Williams Baptist University has granted tenure and a promotion in rank to Dr. Chris Polachic and Dr. Dennis Vowell. The WBU Board of Trustees approved the faculty promotions at its meeting on April 18.
Both faculty members were granted tenure and were promoted to the rank of associate professor by unanimous vote after a recommendation was put forth by the committee for rank advancement at Williams.
“Dr. Polachic and Dr. Vowell are both respected among their peers and are highly valued members of our faculty at Williams,” said WBU president Dr. Stan Norman. “They are both great examples of the academically excellent, Christ-centered education that Williams provides. They are exceptionally deserving of the rank and tenure status that has been conferred upon each of them. The campus community looks forward to seeing their work and contributions continue to grow as they make a difference in the lives of students on the WBU campus for many years to come.”
Dr. Polachic has served as an assistant professor of natural science with an emphasis on physics at WBU since 2015. In addition to his instructional responsibilities in the Department of Natural Science, Polachic has also served as the program coordinator for the Coe Honors Program and Chair of the University Honors Program since 2017.
He most recently was chosen to take part in the steering committee that helped Williams receive a 10-year reaccreditation from the Higher Learning Commission and he co-authored a book, From Atoms to Higgs boson: Voyages in Quasi-Spacetime, in 2019.
Dr. Polachic received his bachelor’s and master’s degree in physics from the University of Saskatchewan. He completed his doctorate in physics from the University of Alberta in 2015 and has also completed coursework through the Institute of Biblical Studies.
Dr. Vowell has taught in the Department of Psychology as an assistant professor since 2016 and served as an adjunct professor for two years before starting his full-time position. In addition to his teaching duties, he has worked at Mid-South Health Systems in Paragould where he has helped provide psychological evaluations to clinical and forensic populations.
He has been an active member of the WBU faculty and currently serves as the chair of the faculty senate. Dr. Vowell has also served on the financial aid committee, academic affairs committee and intellectual property committee. Since 2018, he has served as an editor of doctoral dissertations for Ph.D. candidates at the Women’s College at the University of Lahore and Formon Christian College, both of which are located in Lahore, Pakistan.
Dr. Vowell graduated from then Williams Baptist College in 1998 with a Bachelor of Science in Psychology and a minor in sociology. He went on to receive his certificate in psychology and religion in 2000 and then his APA-approved PsyD program in clinical psychology from the Forest Institute of Professional Psychology in 2001.
Tenure of full-time faculty at WBU provides for continuing appointment, assuring faculty members of an ongoing position at the institution under ordinary circumstances. Tenure is a privilege conferred by the board of trustees to a faculty member who is deemed to have earned this honor. Williams Baptist University bestows tenure on faculty who, over a period of years, have demonstrated a commitment to the Christian mission of the university and have achieved a high level of academic and teaching excellence.
Williams is a private, Christian university in Walnut Ridge, Ark.