“My working here is more than just a job. It’s a ministry.”
Aaron Heath
Director of Information Technology
Adjunct Faculty, General Studies
Aaron Heath has been working in the Information Technology department at Calvary University for 27 years. Currently, he is the Director of IT and teaches Written Research Practicum multiple times a year. He originally came as a student before working in the IT department. “I met my wife back when I was working factory jobs and realized I needed to find a job that was going to pay more,” Heath said. “I went to school and got my degree in electronics engineering technology and went to work for RCA for five years. In the time that I was working for RCA, I trusted Christ to be my Savior— I was a little later in life doing that. Then Christy, my wife, and I began looking for a Bible college. We just felt like the Lord was calling us to go into full-time ministry.”
Heath and his wife looked at a couple colleges before choosing CU. “At the time, Calvary was advertising that you got more Bible by coming here than at other places. So, I checked it out. I compared Calvary to the other two or three places that we had looked at and it was true. I was going to get more Bible by coming here.”
Once he decided to go to CU, he needed to find a job. “I had been working as an electronic technician at a company, but when I came here I didn’t really have a job. I walked into the business office and said, ‘Hey do you guys have any jobs on campus?’ and they said, ‘What have you been doing?’ and I told them that I had been working in technology and they said that they actually needed a technology guy. So that’s the beginning of my career at Calvary.”
In addition to IT, Heath has taught various classes. “After I finished in the seminary I taught Survey of Theology for years, and I taught Conflict Resolution some, and Evangelism some as well.” Eventually, he began focusing more on IT than teaching. However, he still teaches Written Research Practicum. “I enjoy teaching the one class I teach many times a year: Written Research Practicum. I really enjoy that. I keep teaching that— it pays very little— I actually teach it so that I can have contact with students. I like to get to know students and that’s the one way I get to spend more time with them.”
Heath likes both parts of his job. “Part of what I do even in IT is teaching because I’m showing people how to use the technology that they have here at Calvary as an employee or as a staff or faculty member. It’s hard to pick a favorite. I like teaching, and I’m glad that teaching is a part of my job as a director of IT.”
Heath is proud of the way that CU has utilized technology to improve both student learning and campus life. “I think that the recording of lectures has made a significant impact in students’ ability to learn well, especially online students. Before, the classes for online students and on-campus students were different. But now they’re the same. Now, students who are online and on-campus will be watching the exact same lectures, doing the exact same homework, etc.”
Heath continued, “Canvas (the course management system that supports online learning and teaching) is another thing which I think is really great. I would be surprised if Canvas wasn’t the world’s leading higher education management system, and the fact that we get to use it is exciting! Because of Canvas, online students and on-campus students are able to interact more through discussion posts and such.”
Another CU technology that Heath is excited to talk about is the internet. “We have really good internet — it’s really fast! And it’s about to be doubled in speed. This is great because it allows students to be able to get their homework done in time, and it allows them to stream movies and shows or play video games with friends without lagging.”
“My working here is more than just a job. It’s a ministry. I love working with faculty, staff, and students.” Not only does Heath consider his time at CU a ministry, but he is involved with an online ministry called Got Questions. “Shea Houdmann, the President and Founder of Got Questions — he’s a Calvary graduate. He and I were in classes together, and so when he started that he asked me to be on the board. I answered questions for many years, and I’ve been on the board ever since.”