Meet The Prof through Cru online: ⁠⁠https://give.cru.org/0424344⁠⁠

Dr. Denis LaClare, Professor of Education at Porterville College in California, shares his inspiring journey of launching both faculty and student ministries. With experience in both campus ministry and higher education, Denis opens up about his outreach to international students, creative tabling strategies, and bold witness alongside fellow professors. He provides a practical, Spirit-led model for engaging students and colleagues through friendship, prayer, and partnership with ministries like InterVarsity and Bridges International.

Read more about Denis LaClare online:
 https://meettheprof.com/view/professors/entry/denis-laclare/

Resources from Faculty Commons, a Cru ministry:

• Find 500+ Christian professors at https://meettheprof.com/
• Faculty Commons – https://www.facultycommons.org/
• A Grander Story – https://a.co/d/8VoYXSV
• EveryStudent.com – https://www.everystudent.com/

Watch MTP on YouTube – https://www.youtube.com/@MeetTheProfOfficial/videos

Support Shane Hartley's ministry with Meet The Prof through Cru online: ⁠⁠https://give.cru.org/0424344⁠⁠

Dr. Denis LaClare is a Professor of Education at Porterville College in California with a rare perspective: he serves both as a campus minister and as a full-time professor. In this episode, Denis shares his powerful testimony of how a sports-focused Canadian student came to Christ through brokenness, family, and a coach's profanity. He also opens up about the challenges of early evangelism, his transition from ministry to the classroom, and how professors can step into disciple-making right where they are.

Read more about Denis LaClare online: https://meettheprof.com/view/professors/entry/denis-laclare/

Resources from Faculty Commons, a Cru ministry:

• Find 500+ Christian professors at https://meettheprof.com/
• Faculty Commons – https://www.facultycommons.org/
• A Grander Story – https://a.co/d/8VoYXSV
• EveryStudent.com – https://www.everystudent.com/

Watch MTP on YouTube – https://www.youtube.com/@MeetTheProfOfficial/videos

Support Shane Hartley's ministry with Meet The Prof through Cru online: ⁠⁠https://give.cru.org/0424344⁠⁠

In Part 2 of our interview, Dr. Sara Myers, Associate Chancellor of Research and Creative Activity and Professor of Biomechanics at the University of Nebraska at Omaha (UNO), shares how she has grown bolder in her faith as a professor. In response to a student’s question about faith and legal boundaries, she gives practical advice for Christian professors. Sara also tells the story of starting a thriving Christian faculty fellowship at UNO and shares tips on engaging students and new faculty.

Read more about Sara Myers online:
https://meettheprof.com/view/professors/entry/sara-myers

Books Mentioned:

• A Grander Story   https://a.co/d/8VoYXSV
• The Case For Christ   https://a.co/d/hjzQmoB
• The Case For Faith   https://a.co/d/a9pioL0

CHAPTERS

• (01:00) – Rachel’s Question: Boldness and Legality
• (01:15) – Sara’s mentors and her perspective on public faith
• (02:27) – Offering prayer in professional settings
• (02:45) – Creative visibility through Meet the Prof
• (03:47) – Her daughter’s mission trip and open professor responses
• (05:15) – How Sara introduces her faith when teaching
• (06:23) – Finding Christian community through professional associations
• (08:59) – Launching a grassroots Christian faculty group at UNO
• (11:36) – What they actually do when they gather
• (13:47) – Discussion on “A Grander Story”
• (14:37) – Transitioning to Faculty Commons G3 Lessons
• (15:42) – Locations and visibility on campus
• (16:14) – Lightning Round: Advice for professors, students, and parents
• (19:25) – Her next step: Reaching out to new faculty and students
• (20:03) – Final encouragement

Resources from Faculty Commons, a Cru ministry:

• Find 500+ Christian professors at https://meettheprof.com/
• Faculty Commons – https://www.facultycommons.org/
• A Grander Story – https://a.co/d/8VoYXSV
• EveryStudent.com – https://www.everystudent.com/

Watch MTP on YouTube – https://www.youtube.com/@MeetTheProfOfficial/videos

Support Shane Hartley's ministry with Meet The Prof through Cru online: ⁠⁠https://give.cru.org/0424344⁠⁠

In this episode of Meet the Prof, we sit down with Dr. Sara Myers, Professor of Biomechanics and Associate Vice Chancellor for Research and Creative Activity at the University of Nebraska at Omaha. Sara shares openly about a challenging season in her marriage during grad school, and how God used that time to deepen her faith, reshape her priorities, and teach her to surrender both her career and parenting to Him.

