In his first semester as associate provost of Pepperdine Jay Brewster is using his faith and science background to facilitate a better understanding of the co-existance of the two while also getting used to his position.
Brewster has been a leading professor in Seaver’s Natural Science Division since 1997 teaching classes that range from genetics to advanced cell biology.
Having received his bachelors in education from Lubbock Christian University and his doctorate in biochemistry and cell biology from Rice University Brewster’s vocation as a researcher and teacher became relatively clear to him before attending graduate school.
His passion for the lab classroom and students earned him Pepperdine’s most prestigious award The Howard A. White Award for Teaching Excellence in 2006. He also served as a Seaver College Research Fellow twice.
Brewster has a strong commitment to bringing discussion surrounding faith and science to the forefront of Pepperdine academia. Brewster said he sees it as his responsibility as a devout Christian and research-oriented scientist to provoke discussion and make it accessible to science majors and non science majors alike.
“When you’re trained in the sciences and grow up as a Christian there’s a perceived choice that you have to choose between science and faith Brewster said. Science has become a religion of sorts and a view of the world that’s incompatible with a creator. I know that I can have both. I don’t think that science offers much truth but it does explain the world we live in.”
As a cell biologist Brewster works with the most basic building blocks of life and attributes what he has seen in the sciences to his greater awe of God. His vocation as a teacher allows him to expose students to this view of the world and of God.
“Research is a fundamental curiosity about creation no matter how you want to spin it Brewster said. I think there’s a majesty to life and living systems that is truly amazing. That’s what brought me to science and that’s what I want to show my students.”
Brewster also said that a dialogue concerning evolution and Christianity needs to be present at Pepperdine and the entire academic world for that matter.
“The years of the creation versus evolution was harmful to that dialogue he said. Christians and scientists became enemies. As a professor I want my students to be able to think clearly about the issue and not be intimidated by the issue. It’s good to talk to people who are attentive to the issue because nobody is really an expert on it.”
Brewster in conjunction with Christopher Doran from the Religion Division and other faculty from the Natural Science Division are promoting this dialogue by holding a conference titled “Why Darwin Still Matters.” The conference will take place on Nov. 20 and 21 and will include lectures such as “Creationism Goes Global and Evolution in the Every Day World.”
Brewster encourages students to attend and sees it as a big step to promoting a world-view where science and faith can complement each other.
In the spring of 2009 Brewster was officially appointed as the new associate provost of Pepperdine University. Provost Darryl Tippens made the selection after Tim Perrin who had served as the associate provost since 2003 relinquished his title and reassumed his role as a professor of law and vice dean at Pepperdine’s School of Law.
Brewster said he was not sure if his role as a scientist at all influenced his nomination for associate provost.
“As a scientist I manage a lab and part of that is maintaining productivity within the lab. Administrative work is like a lab in that it requires all systems to be operating cohesively; it’s just a different amount of complexity he said.
Brewster articulates Tippen’s position as provost as the chief academic officer of the university. He works with deans from each school to coordinate Pepperdine’s academic programs.
Tippens created the associate provost title to assist him and as a means to bring faculty into the administrative office.
What I really love about the job is that I get to be in both the administrative and teaching worlds of Pepperdine he said. I’m able to work in the realm of the provost’s office but I don’t have to give up teaching and being part of the faculty both of which I love.”
“I really can’t be away from the classroom so this position as associate provost really is perfect for me Brewster said. There are many administrators at Pepperdine who wear two hats and love their roles as teachers and administrators equally. Although I teach one less class this year because of my new job there is an ebb and flow to what I do and I have definitely adjusted.”
“When I was on sabbatical for two semesters working at a research lab in Colorado my love of the classroom really became apparent to me. Even though I loved the lab and the amazing experimentation I was conducting I missed my students he said.
Brewster said he is most impressed by how hard administrators work at Pepperdine to build an infrastructure where faculty can be successful as teachers and scholars.”
Since accepting the associate provost position this year Brewster has continued to head the Howard A. White selection award and begun to prepare for the Christian-Scholars Conference in 2011 which he hopes will have an emphasis on science.
Brewster’s jurisdiction as associate provost is not only confined to the Seaver campus but also to Drescher as he is involved in the Drescher Speace Use Committee and heads on-line course evaluations for classes throughout all five schools.
“I just haven’t quite gotten used to all the meetings but that’s the only way for administration to communicate and properly function Brewster said.
Lubbock Christian University is a small Church of Christ affiliated school in Texas, and Rice University is a well-funded science and research school with minimal dialogue concerning faith and science. Comparing Pepperdine to his alma maters, Brewster said he recognizes the uniqueness of the campus by the sea.
Pepperdine allows faith and scholars to co-exist.” he said. “We’re succeeding and growing in both areas on a daily basis. The faculty is especially committee to making students to be mature academic Christians. It’s a unique experience and Pepperdine does not allow either faith or reason to be sacrificed.”