Cedarville Magazine
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3
Campus News
With unanimous support from the
Board of Trustees, Dr. Thomas White
was introduced as Cedarville University’s
10th President on Wednesday, June 5. He
succeeds Dr. William Brown, who will
serve as Chancellor along with the previous
President, Dr. Paul Dixon.
“Like my predecessors, I believe in
what Cedarville stands for and appreciate
the quality of graduates who are making a
difference in their professions,” saidWhite.
“Clearly, Cedarville University has a rich
history, and I believe it has an even brighter
future.”
White articulatedone of his foundational
educational values as “scholarship on
fire.” For the new President, this means
continuing the University’s emphasis on
rigorous, nationally acclaimed academic
programs, conservative theology based on
the inerrant Word of God, and passion for
the Gospel of Jesus Christ. This will be a
hallmark of his tenure as President.
“We will continue to offer a challenging
academic curriculum that educates students
to confront other worldviews and not one
that merely indoctrinates students,” said
White. “The combination of academic
excellence with an emphasis on the Great
Commission will result in men and women
who are educated with knowledge for a
brighter future, virtues for a godly life, and
a desire to impact eternity.”
Since November 2012, a committee of
trustees and campus leaders worked with
the executive search firm RPA, Inc., to
search and vet the best candidates for the
position.
“Dr. White brings tremendous energy,
wisdom, and experience that will expand
the University’s vision and lead us to
fulfill our mission for years to come,” said Lorne
Scharnberg, Chair of the Board of Trustees. “I am
very pleased with the selection of Dr. White as our
President.”
Since 2006, White has served as Vice President
for Student Services and Communications as well
as Associate Professor of Systematic Theology
at Southwestern Baptist Theological Seminary
(SWBTS) in FortWorth, Texas. As an administrator,
he introduced new communication strategies
that strengthened the brand and visibility of the
institution. In his faculty appointment, White
taught master’s and doctoral classes, developed
online graduate courses, and revamped the
seminary’s evangelism program.
His first position at SWBTS in 2004 was
Director of Leadership Development where
he directed the seminary’s $20 million Riley
Center for Leadership Development. Under
White’s leadership, the Riley Center doubled
its events, and financial revenue significantly
increased for the seminary.
Before joining SWBTS, he was the Director
of Student Life at Southeastern Baptist Theological
Seminary in Wake Forest, North Carolina.
White has co-authored
FranchisingMcChurch: Feeding
Our Obsession With Easy Christianity
,
Restoring Integrity in
Baptist Churches
, and
Upon This Rock,
and he served as
editor of
First Freedom: The Baptist Perspective on Religious
Liberty
. He is also the editor of a three-volume work titled
Selected Writings of James Madison Pendleton
.
He earned a doctoral degree in systematic theology
and a Master of Divinity degree in pastoral track with
languages fromSoutheastern BaptistTheological Seminary.
He earned his Bachelor of Arts degree in English from
Anderson University in South Carolina.
White and his wife, Joy, have been married since 1999.
They have two young children, Rachel and Samuel.
