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Jerry D. Gibbens Atrium Dedicated at Williams

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The Jerry D. Gibbens Atrium was officially dedicated Saturday as a part of the Homecoming Celebration at Williams Baptist College.  The atrium, located in the Maddox Center, is named in honor of Professor Jerry Gibbens, who has completed more than 50 years of service to Williams.

The Maddox Center and Gibbens Atrium underwent major renovations over the summer.

Dr. Kenneth Startup, a longtime Gibbens colleague and incoming interim president at Williams, spoke at the dedication, saying, “Jerry Gibbens is a master teacher across generations, mentor to younger faculty, relentless learner, formidable academician, serious Christian, and his legacy is now appropriately recognized in this gathering place for students, in this wonderful place for learning.”

Gibbens was joined by his wife, Barbara, and family members during the dedication ceremony.

Gibbens Family

Gibbens Family attends dedication of Gibbens Atrium

JBU to Offer Master of Science in Cybersecurity

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John Brown University will launch an online master’s degree program in cybersecurity in spring 2018 in affiliation with the university’s Graduate School and Department of Engineering.

“This master’s degree in cybersecurity is an important new program for JBU,” Richard Ellis, dean of the Graduate School, said. “The curriculum will equip students to meet the growing demand for cybersecurity experts in Northwest Arkansas and beyond.”

The program was designed with input from network security professionals in major corporations located in Northwest Arkansas. The professionals reported a shortage of qualified cybersecurity experts in the region and the need to equip IT personnel with the advanced skills required to protect critical systems and networks.

“The Cybersecurity program will provide a balance of technical skills and policy, which is necessary to best comply with continually-changing regulations,” said Steve Helms, director of cybersecurity programs. “Students will gain a comprehensive knowledge of tools and techniques as well as an understanding of legal issues and risks to best equip them as cybersecurity professionals.”

As a graduate degree, the M.S. in Cybersecurity will admit students who have foundational knowledge of computer systems and networks, then deepen their understanding of digital threats, laws, compliance and methods to secure the assets that guard private information. The program was recently approved by the university’s regional accrediting agency, the Higher Learning Commission.

The new program will expand JBU’s Graduate School offerings, which include master’s degrees in business, counseling, teacher education, higher education and design.

Additional information about graduate programs at John Brown University may be found at www.jbu.edu/grad.

Jones Leaving Williams for California Position

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Dr. Tom Jones, president of Williams Baptist University since 2012, has announced that he will leave Williams later this year for a position in California.  Jones has accepted a post on the executive management staff of the California Baptist Foundation.

“It has been my humble honor and privilege to have served as president and I am gratefully indebted for the wonderful opportunity the Board of Trustees has given me these past 5 ½ years,” Jones said.  “During that time, I have been blessed to serve with incredible board members, faculty, staff and denominational leaders who have unfailingly expressed their support for the university.”

Jones is the sixth president in the 76-year history of Williams.  The school has enjoyed a number of major advancements during his tenure, including a name change last month to Williams Baptist University and a seven percent jump in enrollment this fall.  The university has expanded its academic and athletic programs significantly and received several major gifts, including a $3 million estate in 2016.

During Jones’s presidency, Williams has completed construction of the Belle Hall residence facility and renovations that resulted in the Billie Harty Dining Room, Eagles Athletic Annex, Joy Ring Student Success Center and Jerry D. Gibbens Atrium.  It added 42 acres to its campus footprint, as well, giving the Walnut Ridge institution a campus of nearly 250 acres.

“Though Gail and I are looking forward to this new challenge and what it means for our family, we are confident in the future of WBU and the people who accomplish so much through their extraordinary commitment to our Lord,” Jones said.

Board Chair J.R. Cox of Walnut Ridge noted, “We are excited for Tom and Gail as they pursue this new opportunity, but we are also sad to see a very effective president and these wonderful friends move away.  The good news is that Dr. Jones is leaving Williams in great shape, which will be a tremendous asset as we move ahead with our search for the next president.”

Cox announced that Dr. Kenneth Startup, history professor and former academic dean at Williams, will serve as interim president.  A presidential search committee will be named in coming days, and the university will publicize details of the search at that time.

Jones’s resignation will be effective December 1.  A reception in honor of Dr. and Mrs. Jones has been scheduled for Thursday, November 16, in the rotunda of Swaim Administration Building.  The drop-in reception will run from 2:30 to 4:30 p.m.

Jones will be serving with the California Baptist Foundation, which raises and manages financial resources for California Southern Baptists.  The foundation currently manages over $100 Million for Baptists and their ministries.

Williams is a Christian university in Walnut Ridge.  It is owned and operated by the Arkansas Baptist State Convention.

JBU Board of Trustees Approves New Facility for Art and Engineering Students

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The John Brown University Board of Trustees approved construction of the Peer-Andrus Studio and Project Barn to provide studio and project space for art and engineering students. The new building is named after Charles Peer, professor of visual arts, and Dave Andrus, professor of visual arts and department head, who together founded JBU’s Visual Arts program in 1990. In the last 27 years, Visual Arts has grown to be the largest JBU program with 8 full-time faculty and 219 students.

