We don’t often dare to imagine that we’d end up working in the same place where we went to school — or even that our mentors could be our employers.
For Philip Byers, this became a reality this year as he stepped into the role of Halbrook Chair of Civic Engagement Elect, positioned under his long-time teacher, mentor and friend, Tom Jones.
“He’s one of many, many people who remained extremely invested in my long-term well-being, not necessarily thinking that it might be here (at Taylor) but just wanting to see me flourish in a place where I could serve the kingdom,” Byers said. “So he’s been a wonderful mentor.”
After this semester, Jones, professor of history emeritus, will begin transitioning out of his role as Halbrook Distinguished Chair of Civic History and pass along his responsibilities to Byers.
Byers was a student at Taylor from 2004-2010 as he pursued a bachelor of arts degree in history and a masters in higher education and student development.
After graduation, he worked for student life at Bethel University in Minnesota for three years and then worked on getting his doctorate in St. Louis, and later, South Bend, where he worked at a research center.
Byers applied for the Halbrook Chair role in summer 2023 and began in August, right before the school year.
This year for Byers has been a combination of learning from Jones as he prepares to inherit his title in the months to come, teaching and helping plan events in the History, Global & Political Studies department.
While a student at Taylor, Byers embraced the diverse offerings of a liberal arts education. Though a history major, he enjoyed exploring different passions through his classes — especially those in literature and theology.
Jones’ consistent presence in Byers’ life during this time is of great significance today as Byers considers how best to serve in this new capacity at Taylor.
“Going to his office to chat, watching how he carried himself, how he did his work, how he engaged the world of ideas outside the classroom — those were really formative moments for me as well,” he said.
Byers recognizes that his role will certainly offer a different perspective on Taylor than he had as a student, or even as current students have.
Yet, he finds encouragement in the ways he expects Taylor will stay the same, as it has since his time as a student.
“The richness of this place is that the world around you changes, and the challenges you all face as students now are very different in many ways than the ones I faced a couple decades ago,” Byers said. “But, fundamentally, the ethos of this place is kind of perennial. It’s people wanting to know and be known, wanting to work together in their pursuit of knowing the Lord, and it’s just a rich privilege to be able to be giving back to a place that gave so, so much to me.”
Byers desires to extend to his students an understanding of the many responsibilities they balance every day.
He believes students lead the things that best succeed at Taylor, and he welcomes students to reach out to him with their passions and ideas in the hope that he can come alongside them in equipping and execution.
For him, the most fulfilling part of the job is interacting with students.
Byers describes the role he is stepping into as encompassing two levels of work. At the micro level, as he refers to it, he is called to teach students about their earthly citizenship and lead them to consider how it intersects with their heavenly citizenship.
At the macro level, Byers joins other Taylor professors in developing the whole person.
“I think profs at Taylor are getting on board because they care about the broader mission of the place,” he said. “So broadly, I think here we’re all about the business of graduating people who are formed more in the likeness of Christ than the day they walked in the door.”
As he anticipates stepping into Jones’ role, Byers is in a phase where he is dreaming about the program’s future and what events will best engage and serve the Taylor community.
Byers considers it a great honor to continue Jones' work.
“There is no replacing Dr. Jones,” he said. “There’s no ‘filling shoes,’ because he just knows this place in his marrow. He doesn’t have to summon stories or reach back for anecdotes; they pour forth out of him. He has imbibed everything that Taylor is about. So, I will not be filling his shoes, but what I will be trying to do is steward the good work that he has done and he is passing on.”
Byers’ hope is to impart to his students the impact that they can have on the places of which they call themselves citizens.
In this way, there is a great opportunity for them to exercise their faith in how they approach their citizenship.
“We are called to seek the flourishing of the places in which we dwell,” Byers said.
Ultimately, that is the attitude in which Byers will embrace his role as Halbrook Chair, in carrying on the impact that Jones has left and contributing to the flourishing of both Taylor’s campus and the communities with which its ripples affect.
