Dr. Stephen E. Silliman has been a dedicated professor helping to empower students for nearly four decades. Educated as a civil/environmental engineer, Silliman graduated with his undergraduate degree from Princeton University in 1979 before earning a master’s and a Ph.D. in hydrology and water resources from the University of Arizona.
Silliman’s career began with an internship as a hydrologist at the U.S. Geological Survey, which laid the foundation for his future research. In the mid-1980s, he began his teaching career as a professor of civil engineering and geological sciences at the University of Notre Dame. After nearly 30 years at Notre Dame, he joined Gonzaga University in 2012 as dean of the School of Engineering and Applied Science. He stepped down from this role in 2019 to become a Jefferson Science Fellow at the U.S. Agency for International Development’s Global Development Lab.
In 2021, Silliman brought his extensive experience in engineering, hydrogeology, geology, biology, and mathematics to Trevecca Nazarene University, where he established and served as the dean of STEM. His deep Christian faith continues to guide his approach to education and research.
Success Takes a Village
Dr. Stephen E. Silliman has built his career as a professor, academic leader, researcher, and hydrologist on collaboration. Although he served as the first dean of Trevecca’s School of STEM, he attributes much of the school’s success to his fellow faculty members and enrolled students. He believes it takes everyone’s buy-in to create innovative and relevant educational programs that will prepare students for their future.
Working closely with the STEM faculty, Silliman helped develop and launch Trevecca’s first four-year nursing program and introduced a master’s program in human performance and fitness. They also continued to refine and improve the physician assistant program, which holds the longest tenure in Tennessee. Moreover, they created effective courses for the next generation of leaders. The proof is evident in everything from increased enrollment and graduation rates to professional test scores to students’ opportunities for graduate school.
Teaching Inside and Outside the Classroom
Silliman is a firm believer in the education system and process, but he also sees the incredible value and importance of education being an experience. Throughout his career in academia, he has emphasized the value of classroom-based project designs and applied field laboratory experiences. Beyond these classic educational models, he is perhaps most proud of the development of international experiences that allowed students and faculty to work together on complex, interdisciplinary water resource development projects pursued in research teams with their overseas counterparts.
He has challenged everyone from incoming freshmen to Ph.D. students to explore their interests in science, technology, and engineering, and that’s led to a range of explorations that have both motivated and challenged students and helped advance the importance of STEM disciplines.
Humble Beginnings, Limitless Future
Silliman’s Christian faith drew him to Trevecca Nazarene University in the heart of Nashville, Tennessee. Trevecca traces its roots to 1901 when it served as a pastor’s training class for Christian workers. From those humble beginnings, it has grown into a university whose mission is to provide innovative and outstanding higher education in a Christ-centered community.
That mission is one of the reasons Trevecca started its School of STEM and chose Silliman to lead the effort in 2021. Besides offering degree programs in biology, chemistry, engineering, physics, mathematics, computer science, and information technology, the school takes full advantage of operating in the healthcare mecca that is Nashville and utilizes industry partnerships to offer invaluable hands-on learning and training opportunities for nursing, exercise and sports science and physician assistant students.
Over the past four years, the School of STEM achieved several milestones. These include a 100 percent first-time pass rate on the Physician Assistant National Certifying Examination (PANCE) for three consecutive years, the launch of a new nursing program, increased STEM enrollment, and the addition of five new master’s programs.
Silliman and the faculty members in the school of STEM also manage programs in the field of technology that prepare students for careers in everything from web design and development to cybersecurity and digital forensics to software engineering.
Working With Others to Seek a Better Tomorrow
In the United States, many take clean, accessible water for granted, but this is not the reality in rural areas of many low- and middle-income countries. Through Silliman’s work in hydrology, he became intensely interested in providing higher water quality and reliability to populations in areas such as Benin and other regions of Africa.
Silliman’s model for pursuing such development has evolved over the past three decades. He now collaborates with regional teams, including local faculty, students from both the U.S. and the host country, non-governmental organizations, and the local communities affected by these efforts. His work has involved offering specialized short courses to students, securing research funding to support these projects, and co-authoring professional publications with his colleagues and students in both Benin and the U.S.
This international work has not only impacted his global partners but has also shown his U.S.-based students their potential to contribute to critical needs in underserved populations. It has also allowed him to develop some of the best and closest friendships of his life. He considers it a blessing to experience the diversity of people and projects that have shaped his career and view of God’s creation.
Moreover, Silliman continues to connect with the people in Benin, West Africa. With the aid of virtual education technology, he plans to teach a senior/graduate level course on hydrogeology for the University d’Abomey-Calvari in Benin in the fall semester of 2024.
A Legacy of Learning, Growing, and Helping Others
Though an accomplished professor, researcher, author, and academic leader, Silliman may be a man most characterized by his grateful humility. He doesn’t desire credit for his own accomplishments, though there are many. Instead, he focuses on helping others succeed—including the students, faculty, professionals, and the communities he works within the U.S. and internationally. Throughout his personal and professional life, he has consistently shown that effort and opportunity, not personal accolades, are the keys to creating positive change and helping others.
Quotes
“We’re not just teaching subjects; we’re preparing students to enter a world that needs their skills, their passion, and their commitment to making a difference.”
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