By: Ryleigh Watson/
This year Howard Payne University has five new faculty members.
Dr.Wade Ashby is the new dean of Online Education, associate professor and chair of the Department of Computer Information Sciences.
Ashby came to HPU from Hardin Simmons University in Abilene.
“I felt God saying ‘Hey I have more for you’ and then Dr.Hines reached out to tell me they were interested in me,” said Ashby.
Ashby hopes to make an impact on his students that he meets throughout the school year and classes.
“My goal here is to help students and change their lives by giving them an education more like a skill and a way to provide for themselves and their families in the future, while also furthering their knowledge of the Kingdom of God,” said Ashby.
Ashby will be teaching two face-to-face classesin addtion to a project management class, and an introduction to Computer science class online. He will also be supervising CIS internships.
Ashby has had a long journey of following God to get his degrees. He completed his undergraduate at Angelo State University with a bachelor’s of science degree in computer science and a minor in kinesiology. He then proceeded to get his master’s degree in computer science from Georgia Tech University, and most recently he finished out his doctor of philosophy degree from National University in data science.
“My goal was to double major in computer science and kinesiology,” said Ashby. However, throughout his time in college he shifted his plan and started his journey in computer science.
Ashby said that throughout his time at ASU he felt God tell him he was going to put him in a different direction than what Ashby was pursuing. He said he felt God pushing him toward seminary.
Ashby’s goal then was to be a BSM director for a college campus. Throughout his career, he kept feeling God push him towards his goal. He felt God speak to him and tell him ‘You will be working with college students, just not how you thought.’
Ashby is excited to start this new journey at HPU and to see what God has in store for him, all while teaching his students about computer science and the love of God.
By staff writer Ryleigh Watson.