Philosophy Department adds Drs. Moreland, Rose
Campus Times
October 11, 1996
Replacing Dr. Jonathan Reed, who is on leave of absence in Germany,
Dr. Milton Moreland joined the Philosophy Department this fall. Dr. Moreland
is continuing what Dr. Reed had begun last summer by recruiting students
for an archaeological excavation next summer at Sepphoris in Israel.
Dr. Richard Rose, assistant professor of philosophy, came to La Verne
because of the Diversity Task Force, which attracted him to a full-time
teaching position as a minority faculty member. He teaches courses in major
western world religions.
The Philosophy Department has included two new faces this year to their
full-time staff. Milton Moreland and Richard Rose are two of the professors
hired to expand and enhance the department.
Dr. Milton Moreland was hired last spring as a two-year replacement for
Dr. Jonathan Reed, assistant professor of religion, who is currently in
Germany directing the Brethren Colleges Abroad program.
He is not unfamiliar with the University of La Verne however. Last year
he taught in the CAPA program for adults over 25.
Dr. Moreland has recently taught Biblical Studies and Church History at
Cal State Long Beach. He has also held teaching positions at Chapman University,
Mt. San Antonio College, and Victor Valley College. All of these were part-time
positions. ULV is Dr. Moreland's first position as a full-time professor
Dr. Moreland, who loves to talk, still enjoys hearing the input and different
ideas of his students. "The most important thing about La Verne is
the fact that it is a small community but very diverse," he said.
Growing up in Idaho and spending a few years in Tennessee, Dr. Moreland
came to California in 1989. He received his bachelor's degree in history
at the University of Memphis. He just finished receiving his doctorate in
religion at the Claremont Graduate School.
In his spare time he enjoys watching and playing sports. His favorites are
basketball and racquetball. Particularly racquetball since his wife is a
professional racquetball player. He plays from three to four times a week.
Married for 10 years, since their senior year at the University of Memphis,
they now have a 2-year old son. There is "a lot in common with sports
and life," said Dr. Moreland. Sports serve as a form of release, and
Dr. Moreland attends many ULV athletic events.
There are several research projects that Dr. Moreland has undertaken. He
has been involved with a research group for seven years that will be publishing
materials on the sayings of Jesus. He is also the editor of a volume that
will be coming out next year, called "The Critical Edition of Q."
Next month, he will be in New Orleans speaking on various papers on the
Gospel of Thomas.
Dr. Moreland will also continue to be active in the Sepphoris Regional Project
which does archaeological excavations in Israel. The class will be held
next spring but the trip will be in June. Dr. Moreland urges those interested
to sign up this year because the accessibility of Americans to go on archaeological
digs is becoming limited. He has been doing this for five years.
Dr. Moreland hopes to some day find a permanent teaching position in the
undergraduate level. He would love to stay at ULV but there just does not
seem to be any room. While he is here he does want to hopefully bring in
a new perspective and help the ULV program grow.
Regarding his students, he hopes they leave his classes at the end of the
semester with a grounding of the field. If they are studying the Hebrew
Bible he wants them to understand the history and culture of it. He wants
the students to be able to relate it to personal experiences.
He wants to "not just teach history but teach philosophy for how to
live, how to make decisions."
Dr. Richard Rose is another addition to the Philosophy Department. This
semester he is teaching Introduction to Religion and World Religion West.
Last year Dr. Rose taught as a part-time professor. Involved in a diversity
task force with ULV he found out that they were looking for full time minority
teachers and they asked him to join the ULV teaching staff.
"It gives me an opportunity to teach young minds fascinating subjects,"
said Dr. Rose about his new full-time position.
Dr. Rose has also taught at the School of Theology at Claremont and the
Braesee Institute.
He likes ULV's forward looking vision and commitment to being an inclusive
campus. He also likes the fact that the religion program is very strong.
Which enables him to continue his commitment to the Los Angeles city bureau
black church studies program.
A native of California, born in Sacramento, he enjoys playing chess and
considers one day returning to the tennis courts. Most of his time is spent
with his family which includes his wife of 11 years and two girls, ages
6 and 3.
Receiving his master's of divinity degree at Howard University in Washington
and then returning to California in 1987 he finished his studies at the
Claremont Colleges.
He would like to continue teaching for another 10 to 15 years and may branch
out to administrative duties.
There are a few courses Dr. Rose is interested in composing for future classes.
Ethical Dilemmas of African American Males in the 20th Century, a philosophy
course, is one of the course ideas he is pursuing. He would also like to
look into a religious pluralism course that focuses on the values of urban
traditions.
Dr. Rose hope to challenge his students and help them look at the world
in new ways, particularly in religion.
"I hope to open their minds to see the values of various religious
traditions."