Each year, Global Scholars invests in Christian faculty through a research grant awarded to a member of the Society of Christian Scholars in the United States. These grants equip professors to thoughtfully integrate their faith into their academic work and create meaningful opportunities for gospel influence in the university.
In 2025, the grant was awarded to Dr. William Pennock, a professor of Civil and Environmental Engineering at a public university in the United States. His research focuses on drinking water treatment, including strategies to address lead contamination. With support from Global Scholars, William is developing practical solutions with AguaClara Reach to bring clean drinking water to small towns in Central America.
Many of these communities cannot afford large-scale treatment facilities or the personnel required to run them. William’s work focuses on designing smaller, cost-effective filtration systems that still provide safe, reliable water and meet a critical need for underserved populations. Global Scholars is supporting this effort to mentor undergraduate students in research to make clean water accessible to those with less capital.
For William, this work is deeply rooted in his faith. By helping communities access clean water, he is living out biblical calls for justice and care for the marginalized.
That same integration of faith and work is evident on campus. William openly shares that he is a Christian and looks for natural ways to connect his faith with his teaching. In one fluid mechanics class, he described how the principles he teaches were used to help fill and drain his church’s baptismal tank. He also co-leads a vibrant faculty prayer group and helped organize a summit on faith and science with the university’s Vice Provost.
His students notice the difference. They consistently describe him as fair, kind, and approachable. As William explains:
I think the assumption by the public is that people in academia are atheistic, although that is far from universal. On the other hand, there are many students who are believers, and it is an encouragement to them to see faculty striving to follow Jesus in their work. Even for students from different religious backgrounds, it is an encouragement to meet faculty who take their faith seriously, and I have had wonderful exchanges with students from many faiths.
William also sees the broader impact of Global Scholars’ work:
Even with all the changes in higher education, including the rise of AI and universities closing, we still need educators, and we still need people making disciples. Global Scholars plays an important role in discipling professors so they can disciple others. We need to help the next generation follow Christ in whatever field they are in.
Because of your support, professors like William are bringing both academic excellence and gospel hope to their students, their campuses, and communities around the world.
Thank you for making this work possible. Please pray that more professors will embrace their calling to integrate their faith with their academic work and invest in the next generation.
For Christ and the university,
Stan
Photos Courtesy of William Pennock
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