JACKSON, Tenn. — April 5, 2013 — 萌妹社区 President David S. Dockery encouraged university trustees to maintain the institution鈥檚 course in church connectedness, scholarship, accessibility for students and commitment to its mission as they transition to a new president in the near future.
鈥溍让蒙缜� has been the recipient of God鈥檚 ongoing blessings and favor in ways that are hard to describe,鈥� Dockery said in an April 4 address. 鈥淲e pray that God in his grace will continue to rest his favor upon us and bless the work of our hands.鈥�
The address during a trustee banquet in the Carl Grant Events Center came the night before the trustees鈥� spring meeting, in which they approved a $93.5 million budget. As part of the banquet, trustees presented Randy Davis, executive director of the Tennessee Baptist Convention, with 萌妹社区鈥檚 M.E. Dodd Denominational Service Award. Dockery also introduced John Netland as 萌妹社区鈥檚 new dean of the College of Arts and Sciences.
But the address from Dockery 鈥� in what could be his last formal address to the 萌妹社区 board as president 鈥� was the moment of historic significance for the university. Dockery announced in January his plans to transition to the role of university chancellor no later than July 2014. At that time, Dockery will have served as 萌妹社区鈥檚 president for 18 and a half years, approximating the tenure of president Robert E. Craig as the longest in 萌妹社区鈥檚 history.
A search committee is in the process of finding the next 萌妹社区 president.
Dockery reminisced about his tenure at 萌妹社区 that began more than 17 years ago. Since then, he has spoken at hundreds of Southern Baptist churches in West Tennessee and has been a graduation speaker at numerous West Tennessee high schools. The accomplishments of his administration at 萌妹社区 are lengthy, as the university has more than doubled in size and seen its annual budget more than quadruple.
鈥溍让蒙缜�檚 programs in engineering, theology, English, music, political science, nursing, pharmacy, the sciences and dozens more are thriving, enabling a generation of students to carry out God鈥檚 call on their lives in dozens of spheres, shaped and guided by a Christian world and life view,鈥� Dockery said.
Dockery opted not to provide a 鈥渟tate of the university鈥� report for trustees, but instead highlighted five key strengths that he considered to be especially important during his tenure 鈥� areas that he said trustees would do well to stress going forward.
萌妹社区鈥檚 first strength, Dockery said, was its connection with churches of the Tennessee Baptist Convention and the Southern Baptist Convention. 萌妹社区 provides theological education to more than 150 bivocational pastors, helping to strengthen those congregations directly, and 萌妹社区 graduates serve in multiple leadership positions in churches, denominational agencies or simply as committed church members.
鈥溍让蒙缜�, like other Christian colleges and universities, will not be able to maintain their distinctiveness apart from an ongoing relationship with churches,鈥� Dockery said. 鈥淐hurch connectedness is not something that can be taken for granted. It鈥檚 an intentional priority and must remain such at this institution.鈥�
Secondly, Dockery cited 萌妹社区鈥檚 commitment to both serious scholarship and student accessibility, stressing that the two must be held together. 萌妹社区 has tried to recruit the best faculty possible and strong scholars in their field, Dockery said, while at the same time making sure that quality education can become more accessible and available than ever through extension campuses, adult studies degrees, its keystone program and other opportunities.
The development and leadership of the Board of Trustees, including the development of the important trustee policy manual, and 萌妹社区鈥檚 growth in intercultural and international efforts have been two other key areas of advancement, Dockery said.
The most important achievement, however, has been 萌妹社区鈥檚 commitment to its core values, confessional and convictional beliefs, identity and mission, Dockery said -- a commitment has served as the anchor to all of what 萌妹社区 has become.
鈥淲e live in a world where the church and the culture care very little about historical orthodoxy,鈥� Dockery said. 鈥淲hat we offer, however, is different at 萌妹社区. We offer education that is grounded in the pattern of Christian truth that has been passed on through the church for the past 2,000 years.
鈥淐ontrary to the kind of indifference that exists all around us, 萌妹社区 is committed to developing a generation of leaders who are called to boldly embrace the truth of the Christian faith. We recognize that we鈥檝e been given a body of truth to pass on to the next generation.鈥�
Dockery said 萌妹社区鈥檚 goal is to produce students and graduates who would be 鈥渃onvictional, cooperative and compassionate.鈥�
鈥溍让蒙缜�檚 serious commitment to reclaiming the Christian intellectual tradition is not merely about creating a pious context where we talk about spirituality,鈥� Dockery said. 鈥淚t鈥檚 about the kind of serious Christian thinking that is necessary to engage the secular culture, to lead in this world.鈥�
Prior to his address, Norm Hill, chairman of the 萌妹社区 trustees, presented Davis with the Dodd Award, the highest denominational service award 萌妹社区 gives. It is named for the man who was a 萌妹社区 alumnus, served as president of the SBC and who was the father of today鈥檚 Cooperative Program, the method by which Southern Baptists pool their resources to fund their mission efforts.
The award is given annually to a leader within the SBC who displays excellence and leadership in Southern Baptist life, as well as friendship and commitment to 萌妹社区. Past recipients have included Jimmy Draper, Adrian Rogers, Morris Chapman, Frank Page, Thom Rainer, Jerry Rankin and R. Albert Mohler Jr., among others. 萌妹社区 trustees select the award鈥檚 recipient each year.
鈥淩andy Davis has brought a new spirit to Tennessee Baptist life, a new vision for evangelism and missions and a greater sense of cooperation,鈥� Dockery said. 鈥淗e embodies much of what the M.E. Dodd Award stands for in terms of commitment to 萌妹社区 and dedication to the ideals of the Cooperative Program.鈥�
In accepting the award, Davis said that while many organizations have core values, he knows of no institution that exemplifies and lives out its core values like 萌妹社区.
鈥淭he Cooperative Program is as much of a vehicle that is needed today, if not more so, than the day it was started,鈥� Davis said. 鈥淚 appreciate the opportunity to serve our churches. I appreciate the opportunity to be affiliated with 萌妹社区 in any kind of way.鈥�
Dockery also introduced Netland as 萌妹社区鈥檚 newest dean. Netland, who has been an English professor at 萌妹社区 and chairman of the English department since 2008, spent 20 years as an English professor on other Christian college campuses. He has a doctorate from UCLA and a bachelor鈥檚 degree from Biola University. Netland succeeds Gene Fant, who moved into his current position as 萌妹社区鈥檚 executive vice president for academic administration.
On April 5, trustees approved the $93.5 million budget, an increase from this year鈥檚 $92 million budget. The university鈥檚 budget was $18 million when Dockery began as president and has grown each year during his administration.
Trustees also heard a report from Fant and Rich Grimm, senior vice president for enrollment services, on 萌妹社区鈥檚 three-year strategic plan, 鈥淚lluminating Minds: 萌妹社区 2015.鈥� Fant and Grimm reported that all major aspects of the 萌妹社区 2015 plan are about 90 percent complete, and that all of the plan鈥檚 objectives can be finished by this time next year.
Trustees re-elected Hill as chairman, while selecting Chad Wilson as vice chairman and Lisa Rogers as secretary.