Read more about Sara Myers online:
 https://meettheprof.com/view/professors/entry/sara-myers

Main Takeaways

• God used Sara’s marital separation and academic stress to draw her into a deeper, daily relationship with Jesus.
• Surrendering identity in career opened the door to spiritual growth and greater professional success.
• Parenting teenagers and young adults involves discernment, surrender, and honest dialogue.
• Professors often struggle with over-identifying with achievement and need reminders that identity is in Christ.
• Professors can model faith by demonstrating transparency, humility, and prayerful dependence.
  
  

CHAPTERS
 00:01 – Student question: How can professors be bold in faith and still honor legal boundaries?
 00:50 – Introduction to Sara Myers’ roles and volleyball humor
 02:30 – Embarrassing moment: forgetting a student’s name
 04:06 – How God used marital separation to reshape her priorities and deepen her faith
 08:50 – Identity in career vs. identity in Christ
 11:23 – Trusting God with your marriage and taking faith steps
 12:50 – Surrendering kids’ decisions to God as a parent
 14:19 – Parenting teens with honesty and open dialogue
 15:56 – Prayer for discernment in parenting
 16:20 – Teaser for future episode on parenting + career

Resources from Faculty Commons, a Cru ministry:

• Find 500+ Christian professors at https://meettheprof.com/
• Faculty Commons – https://www.facultycommons.org/
• A Grander Story – https://a.co/d/8VoYXSV
• EveryStudent.com – https://www.everystudent.com/

Watch MTP on YouTube – https://www.youtube.com/@MeetTheProfOfficial/videos

Support Shane Hartley's ministry with Meet The Prof through Cru online: ⁠⁠https://give.cru.org/0424344⁠⁠

In this second episode, Dr. Jonathan Boreyko, Associate Professor of Mechanical Engineering at Virginia Tech, shares how he integrates his Christian faith into his teaching, collaborates with ministries through the Bradley Study Center, and encourages bold yet peaceful Christian witness on campus. He discusses student doubts, research on fog harvesting and synthetic trees, and what it means to be a scientist and a Christian without falling into the trap of culture war thinking. His testimony of leading discussions on books by John Lennox and seeing students return to faith is both inspiring and practical for professors and students.

Read more about Jonathan Boreyko online:
 https://meettheprof.com/view/professors/entry/jonathan-boreyko/

Email: [email protected]

Main Takeaways:

• Faith can be introduced into classroom discussions respectfully and meaningfully.
• Students often respond positively to professors who are both bold and genuine in sharing their Christian worldview.
• Study centers like the Bradley Study Center foster collaboration between faculty and student ministries.
• Professors can avoid culture war mentalities and instead build communities centered on truth and grace.
• Research can reflect God’s creative design and lead to worship through discovery.

Resources from Faculty Commons, a Cru ministry:

• Find 500+ Christian professors at https://meettheprof.com/
• Faculty Commons – https://www.facultycommons.org/
• A Grander Story – https://a.co/d/8VoYXSV
• EveryStudent.com – https://www.everystudent.com/

Watch MTP on YouTube – https://www.youtube.com/@MeetTheProfOfficial/videos

Support Shane Hartley's ministry with Meet The Prof through Cru online: ⁠⁠https://give.cru.org/0424344⁠⁠

In this episode, we talk with Dr. Jonathan Boreyko, Associate Professor of Mechanical Engineering at Virginia Tech. Jonathan shares his journey from a works-based "moralistic therapeutic deism" to a vibrant faith in Christ sparked by a Bible study in Romans. He discusses teaching thermodynamics with a theological twist, guiding students through conversations about truth, and using C.S. Lewis’s The Abolition of Man to frame knowledge under objective morality. We also hear some hilarious classroom moments and how a water polo teammate helped transform his spiritual life.

Read more about Jonathan Boreyko online:
 https://meettheprof.com/view/professors/entry/jonathan-boreyko/

Contact Jonathan Boreyko at:
[email protected]

Resources from Faculty Commons, a Cru ministry:

• Find 500+ Christian professors at https://meettheprof.com/
• Faculty Commons – https://www.facultycommons.org/
• A Grander Story – https://a.co/d/8VoYXSV
• EveryStudent.com – https://www.everystudent.com/

Watch MTP on YouTube – https://www.youtube.com/@MeetTheProfOfficial/videos

Support Shane Hartley's ministry with Meet The Prof through Cru online: ⁠⁠https://give.cru.org/0424344⁠⁠