Assistant Professor of Sociology and native Oregonian Matt Friesen will be relocating back to his home state with his family after the semester is over. As his time on our campus winds down, Friesen reflected on his journey to Bluffton University and shared what comes next for the Friesen family.
Friesen grew up in Dallas, Ore., and then attended Bethel College in North Newton, Kan. After earning his undergraduate degree, he went on to seminary at the Associated Mennonite Biblical Seminary, now called Anabaptist Mennonite Biblical Seminary, in Elkhart, Ind. He met his wife, Terisa, during his time in seminary, and the couple married in the AMBS chapel.
Friesen also met Bluffton University campus pastor Stephen “Tig” Intagliata while they were students in seminary together.
“I was so excited when I heard that Matt would be coming to join the faculty at Bluffton. We graduated from seminary about 25 years ago, and both served as pastors of churches in different parts of the country,” said Intagliata. “To be reunited here at Bluffton was a special treat, and I have enjoyed rekindling our friendship during his time here. I greatly appreciate Matt’s wisdom and insights about life, people and cultures, and will definitely miss him when he leaves Bluffton.”
After seminary, Friesen and his wife moved to Wichita, Kan., where he served as a pastor for Hope Mennonite Church and they started a family. After about seven years in Wichita, they moved to Albany, Ore., where he served as a pastor at Albany Mennonite Church.
During his time as a pastor, Friesen said he started to think more about sociology.
“I was really curious about how the church worked from a sociological perspective, such as why do people make friends with certain people, and why do some groups get along and other groups don’t get along,” said Friesen.
Friesen said he did a lot of pastoral counseling, including some training in conflict and mediation. He described how all of that is connected to sociology. He also became very interested in racial relationships among churches.
After being a pastor in Albany for close to seven years, he entered a graduate program in sociology at the University of Oregon. Once he completed his PhD, he came to Bluffton.
Friesen shared how he’s really enjoyed teaching Intro to Sociology and Becoming a Scholar.
“I don’t think students realize how much they change in four years. It is amazing to see how much students mature in that period of time,” said Friesen.
During Friesen’s time at Bluffton, he has had an impact on many students.
“Matt Friesen has helped me pave the path to my future,” said Alicia Loch, senior biology and sociology double major. “It was in his sociology class my freshman year where I found I wanted to somehow include sociology in my degree. It started as a minor and turned into a major as he helped me find my passion for environmental sociology. He is one of the most genuine humans I have ever met, and I feel honored to have been one of his students.”
Friesen said he’s really enjoyed the sense of being connected to each other in a unique way at Bluffton. He feels he will stay connected with people he has met at Bluffton, and said he hopes if students make their way out to the West Coast, they can catch up with him.
“One of the things I appreciate most about Matt is his patience,” said Lucas Keller, senior sociology and community development major. “As a professor he works very hard to make sure that I and all his students understand not only the concepts discussed in his classes, but also how they affect our lives on a daily basis.”
Friesen plans to continue teaching in Oregon. He is currently in the interview process for a position.
