Asbury College President Announces Retirement
The president of Asbury College recently announced his intention to retire from the position effective June 30, 2006, after serving his alma mater since 2000.
The president of Asbury College announced on Friday his intention to retire from the position effective June 30, 2006, after serving his alma mater since 2000.
Dr. Paul A. Rader, who served as interim president for almost a year before taking the helm, was Asbury’s 15th president. His election by the institution’s board of trustees in March 2001 culminated a yearlong nationwide search process.
“It has been a priceless privilege for my wife and me to return to the institution that had such a formative influence on our lives, in order to invest in this generation of gifted students,” said Rader, in an announcement released by the Christian liberal arts institution located in Wilmore, Ky. “Asbury College has wonderfully enriched the lives of our own children, and now our grandchildren, as well. As a Christ-centered liberal arts college in the Wesleyan Holiness tradition, Asbury will continue to make a vital contribution to Christian higher education.”
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Under Rader’s leadership, Asbury continued to receive recognition in the U.S. News & World Report for its academic excellence and services rendered. Also, according to Asbury, the college has initiated graduate programs in teacher education; produced an award-winning admissions campaign; and, just this year, added an adult degree completion program. Asbury also won a $2 million Lilly Endowment grant for a five-year campus-wide program, “Transformations Project: Exploring vocation for ministry, service and life.” A major private gift, meanwhile, has funded the Asbury Initiative for Student Leadership Internships which is deploying students in cross-cultural service opportunities.
“During his presidency, Dr. Rader has been committed to advancing the college’s motto of academic excellence and spiritual vitality,” stated Dr. Bonnie Banker, vice chair of the faculty, in the Jan. 20 announcement by Asbury . “He has raised our awareness of global concerns and encouraged us to seek ways to further engage today’s culture. We value his love and passion for Asbury College and his desire for students to achieve a lifetime of learning, leadership and service.”
C.E. Crouse, chairman of the Board of Trustees, said Rader’s “world-wide experience has given the College an expanded profile in the global arenas of the Wesleyan-Holiness movement.”
“He has an unusual ability to articulate the essentials of the Wesleyan Holiness message, which is the heart of Asbury College,” said Crouse in the announcement. “His passion for that message and his conviction about Asbury College's role in providing a Christ-centered education that prepares young people to make a difference in the 21st century is clear to see. A man of integrity and great faith, Dr. Rader will be working with the Board to insure an orderly and grace-filled transition of presidential leadership.”
According to Asbury, the Board of Trustees will consider the presidential transition at its previously scheduled board meeting later this month.
