Hailing from the great state of Alabama, Dr. Drew Jamieson always felt he had a calling on his life. Whether it was to bring people together, help others find greater spiritual connection, or even just to be a listening ear, Dr. Jamieson has striven to follow his passions.. Serving as a professor in the ACU Online Master of Marriage and Family Therapy program for his eighth consecutive year, Dr. Jamieson looks back at his time with great awe. Working with dozens of students and faculty members across the ACU Online community, Dr. Jamieson has risen not only in popularity but also in his work as a dedicated scholar and practitioner. In December 2024, Dr. Jamieson’s work as a professor earned him the ACU Online Teacher of the Year Award, an honor highlighting his exceptional dedication to teaching, his ability to engage and support students and his alignment with ACU’s mission of fostering transformative education. With a humble spirit and positive attitude, Dr. Jamieson is hopeful for what the future holds for him and his family as proud ACU Wildcats.
Along The Tennessee River
There’s nothing like growing up in the great outdoors, surrounded by hills and flowing rivers. As a child raised in Florence, Alabama, Dr. Jamieson remembers getting outside every chance he got. Whether it was kicking the soccer ball or hiking around the trails outside his home, Dr. Jamieson was always trying to find a way to exercise and enjoy nature. Along with recreation and time outdoors, Sundays would bring time with family and going to church. With his grandparents being former missionaries, Dr. Jamieson remembers hearing about the importance of sharing love in far and distant places.
“My grandparents were missionaries in Nigeria,” Dr. Jamieson said. “Even my mother was born out there, so in many ways, it made the whole experience of what missionaries do, sharing love with humans no matter the race, culture, or creed, all the more real. It really made me think about the world in a different way.”
It was that kind of childhood that made Dr. Jamieson cognizant of what the world needed and how he might play a small part in sharing that light. And much like his grandparents, Dr. Jamieson says he, too, felt the call to full-time ministry. Shortly after graduating high school, Dr. Jamieson began working as a youth and senior adult ministry director at his local church. He also obtained an undergraduate degree in history from the University of North Alabama. For the next 11 years, Dr. Jamieson did it all – from organizing the Vacation Bible School lessons to visiting elderly members in the hospital.
“I just remember thinking, these people also need someone,” Dr. Jamieson expressed. “And while visiting someone in the hospital didn’t seem like the most fun thing to do, to me, it meant the world to meet and care for those who so desperately needed to hear some good news.”
Amidst his church career, Dr. Jamieson pursued his Master of Divinity and Master of Theology from Southern Seminary with a special emphasis in pastoral counseling. And while it seemed like a lot for a young man to pursue his graduate degree while juggling full-time ministry, Dr. Jamieson loved it all. He loved seeing people and connecting with others. He enjoyed the conversations and laughs he would share. But most importantly, he loved hearing the stories of families and couples. It was at that moment that he, once again, felt a calling.
“I think studying history and going to seminary really just put me in a special place to have open ears, an open heart and enjoy the present,” he said. “I think after a while, I just started thinking that perhaps I was meant to go into the field of mental health and therapy.”
Searching for a program that would fit his interest, Dr. Jamieson remembered seeing an online program for an accredited Ph.D. in Marriage and Family therapy from Amridge University in Montgomery, Alabama. And while an online program was never heard of in 2005, Dr. Jamieson felt comfortable jumping in. A few years later, Dr. Jamieson graduated and began working as a medical marriage and family therapist for an oncology clinic while simultaneously seeing private clients.
“The practice became so big that I eventually started to do that full-time,” Dr. Jamieson said. “It truly was a wonderful experience because it just fit with who I was and what I was made for: connections and helping people through difficult circumstances.”
But Dr. Jamieson was left with a curious thought: What if he started teaching?
Calling ACU Online Home
After working as an adjunct professor at a different online university, Dr. Jamieson connected with Dr. Sara Sakil, program director of the ACU Online Master of Marriage and Family Therapy program, and wanted to see if ACU Online would be interested in an adjunct professor and part-time therapist. The answer was, undoubtedly, yes. One thing led to another, and by 2017, Dr. Jamieson was officially a full-time instructor teaching students online who were once like him, eager to serve and interested in becoming better listeners and advocates for others. Now in his 9th year of teaching at ACU, Dr. Jamieson is blown away at how the university has grown over time.
“It’s truly amazing to see this program flourish as much as it has,” he remarked. “Our students are some of the most upright and bright people out there, and that’s what really kept me going. Seeing students reach their potential and begin helping others. That’s what it’s all about.”
Dr. Jamieson has made his mark on the ACU Online community by teaching courses and assisting in program developments. Now, earning the ACU Online Teacher of the Year Award in 2024, Dr. Jamieson feels even more excited to be in it for the long haul. Hoping to continue to teach classes, Dr. Jamieson sees the award as somewhat of an affirmation from God, a distinct callback to something he felt long ago. These days, he remains faithful. Working every day with great joy, Dr. Jamieson is eager to see how the program grows beyond his wildest dreams.
“I always knew I had a calling, a mission, a purpose,” Dr. Jamieson said. “For a while, I thought it was to be a pastor and then a therapist. But, the real answer is to be me, to live, to give and care, to share love. That’s what I’m called to do, and that’s what I’m going to keep doing.”
If you are interested in learning more about ACU Online’s growing Master of Marriage and Family Therapy program, watch this video about our program today! Our faculty members would be glad to have you in class and lead you down the path toward becoming the therapist you’ve always wanted to be.
