Neil Friesland:

Putting Relationships First

By Sarah A. Moser

When he’s not in his classroom in Metz Hall, you’ll likely find Dr. Neil Friesland (’92) in his office, chatting it up with a myriad of students. Sit in the foyer of the Education Department suite, and you’ll see the stream of students filing in to visit when their classes let out. He’ll tell you it’s one of his favorite things about teaching, and his co-workers will tell you the students love him and his intentional way of connecting with them. 

“I am known for hanging out with students,” says Neil. “I get to do a job I love and get paid for it! My job is to train future teachers to reach kids in schools. I do that by developing relationships with students here. Hopefully, they continue to do that with their students when they become teachers themselves.”

Neil, with his self-proclaimed heart for the underdog, is a professor in the Teacher Education Department, focusing on special education. He says he loves working with students who have special needs and cognitive disabilities, and he teaches future educators how to reach these students.

On top of teaching, Neil also observes practicum students and student teachers. This year, he has four student teachers in three school districts he is shepherding through the process.  

“I’m not your typical professor, not as academic as some,” he says. “I care more about relationships than content. Don’t get me wrong, the content gets in there, but I put relationships first. I love having the ability to impact people for Christ, as others did for me.”

Neil says MNU had such an impact on his life, he wanted to give back to a new crop of students and help influence the world around him. He also appreciates the ability to worship and integrate faith into his students’ learning. 

From student to teacher

Neil can relate with the students, as he remembers fondly his own time at MNU. He first made MNU his home in 1987 when he joined the football team. He came to MNU with three friends from Channelview, TX. “I loved the community, the small class sizes, the ability to know many people, and the Christian atmosphere. This community allowed me to grow in my walk with Christ.”

Neil graduated in 1992 with a degree in biology. After a couple of years working as a biomedical technician, he realized he really wanted to be a teacher and came back to school for his teaching degree.  

After three years of teaching at public high schools, Dr. Bob Drummond invited Neil to return to campus as an Resident Educator (RE). Neil’s journey moved him into working in the Management & Human Relations (MHR) adult education program, earning his doctorate from KU in special education, and becoming a professor of special education, all while raising a young family. Neil and his wife, Amy (Weathers ’93), have three children: Jeremiah, age 26, James, age 23, and Jenae, age 18, who is a freshman at MNU—and yes, one of the students who regularly pops into her dad’s office for a chat.   

Coming back to teach at the school you attended can bring up a whole host of feelings and experiences. Neil says he loved seeing professors he knew as a student, now as a fellow professor. He said seeing them interact with one another, he realized how genuine and real their faith and their love for others is.

“I saw that what they teach, their faith, is real,” he says. “It’s not just something they say, but they also live it out in their day-to-day lives.”

For example, as a student, Neil interacted with Ron McClellan at the 7-11 across from campus. Ron saw Neil and came over to fill his gas tank for him—being Jesus to a student he didn’t even know that well. When Neil started his role as a professor, he saw that Ron was just as loving and kind as he remembered him. Neil says that helped him realize he wants to be student-centered.

“I found out working here that we are a big family,” says Neil. “Families aren’t perfect, they are often dysfunctional, but they still love each other and are working together for a common goal and care for each other. I see this in my interactions with people in meetings; we may have conflict at times, but it’s how we handle it better when guided by Christ that makes a difference.”