Bethlehem College and Seminary announces Tim Tomlinson as its first president. Dr. Tomlinson leaves his position as Vice President for Global Education and Leadership Development at Northwestern College in St. Paul, MN, after being a faculty member and administrator there for the last 25 years.Dr. Tomlinson began working at Northwestern College in 1983 as a faculty member in the Communications Department. He later chaired the department for 10 years before moving to an administrative position as Dean of Graduate and Continuing Education. Dr. Tomlinson brought leadership to the graduate and non-traditional educational programs at Northwestern for seven years before becoming the Vice President for Global Education and Leadership Development in 2007.
During the last 10 years, Bethlehem Baptist Church has established a higher education ministry called The Bethlehem Institute. This ministry has provided non-accredited college-level Bible and theology classes to the local church, and seminary-level classes to young men seeking to enter full-time ministry. Now, The Bethlehem Institute is becoming Bethlehem College and Seminary, with the official launch scheduled for Fall 2009.
Dr. Tomlinson will guide this new institution as it launches a Master of Divinity degree, beginning Fall 2009, and a Bachelor of Arts in Biblical Studies degree, beginning Fall 2010. Dr. Tomlinson will also coordinate fundraising for the new institution and help begin the accreditation process.
John Piper, Pastor for Preaching and Vision at Bethlehem Baptist Church, is the chancellor of Bethlehem College and Seminary and will work with Dr. Tomlinson in this new venture, as well as teach preaching and practical theology courses in the seminary program.
2 comments:
For Northwestern's sake, I hope Bethlehem College and Seminary doesn't become a clearing house for all the good NWC professors who can't stand their hostile work environment.
But for Bethlehem's sake, I hope it does!
As I understand the plans for Bethlehem College & Seminary, the seminary MDiv program is scheduled to begin this autumn, September 2009. I have been told that the seminary plans to add faculty members incrementally, one or two per year, until the optimum number to fill course teaching roles is attained.
As for the college, I do not know when that is to begin. I do not know anything about the logistics concerning its beginning or growth and development.
I say this to suggest that I rather doubt that there will be anything resembling a migration of faculty members from NWC to BC&S. Also, given the severity of the economic downturn, I rather doubt that we will see a voluntary mass exodus of faculty members from NWC. As for an involuntary mass exodus, I do not know. Fiscal tightening has already been announced. All salaries for 2009-2010 are frozen. I suspect that similar things are taking place at other private colleges and universities.
I think people are willing to endure considerable difficulties, perceived or real, in their employment to retain employment in difficult economic periods. In such a time it is better to be employed and less than fully satisfied than to be unemployed, disappointed, on unemployment benefits, and moving rapidly toward becoming broke. Given this morning's economic forecast, prudence beckons one to retain whatever employment one has.
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