Richard S. Ostrander, known as Rick Ostrander, is a U.S. historian and higher education leader. He serves as Executive Director for the Michigan Christian Study Center in Ann Arbor, Michigan.

Career

After earning a PhD in history from the

University of Notre Dame The University of Notre Dame du Lac (known simply as Notre Dame; ; ND) is a Private university, private Catholic research university in Notre Dame, Indiana, United States. Founded in 1842 by members of the Congregation of Holy Cross, a Cathol ...

under the direction of

George Marsden George Mish Marsden (born February 25, 1939) is an American historian who has written extensively on the interaction between Christianity and American culture, particularly on Christianity in American higher education and on American evangelicali ...

, Ostrander taught at

Grand Canyon University Grand Canyon University (GCU) is a Private university, private For-profit higher education in the United States, for-profit Christian university in Phoenix, Arizona. The university offers degrees in over 200 areas of study and is administrativel ...

Phoenix, Arizona Phoenix ( ) is the List of capitals in the United States, capital and List of cities and towns in Arizona#List of cities and towns, most populous city of the U.S. state of Arizona. With over 1.6 million residents at the 2020 census, it is the ...

. In 1997, Ostrander became an assistant professor of

history History is the systematic study of the past, focusing primarily on the Human history, human past. As an academic discipline, it analyses and interprets evidence to construct narratives about what happened and explain why it happened. Some t ...

John Brown University John Brown University (JBU) is a private interdenominational Christian university in Siloam Springs, Arkansas. Founded in 1919, JBU enrolls 2,343 students from 33 states and 45 countries in its traditional undergraduate, graduate, online, and c ...

in Siloam Springs, Arkansas. In September 2002, he became the dean of undergraduate studies at John Brown University. In 2004, he was selected as a

Fulbright Scholar The Fulbright Program, including the Fulbright–Hays Program, is one of several United States cultural exchange programs with the goal of improving intercultural relations, cultural diplomacy, and intercultural competence between the peopl ...

to teach in Wurzburg,

Germany Germany, officially the Federal Republic of Germany, is a country in Central Europe. It lies between the Baltic Sea and the North Sea to the north and the Alps to the south. Its sixteen States of Germany, constituent states have a total popu ...

. From 2009 to 2015, he served as provost at Cornerstone University in Grand Rapids, Michigan. Ostrander became Vice President for Academic Affairs & Professional Programs at the

Council for Christian Colleges and Universities Council for Christian Colleges & Universities (CCCU) is an international organization of evangelical Christian colleges and universities. The headquarters is in Washington, D.C., United States. History In 1976, presidents of colleges in Chri ...

(CCCU), Washington, DC in 2015. During the pandemic, Ostrander worked for Acadeum, an online course-sharing network. In 2021 he served as Assistant to the President for Academic Innovation at

Westmont College Westmont College is a private Christian liberal arts college in Montecito, California, United States. It was founded in 1937. History Ruth Kerr, owner and CEO of the Kerr Glass Manufacturing Company, established the school as the Bible Missiona ...

in Santa Barbara, California. Ostrander began his role as Executive Director for the Michigan Christian Study Center in 2023.

Education

*B.A.

Moody Bible Institute Moody Bible Institute (MBI) is a private evangelical Christian Bible college in Chicago, Illinois. It was founded by evangelist and businessman Dwight Lyman Moody in 1886. Historically, MBI has maintained positions that have identified it as ...

(1987) *B.A.

University of Michigan The University of Michigan (U-M, U of M, or Michigan) is a public university, public research university in Ann Arbor, Michigan, United States. Founded in 1817, it is the oldest institution of higher education in the state. The University of Mi ...

(1990) *M.A.

(1992) *Ph.D. University of Notre Dame (1996)

Publications

Author *''The Life of Prayer in a World of Science: Protestants, Prayer, and American Culture, 1870-1930'',

New York City New York, often called New York City (NYC), is the most populous city in the United States, located at the southern tip of New York State on one of the world's largest natural harbors. The city comprises five boroughs, each coextensive w ...

Oxford University Press Oxford University Press (OUP) is the publishing house of the University of Oxford. It is the largest university press in the world. Its first book was printed in Oxford in 1478, with the Press officially granted the legal right to print books ...

, 2000. . *''Head, Heart, Hand: John Brown University and Evangelical Higher Education'',

Fayetteville, Arkansas Fayetteville ( ) is the List of cities and towns in Arkansas, second-most populous city in the U.S. state of Arkansas, the county seat of Washington County, Arkansas, Washington County, and the most populous city in Northwest Arkansas. The city ...

University of Arkansas Press The University of Arkansas Press is a university press that is part of the University of Arkansas and has been a member of the Association of University Presses since 1984. Its mission is to publish peer-reviewed books and academic journals. It wa ...

, 2003. . *''Why College Matters to God: An Introduction to the Christian College'',

Abilene, Texas Abilene ( ) is a city in Taylor County, Texas, Taylor and Jones County, Texas, Jones counties, Texas, United States. Its population was 125,182 at the 2020 United States census, 2020 census. It is the principal city of the Abilene metropolitan ar ...

Abilene Christian University Press Abilene Christian University Press, also known as ACU Press, is an Abilene, Texas-based university press that is connected with Abilene Christian University. Since being formed it has released or acquired 456 titles and the press releases, on ave ...

, 2009. . *''Why College Matters to God, Revised Edition: An Introduction to the Christian College'',

, 2012. . *''Academically Speaking'',

Grand Rapids, Michigan Grand Rapids is the largest city and county seat of Kent County, Michigan, United States. With a population of 198,917 at the 2020 United States census, 2020 census and estimated at 200,117 in 2024, Grand Rapids is the List of municipalities ...

: Eerdmans Publishing Company, 2024. . Contributor *''Searching for Spirituality in Higher Education'',

Peter Lang Publishing Peter Lang is an academic publisher specializing in the humanities and social sciences. It has its headquarters in Lausanne, Switzerland, with offices in Berlin, Brussels, Chennai, New York, and Oxford. Peter Lang publishes over 1,100 academic t ...

, 2007. . *''American Evangelicalism : George Marsden and the State of American Religious History,'' Notre Dame, Indiana: University of Notre Dame Press, 2014. .

Personal life

Rick is married to Lonnie. They have four children.

References

American historians University of Notre Dame alumni University of Michigan alumni Living people Year of birth missing (living people) {{morecat, date=June 2024