I am pleased to announce the appointment of the next Provost and Senior Vice President of the University. This position is that of the Chief Academic Officer of the University and, in accordance with the bylaws of the Board of Trustees, is second in command of the University.

This appointment comes after a nation-wide search conducted by the Provost Search Committee chaired by current Provost, Dr. Earl Leininger. And I would like to take this opportunity to thank Dr. Leininger and the members of the committee for their dedicated and very effective work.

I especially want to thank Dr. Leininger — and I know that my sentiments are shared by the entire University community — for coming out of retirement and serving as Provost for longer than he had originally bargained for and for serving in a wonderful way. While we welcome the new Provost, Dr. Leininger will be sorely missed and we trust that he knows that he will always be a member of the Gardner-Webb family.

The new Provost is the strong recommendation of the search committee. Feedback received by the committee, as well as my own impressions, indicate that he was extremely well received during his visit on campus. He is, of course, my choice as well.The new Provost is Dr. Ben Leslie. Dr. Leslie is currently Academic Vice President and Dean and Professor of Systematic Theology and Christian Ethics at North American Baptist Seminary in Sioux Falls, South Dakota. He holds the B.A. from Samford University, the M.Div. from Southern Baptist Theological Seminary, the Master of Theology degree from Baptist Theological Seminary, Ruschlikon, Switzerland, and the Doctor of Theology degree from the University of Zurich, Switzerland. For those less familiar with the University of Zurich, it may be noted that three graduates of the University have won the Nobel Prize, including Albert Einstein, and over the University’s history, twelve of its faculty have won the Nobel Prize.

Dr. Leslie’s academic credentials, scholarship, and administrative experience are superb, and he has pastoral experience as well. He has the personality, experience, and skills necessary to provide outstanding leadership to the academic program. You may expect to find not only a highly competent manager, but also an energetic and progressive academic leader and innovator. Above all you will find a great colleague who will fit exceptionally well in the Gardner-Webb family.

Dr. Leslie and his wife have two children, one of whom is a student at Samford University, and the other is still in school in Sioux Falls.

While the exact date is yet to be determined, Dr. Leslie will be joining us in the early summer.

Dr. A Frank Bonner
President
Gardner-Webb University