JBU received a $2 million grant from the Windgate Foundation to fund the art studio portion of the new facility. The board approved a $3.25 million total project cost to incorporate engineering project space and a maintenance endowment. The building is the newest initiative of JBU’s $125 million Campaign for the Next Century.

“We have fantastic facilities now, but the missing piece has been studio space,” Andrus said. “We use every square foot for classrooms and labs, and there is no room left for making art. This new studio barn will provide much-needed room for students and faculty to work in almost any media from photography and cinema, to drawing and painting, woodworking and 3D work.”

Construction of the 16,800 sq. ft. facility is expected to begin in winter 2017 and be completed by summer 2018. The pre-engineered metal building will be divided into two sections with separate workspaces for engineering and art students. The facility will include a space for commercial photography and video shoots, a wood shop and three large project areas for art students; one large project area with 17 flexible workstations for engineering students; and a shared common entrance with offices and restrooms.

“Art and engineering are two of our largest programs at JBU. This project will enable us to match the growth of these programs, expand our students’ hands-on education opportunities and enable our faculty to engage in more project-based teaching,” said Dr. Chip Pollard, JBU president. “We are deeply grateful to the Windgate Foundation for its gift to support the art studios in the building, and we look forward to receiving gifts to fund the engineering project space. I am also so pleased that we can honor Charles Peer and Dave Andrus in this project, for they have devoted their careers to JBU students and have grown JBU’s visual art department into a nationally-recognized program.”

The studio will be located on JBU’s main campus on the north side of Broadhurst Road across from JBU’s Health Education Building.

The project is part of JBU’s $125 million Campaign for the Next Century, which is scheduled for completion in 2019 during the university’s centennial. The campaign has five priorities: endowment and annual scholarships ($35 million), estate gifts for scholarships and program endowment ($25 million), endowment for academic excellence ($10 million), new and renovated facilities ($30 million), and program support ($25 million). With this gift, JBU has received over $115 million in gifts and pledges toward its $125 million goal.

For more information on the project, visit jbu.edu/nextcentury.

John Brown University is a leading private Christian university, training students to honor God and serve others since 1919. Arkansas’ top ranked regional university (U.S. News Best Colleges, 2018), JBU enrolls more than 2,500 students from 41 states and 50 countries in its traditional undergraduate, graduate, online and concurrent education programs. JBU offers more than 40 majors, with top programs including business administration, graphic design, engineering, construction management, counseling, teacher education and nursing.

Historian to Speak at WBC

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Historian and author Dr. Calvin White, Jr., will present “Reconstruction, Reformation, and the Roots of the Church of God in Christ” at WBC on Thursday, October 26 at 7p.m.  The lecture will take place in the Eagle Coffeehouse & Grill of WBC’s Mabee Student Center.

White is chair of the Department of History at the University of Arkansas.  He is a native Arkansan, raised in Stuttgart, and attended the University of Central Arkansas where he received both his bachelor’s and master’s degrees in history.  He completed his Ph. D. at the University of Mississippi in 2007.

He is a published author, with his most recent book “The Rise to Responsibility: Race, Religion and the Church of God in Christ,” which was released in 2012.  The book was one of the 2014 winners of the “Choice” Outstanding Academic Title awards.

White is also the recipient of several national fellowships and awards, including Fulbright Master Teacher and Fulbright Master Advisor awards.

White’s lecture is presented as part of the WBC Lecture-Concert Series.

Williams is a Christian, liberal arts college in Walnut Ridge, Ark.  It will formally become Williams Baptist University in July of 2018.

Williams Homecoming is Nov. 4

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Williams Baptist College is set to host its annual Homecoming on Saturday, November 4, when alumni and other friends of the college come to campus for a day of reunions and activities.

The day’s activities will kick off at 10 a.m., with a 20th Anniversary Reunion of The Cast in the Swaim Administration Building atrium.  At 11 a.m. there will be both alumni baseball and softball games, and picnics, at their respective fields.

100 Years of Williams Basketball will be celebrated with a meet and greet at 11 a.m. and special luncheon at 11:30 a.m.  The event will celebrate 60 years of Eagles and 40 years of Lady Eagles basketball teams.  Former coaches Jerry Ann Winters and John Sheehy will offer remarks about the Williams basketball programs, and there will be a jersey retirement ceremony for Brian Tanner (’02) and Jeremy Bell (’16).

Performances by The Williams Singers, The Cast and The Reunion Cast will begin at 1 p.m. in Manley Chapel.  The Williams chapter of PBL business society, the Golden Eagles and Distinguished Alumnus Clifford Toney will all be recognized during this time, as well.

The newly renovated Jerry D. Gibbens Atrium, located in the Maddox Center, will have a dedication ceremony at 2 p.m.

The Eagle’s basketball squad will take the court at 3 p.m. in the Southerland-Mabee Center when they face Hendrix College.  The Homecoming court and coronation will be presented at halftime of the game, as well as recognition of 100 Years of Williams Basketball.

The day will conclude with the Theatre Department’s production of “This Random World,” which is set for a 7 p.m. curtain call in the Old Chapel.  Tickets are $3 for students and senior citizens and $5 for general admission.  The play will run both Friday night, Nov. 3, and Saturday, Nov. 4.

