Office of Public Relations
Missouri Baptist University
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For Immediate Release
RE: 30 somethings
30 somethings
March 19, 2007
They’ve garnered terminal degrees, researched life-saving vaccines, been published in dozens of scholarly publications and performed on world-renowned stages. And they are only in their thirties. Meet a sampling of some of MBU’s brightest—and youngest—faculty members.
Read about other MBU faculty members in their 30’s:
Dr. Lydia Thebeau, assistant professor of Biology
Mr. Greg Farris, assistant professor of Health and Sport Science
Coordinator of Sports Medicine Program
Ms. Joy Powell, instructor of Theatre Arts
Dr. Keith Beutler, Professor of History
MBU’s History program has prepared hundreds of graduates with the knowledge needed for a future career in a host of fields of service. Vocationally, MBU history graduates are teachers, college professors, lawyers, detectives and archivists.
Education: Ph.D. in History, Washington University
M.Ed. from Union University
M.A. in History from the University of Tennessee
B.A. in History and Philosophy, Liberty University
Dr. Keith Beutler’s father had a hunch early on that his son wasn’t ever likely to take over the family’s Wisconsin dairy farm.
Keith Beutler
Beutler had another calling.
“Actually, I can remember as a young boy reading my history books in the passenger seat of my dad’s tractor,” recollected Beutler, now an assistant professor of history at MBU. “Suffice it to say, the challenge of that life inspired me to study hard in school in order to open up other options.”
For Beutler, the thirst to learn about history and government was as instinctual as learning to talk. He was born a historian.
At four-years-old, he remembers spending hours thumbing through pages of an American history coloring book. At eleven, he was strategically planning out a 2004 bid for the presidency, which marked the first presidential election that Beutler met the minimum age requirement to run. In high school, he lost his bid for student body president by one vote, but not before publicly accusing his opponent and best friend of being a Soviet Communist, he admitted.
“It really feels to me like I was just made to focus on history,” Beutler said. “I love the stories that make up history, and find real wisdom, not to mention drama and humor, in them.”
Beutler’s innate interest in the past has long acted as a springboard to his future.
At 37-years-old, Beutler has obtained three post-bachelor degrees, presented his vast research at a multitude of academic conferences worldwide and received research fellowships from a host of prominent historical organizations-from The New York Historical Society to the Library Company of Philadelphia.
But research and prestigious fellowships take a backseat to his passion to teach.
On a rainy Monday morning in October, Beutler, who taught at the high school level for six years, was doing all he could to contain his excitement as he taught an American History I class inside Room 348 of MBU’s Field Academic Hall.
A general education requirement, American History I may not be the highlight of many accomplished professors’ course load. For Beutler, however, it’s one of his favorites.
“George Washington, the first president of the United States, was like ‘lets lock and load,’” Beutler sad emphatically, during a talk about the Whiskey Rebellion of the late 18th century inside this American History Class. “I mean imagine this: the President of the United States is saddled up and ready to go take care of these guys. This is really quite fascinating.”
Watching the students who once had no interest in history grow to become-like himself-enamored with the events that formed today’s society is ultimately Beutler’s calling, he said.
“Helping a college student develop a love for history is so satisfying,” Beutler said. “Between the ages of 16 and 26 most people form their lasting identity culturally and ideologically. It is a joy to help people in that formative period of life learn to think carefully about significant facts and issues.”
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Missouri Baptist University is a premier Christian university in Saint Louis, offering graduate and undergraduate studies in over thirty specialized fields and nine degrees. MBU's education and fine arts programs are nationally known in addition to business, religion, administration of justice, and more. MBU is one of the fastest growing higher education institutions in Missouri with an enrollment of over 4,500 students at five locations in the bi-state region — West County, Lincoln County, Jefferson County, Franklin County and the new Illinois extension at Lewis and Clark Community College.
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