SWBTS: New faculty, 7% tuition hike

FORT WORTH—A former NFL quarterback and a missionary strategist in Singapore were among new faculty elected during the April 10-11 meeting of trustees at Southwestern Baptist Theological Seminary. 

David Klingler, former quarterback with the Cincinnati Bengals and Oakland Raiders, was elected assistant professor of biblical studies at the Havard School of Theological Studies in Houston. In addition to teaching there from 2008-2010, he has taught Old Testament studies at Dallas Theological Seminary’s Houston campus since 2010. 

Former International Mission Board team strategy leader John Massey was elected associate professor of missions. In addition to serving in Southern Malaysia and Singapore, he was a lecturer and adjunct professor at Singapore Baptist Theological Seminary and Union University in Jackson, Tenn., and an Air Force Reserve chaplain. 

The board also approved John Yeo, a former professor at Reformed Theological Seminary, as assistant professor of Old Testament, and promoted Robert Bernard to professor of modern languages, Jason Lee to professor of historical theology, and Malcolm Yarnell to professor of systematic theology. Paul Hoskins and John Taylor were promoted to associate professors of New Testament.

Three faculty were approved to occupy endowed chairs, including Thomas Kiker to the James T. Draper Jr. Chair of Pastoral Ministry, Terry Wilder to the Wesley Harrison Chair of New Testament, and David Penley to the Hope for the Heart Chair of Biblical Counseling.

The board approved a $42,039.846 budget for next year—an increase of $7.14 million over the current year. The new budget includes start-up costs for the Dead Sea Scrolls & the Bible exhibition that opens July 2, and increases in healthcare and retirement costs. Seminary President Paige Patterson explained that the school would break even on the investment after 100,000 people tour the exhibit.

“We think that goal will probably be reached quite easily. Beyond that, however many more we have is how much we get to endow our archaeology program here,” he said, describing the continued cost of archaeological digs in Israel and the island of Cyprus. 

“The far more important purpose of it is to introduce as many people as we can to the nature of Holy Scripture,” Patterson said. One hundred thousand pieces of broken pottery that were to be discarded by the Smithsonian Institute will fill a demonstration dig site. “Every kid will find a first-century piece of pottery and be able to take that home with him.” 

Kevin Ensley, vice president of business administration, announced increases in tuition to offset anticipated declines in Cooperative Program giving, including a 7 percent increase from $187 to $200 per credit hour for most master’s degree students, while the cost of graduate level courses in church music will increase 15 percent and undergraduate tuition jumps 5.9 percent.

Current board officers were re-elected, including Hance Dilbeck of Oklahoma City as chairman, Jimmy Jackson of Huntsville, Ala., as vice-chairman and Harlan Lee of Phoenix as secretary. 

In his report to the board, Patterson honored Executive Vice President and Provost Craig Blaising, who completed 10 years of service. The seminary granted Blaising a year’s sabbatical, which he has devoted to completing a book on eschatology. 

Patterson also reported that 12 students are beginning work on the new non-resident Ph.D. in World Christianity in May, reaching the maximum number of participants in the first year. He praised enrollment growth at the College at Southwestern and the Houston campus of the seminary. An offer to purchase the Houston facility was acknowledged, however, no proposal will be made for relocating the campus until further study of options, he said.

Much of the growth in Houston was attributed to offering two undergraduate classes inside the Darrington maximum-security prison where 70 students are enrolled. With those classes open to over 1,900 inmates, four Muslim students converted to faith in Christ.

“We knew those lives would be transformed,” Patterson said. “Eventually what will happen through the years is that it is going to transform the whole life that takes place in that penitentiary.”

Patterson also predicted “a great church-planting movement by the grace of God” as Southwestern begins to develop a strategy to embrace the unengaged, unreached Tandroy people of Madagascar. Faculty and staff left April 12 for a vision trip and students are expected to take the first mission trip to the region in December.

Meeting briefly in executive session, trustees approved an initial $20,000 reserve account that will be applied to either deferred compensation for the president or the construction of a missionary home to be owned by the seminary, a project that will be evaluated by a committee appointed by the board chairman.

Having presided over the meeting in the absence of the chairman, Jackson told the TEXAN that Patterson had declined any increase to his salary. “We felt like his salary is lagging behind the other agencies of the Southern Baptist Convention and we needed to close that gap, but do it in a way that it did not penalize him tax-wise.”