news-category: Faculty Baptist Women in Ministry Honors GWU Professor Sophia Steibel By Office of University Communications On July 27, 2022 Nominated by Her Students, Steibel Receives Distinguished Mentor Award BOILING SPRINGS, N.C.—Dr. Sophia Steibel, Gardner-Webb University professor and the first School of Divinity faculty member to serve as the Bonnie Price Chair for Christian Formation and Leadership, has been recognized by Baptist Women in Ministry. She is the recipient of the 2022 Frankie Huff Granger Distinguished Mentor Award. This honor is presented each year to a mentor who has supported and empowered women called to ministry to use their gifts in service of the church. Established in 2013, the award honors the legacy and ministry of Granger, who served at First Baptist Church, Berea, S.C. for over 20 years. “Dr. Steibel has been an outstanding mentor for women (and men) during her years of service at the School of Divinity,” praised Dean and Professor of Christian Theology Robert W. Canoy. “This honor is one that she would never seek for herself, never preferring public recognition. She only wants God’s best for God’s people.” Three of Steibel’s students, Kelly Settlemyre, Jennifer Jennings and Sarah Blosser Blackwell, nominated her for the award. “It was a life-giving surprise, especially to have been nominated by excellent former students,” Steibel affirmed. “To know that as women in the past formed me, and now I do those under my influence, illustrates how a God-given legacy passes on. I am very grateful for this honor to have come in this season of my life.” In recommending Steibel for the award, the students noted that she was a quiet, behind-the scenes individual who is prophetic and spiritually wise. They appreciated her deep commitment to mentor and support them as they pursued their callings. Steibel earned her Bachelor of Arts from Gardner-Webb. She received her Master of Arts in religious education and her Ph.D. from Southwestern Baptist Theological Seminary in Fort Worth, Texas. She joined the Gardner-Webb School of Divinity faculty in 2001. Before then, she was an associate professor of religious education at Gardner-Webb. Steibel is the former director of Campinas Baptist Theological College, Campinas, Sao Paulo, Brazil. Additionally, she served on the faculties of South Brazil Baptist Theological Seminary and Baptist Religious Education Institute, Rio de Janeiro, Brazil. She is active in the life of First Baptist Church of Shelby, N.C. Gardner-Webb University is North Carolina’s recognized leader in private, Christian higher education. A Carnegie-Classified Doctoral/Professional University, GWU is home to six professional schools, 14 academic departments, more than 80 undergraduate and graduate majors, and a world-class faculty. Located on a beautiful 225-acre campus in Boiling Springs, N.C., Gardner-Webb prepares graduates to impact their chosen professions, equips them with the skills to advance the frontiers of knowledge, and inspires them to make a positive and lasting difference in the lives of others. Ignite your future at Gardner-Webb.edu.
News Article Gardner-Webb Volleyball, and Men’s and Women’s Swimming Receive National Academic Honors Teams Recognized for Achieving Stellar Grade Point Averages BOILING SPRINGS, N.C.—The Gardner-Webb University volleyball program has been named a 2025 American Volleyball Coaches Association (AVCA) Team Academic Award winner and Team Honor Roll recipient for the first time ever. In addition, both the men’s and women’s swimming teams received academic honors from the College Swimming […] Office of University Communications | July 24, 2025
News Article Dr. Greg Pillar, Gardner-Webb Assistant Provost, Represents the University at Inaugural HigherEd PodCon Participants Embrace Podcasting as a Form of Storytelling, Scholarship and Connection BOILING SPRINGS, N.C.—Gardner-Webb University Assistant Provost Dr. Greg Pillar represented Gardner-Webb on a national stage as a presenter at the inaugural HigherEd PodCon. Held recently at the University of Illinois in Chicago, the event featured over 40 speakers from institutions and organizations across North […] Office of University Communications | July 23, 2025
News Article Gardner-Webb Alumnus Nathaniel Parks Named a Recipient of the ASCAP Foundation 2025 Morton Gould Young Composer Award Musician and GWU Adjunct Professor Joins Elite Group of Grammy and Pulitzer Prize Winners BOILING SPRINGS, N.C.—A Gardner-Webb alumnus and adjunct music professor has been recognized for his extraordinary skills as a music composer. Nathaniel Parks, ’17, is one of 16 to receive the 2025 American Society of Composers, Authors & Publishers (ASCAP) Foundation Morton […] Office of University Communications | July 22, 2025