English Faculty

Leslie Crabtree

Dr. Leslie Crabtree knows North Central. Working both part-time and full-time, she has spent the better part of the past 25 years teaching North Central students the intricacies of the English Language. She has also been a sought out conference presenter and was honored in 2002 in Who's Who Among America's Teachers. Outside of the university, Dr. Crabtree has been a reviewer for the Minnesota Board of Education, NCU's representative to the American Council on Education, and an adjunct faculty member in the Hamline University's Graduate School of Education (St. Paul). Locally, she serves as a deacon in her church and has supported the Gideon's International Ministry.

Originally from Duluth, MN, Dr. Crabtree resides with her husband John Edward III, their two sons James (a current NCU student) and Jason, and their two cats, Fluffy and Lex. Her oldest son, John IV, was a business administration NCU graduate in 2006. He is married to Sara, who will soon be graduating from NCU with a degree in psychology. Reading is always a passion for Dr. Crabtree, and her current interests include international novels by such authors as Naguib Mahfouz, Chinua Achebe, Wilhelm Moberg, and Amulya Mallach. Although busy, she spends free time reading and collecting first edition books by Harold Bell Wright. There isn't much time for that, however, so like many North Central students, she wishes there would be more snow days during the year.

Book, Article and Research Titles

• "Innocence Lost." (2004). Dust & Fire: Women's Stories and Art. Bemidji, MN: Bemidji State University
• "The Attic." "Lenten Pennance." (2002). Dust & Fire: Women's Stories and Art. Bemidji, MN: Bemidji Stat University
• "The Stillness in the Storm." (1998, July) Decision Magazine
• On Course: A How-Two Guide for Completing Independent Study Courses. (1995). Minneapolis, MN: Carlson Institute for Church Leadership
• Mastering College Learning [correspondence course]. (1995). Minneapolis, MN: Carlson Institute for Church Leadership
• Freshman Composition II [correspondence course]. (1991). Minneapolis, MN: Carlson Institute for Church Leadership

Conference and Seminar Presentations

• Referencing your masters thesis using APA format. Presented for Master of Arts in Education students at Hamline University, St. Paul, Minnesota, September 2005.
• Writing effective dissertation research proposals. Presented for the doctoral students at Hamline University, April 2005.
• Preparing for your doctoral oral exams. Presented for the doctoral students at Hamline University, October 2004.
• Using altered text to unearth student prejudice. Poster session presented at Showcasing and Sharing English Teachers Work, Minneapolis, Minnesota. Sponsored by the Critical Literacy Project, Minnesota Institute for the Arts and Humanities, University of Minnesota, September 2002.
• The politics of writing assessment. Paper presented at the annual national Conference on College Composition and Communication, Minneapolis, Minnesota, April 2002.
• How non-English faculty perceptions and practices of assessing writing might reinforce students' perceptions of writing practices. Paper co-presented at the Two-Year College English Association Midwest Annual Conference, Kansas City, Missouri, October 1999.

Gary Dop

An alumnus of North Central, Gary Dop engages students with wit and humor. As a creative writing professor, Dop thrives on encouraging young writers as they begin the long, joyous process of finding their voice, developing their craft, and embracing the publishing world.

In addition to teaching literature and creative writing courses, Dop directs the Taproot Reading Series which brings accomplished writers into Minneapolis’ Elliot Park Neighborhood. He and his wife, Liz, enjoy showing their young daughters, Brooklyn and Amorie the rich culture of the Twin Cities.

Dop is a member of the AWP, The Playwright Center, The Dramatists Guild, Phi Kappa Phi, Sigma Tau Delta, and the MLA.

Carolyn Tennant

Professor, English   Phone: 612-343-4749 Email: carolyn.tennant@northcentral.edu Office: Kingsriter Center #802

Professional Degrees

• Ph.D. in Education, Administration and Supervision, University of Colorado, Boulder, 1979
• Dissertation: The Identification of Thinking Skills by Students Participating in an Academically Gifted Program
• Studied at Columbia University, New York, summers of 1977 and 1978
• M.A. in English Education, University of Colorado, 1973
• B.A. in English Education, University of Colorado, 1969

Professional Experience

• Professor, English, North Central University, Minneapolis, MN, 2002-present
• Vice President, Academic Affairs, North Central University, Minneapolis, MN, 1998-2002
• Vice President, Institutional Life and Innovation, North Central University, Minneapolis, MN, 1991-1998
• Vice President, Student Life, North Central University, Minneapolis, Minnesota, 1983-1991
• Pastoral Staff: Administrator, Christian Life Center (Assemblies of God) , Dayton, Ohio, 1981-1983
• Director, Institute for Cognitive Development, Aurora, Colorado, 1979-1983

Publications and Writing

• Front Line: A Daily Devotional Guide for Christian Leaders. Minneapolis, MN: NCU Press, 2004.

• St. Patrick, a three-act drama.
• Edited In Awe in Argentina with A/G missionary Rocky Grams Lake Mary, FL: Creation House, 2006.
• Wrote a chapter in Transforming the City: Reframing Education for Urban Ministries published by Grand Rapids, MI: Eerdmans, 2002, and another chapter in Java & Justice, Minneapolis: NCU Press, 2006.
• Co-authored A Faithful Past, A Shining Future. Minneapolis: NCU Press, 2006.
• Wrote ”Rediscovering the Pioneering Spirit” published in Enrichment magazine, A/G: Springfield, MO Vol. 8, No. 2, spring, 2001, and "The Beauty of Stretch Marks" on the AG website, Sept., 2006.
• Chapter on Urban Curriculum included in a book by Dr. Eldin Villafae for an Hispanic audience,2000.
• A book on Celtic Spirituality and another on narrative preaching. In process.
• Toronto Blessing? Decide for Yourself Paper that circulated widely in the U.S. and overseas.

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  Dr. Tennant serves on the National Task Force for the Network for Women in Ministry. She has served on numerous national committees for the Assemblies of God, has written for Enrichment magazine, recently published a devotional guide and edited several other books, and teaches a course on Narrative Preaching at the Assemblies of God Theological Seminary.

  Areas of special study and interest include C.S. Lewis and the Inklings, Celtic church history, classical literature (she has had both Latin and Greek), writing, and revivals. She teaches scriptwriting and recently wrote a play on the life of St. Patrick. Her interest in Celtic church history is based on the work of Christian author Stephen Lawhead. She has taught her course at a castle in the Austrian Alps with Lawhead that was attended by NCU students. This spring she will be taking course alumni to Ireland.