Faculty Spotlight: Musick provides spiritual guidance to UPIKE students
0By Matthew Logan
With finals rapidly approaching, students are beginning to feel the full force of end-of-the-semester stress. It is during these times students need to talk to someone to give them reassurance and some direction at the same time. For many, turning to chaplain Rob Musick is the answer.
Musick was born in New Philadelphia City, Ohio, and lived in the state most of his early life.
“You would assume I had a religious background growing up, but I didn’t. I was the only one in the family to go to any kind of church activity,” Musick said.
At 16, Musick embarked to a church camp over the summer at the invitation of a friend of his.
“I hated every second of that camp until I had this profound moment of overwhelming love, and I said to myself that it had to be the love of Jesus. I knew this was going to be my journey and that was when I knew I wanted to explore my faith and work within it,” he explained.
Musick began his journey pleasantly enough. In 1999, he took an internship in Ash Camp, Ky., for misunderstood youth when he was in college.
“I never thought of Kentucky ever again,” Musick joked.
Musick graduated with a bachelor’s degree in pastoral ministries, and soon after that, got married. He then took up the work of helping pastors in India in late 2007.
“My wife was pregnant at the time, and she actually gave birth to my oldest daughter in India. We had to go through a bunch of exchanges to get her U.S. citizenship,” he explained.
When Musick returned to Ohio in 2008, he was jobless and homeless, relying on his friends for a place to raise his family.
After four months, Musick started training in pastoral education and practicing as a healthcare chaplain. He worked with Hospice Care from 2010 until 2012.
“Now, this was right after the previous chaplain of the University of Pikeville had stepped down. A missionary friend of mine in Nicaragua had been job searching online and found out that the university needed a new chaplain and forwarded me the link via email,” Musick said. “I had no interest, but my wife and I talked, and I applied anyway. I didn’t expect to actually get hired, but now that I’m here, it was one of the best decisions I’ve ever made.”
He began working for the University of Pikeville in 2012.
When he’s not in the house of the Lord, he enjoys playing with his children and reading books.
“When you are a dad of three kids, you don’t have many hobbies. If I’m bored, I go harass my friends over in Phelps,” Musick joked.
Musick’s office is just outside the chapel in the Record Memorial Building. His words of wisdom are always available to the student body.
“This is a fantastic job. I had no idea working with college students would be the biggest joy in my life,” he said.