WBC’s Spirit Store, Felix Goodson Library, and the Maddox Center art gallery will also be open throughout the day.

For a complete list of Homecoming details, visit www.williamsbaptistcollege.com/homecoming.

Williams is a Christian, liberal arts college in Walnut Ridge, Ark.  It will formally become Williams Baptist University in July of 2018.

WBC Theatre Program to Stage “This Random World”

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Williams Baptist College’s Theatre Program is set open its new production season with a fitting new play.  Steven Dietz’s This Random World, which premiered at the Humana Festival in Louisville, Ky., in the spring of 2016, will run Friday, Nov. 3 – Saturday, Nov. 4.

“It’s both exciting and a little nerve-racking working on a play that is only a few years old,” said Melinda Williams, director of production.  “In one aspect, you are breaking new ground.  In another, you don’t have many past productions to reference.”

Through a series of nearly missed connections, This Random World follows a group of intersecting lives: a mother determined to maintain her independence, a daughter longing for adventure, two sisters seeking common ground, and a son involved in an Internet prank gone terribly wrong.  The play, subtitled “the myth of serendipity,” explores the lives that may be happening just out of reach.

“Some of the scenes are very frustrating because the characters’ lives are intertwined, but they keep missing the connections, sometimes by seconds,” Williams said.

The cast includes Kristin Britt of Cleburne, Texas, Brittany Jo Wilson of Doniphan, Mo., Luke Windham of Kansas City, Mo., MaKenzie Free of Beebe, Ark., Emily Morgan of Harrison, Ark., Arthur (A.J.) Rogers of Camden, Ark., Alison Turbyeville of Black Rock, Ark., and Ridge Briney of Corning, Ark.

“Five of the eight performers in the play are making their first appearance on the WBU stage,” Williams noted.

“The show runs a whole range of emotions, humor, sadness, and in some cases, heartbreaking,” Williams said.  “We are discovering something new about the characters and their lives each day of rehearsal.”

The production is part of WBC’s Homecoming weekend, and will have a curtain call of 7 p.m. each evening.  Tickets are $3 for students and senior citizens and $5 for general admission.  The play will take place in the Old Chapel on the WBC campus.

Williams is a Christian liberal arts college in Walnut Ridge. It will become Williams Baptist University in July.

WBC Harvest Fest is Oct. 25

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Harvest Fest will take place Wednesday, Oct. 25th, at Williams Baptist College.  The annual event is a popular festival for local children and church groups, with Williams students operating the games and activities.  There will also be a costume contest for different age categories.

Harvest Fest will be in WBC’s Southerland-Mabee Center from 6:00 to 9:00 p.m.  Admission is free, and tickets for games and activities can be purchased at the door with money or with a donation of canned goods.

Participants will receive four tickets per canned food item, or they can purchase four tickets for $1.  Children are asked to have their cans counted before they arrive to speed up the entry process.

Canned goods will go to the food pantry at Walnut Ridge First Baptist Church, while cash proceeds will go toward WBC student missions.

Williams is a Christian liberal arts college in Walnut Ridge. It will become Williams Baptist University in July.

Ouachita to host Rex Nelson in “News and Fake News” lecture Oct. 24

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The School of Humanities at Ouachita Baptist University will host Rex Nelson, senior editor of the Arkansas Democrat-Gazette, in a lecture Tuesday, Oct. 24, at 7:30 p.m. in Hickingbotham Hall’s Young Auditorium. His lecture, “News and Fake News,” is part of Ouachita’s Birkett Williams Endowed Lecture Series.

“Amid all the confusion about journalism today, we are pleased to have a senior editor of the state’s leading newspaper talk about the future of journalism,” said Dr. Jeff Root, dean of Ouachita’s School of Humanities. “Rex Nelson has been at the forefront of news coverage in Arkansas for decades. We are proud he is a Ouachita graduate and excited he is coming back to campus to speak on this topic.”

Nelson also is a columnist for the Democrat-Gazette and writes a blog titled “Southern Fried,” focusing on southern culture and cuisine. He previously served as director of corporate communications for Simmons Bank, president of Arkansas’ Independent Colleges and Universities, senior vice president of government relations and public outreach for The Communications Group, Inc. and was a presidential appointee to the Delta Regional Authority, working on economic development projects in an eight-state region.

Nelson is a native of Arkadelphia and a 1981 graduate of Ouachita Baptist University. He also is in his 35th season as the radio voice of Ouachita football. The Rex Nelson Radio Booth in Cliff Harris Stadium’s Dunklin Family Press Box was named in his honor in 2015.

Ouachita’s Birkett Williams lecture series was established in 1977 through a gift from the late Birkett L. Williams, a 1910 Ouachita graduate. His generous endowment established the lectures as an opportunity to extend the concepts of a liberal arts education beyond the classroom by bringing renowned scholars and public figures to Ouachita’s campus.

The lecture is free and open to the public. For more information, contact Dr. Jeff Root, dean of the School of Humanities, at 870-245-4186 or rootj@obu.edu.