Dr. Jiying (Jenny) Song, assistant professor of business at Northwestern College, has been named the 2022 recipient of the college’s Faculty Excellence in Faith and Learning Award. She was honored during commencement exercises on May 14.

The award honors and encourages the calling and responsibility of Christian faculty to devote time and energy to scholarship and creative expression in ways that faithfully express the wonder, truth and beauty of God’s revelation in Scripture and creation. Northwestern’s academic deans and vice president for academic affairs selected Song as the recipient from among faculty nominated by their colleagues.

A member of the business department since 2019, Song is an internationally recognized expert on servant leadership, publishing extensively and giving presentations on the themes of servanthood and forgiveness in the context of leadership.

“She is active and prolific in Christian scholarship, incorporates her Christian scholarship in her teaching, and serves her colleagues, students and church wholeheartedly—as a servant leader,” wrote one faculty member who nominated Song for the award. “For her research, Dr. Song has published many peer-reviewed papers, primarily on servant leadership. She also writes about forgiveness ethos and face management theory.”

Dr. Song serves as the associate editor for The International Journal of Servant-Leadership. She was the first editor for the recently published volume “Servant-Leadership and Forgiveness: How Leaders Help Heal the Heart of the World” and the second editor for “Global Servant-Leadership: Wisdom, Love and Legitimate Power in the Age of Chaos.”

Students in Song’s Servant Leadership course give it—and her—high marks. “I recommend this course to everyone on campus, as it was more impactful for my faith and my leadership skills than any general education classes I have taken,” wrote one. Another said, “This course, with this professor, should never leave Northwestern.”

Song played key roles in the development of Northwestern’s new major in social enterprise and minors in leadership studies and nonprofit management.

“She is deeply trusted and appreciated by our students,” wrote a nominator. “She has been hosting students at her house and providing meals, company and space for them. I admire Dr. Song for who she is and what she does for people around her.”

A certified project management professional, Song has extensive industry experience as a senior engineer and operation director in IT and logistics and supply chain management in China. She earned a doctorate in leadership studies from Gonzaga University and a Master of Divinity degree from George Fox University.