Dr. Stan Norman will be formally inaugurated as the seventh president of Williams Baptist University on Friday, Sept. 28. The inauguration ceremony will culminate a week of inaugural activities at WBU.
The ceremony will begin at 10:00 a.m. in WBU’s Manley Chapel. The inaugural address will be delivered by Dr. David Dockery, a longtime friend and mentor to Norman who is a prominent figure in Christian higher education. Dockery is the president of Trinity International University and former president of Union University.
The ceremony will also feature greetings from state, local and campus leaders, as well as performances by the WBU band and an inaugural choir. The choir is to be composed of current and former members of the Williams Singers, the university’s traveling choir.
“We want the inauguration of Dr. Norman to be a week of celebration for the entire university community. This is an opportunity to showcase WBU, giving guests the chance to see the beautiful Williams campus, as well as the people and programs that makes this such an extraordinary place,” said Dr. Brett Cooper, vice president for institutional advancement.
Inaugural week activities will begin on Tuesday evening, Sept. 25, with a reception for students in the rotunda of Swaim Administration Building. The event is intended to give students a chance to celebrate the week with the new president, and will run from 6:00 to 7:30 p.m.
Pastor Jamar Andrews of Word Baptist Church in Jonesboro will bring the inaugural week chapel address on Wednesday. The chapel service begins at 11:00 a.m.
An inaugural worship service will be held Thursday evening, Sept. 27, at 7:00 p.m., also in Manley Chapel. Dr. David Whitlock, president of Oklahoma Baptist University, will bring the message.
The public is encouraged to attend both the worship service and the inauguration ceremony.
Norman took office at WBU in April. He previously served for nine years at Oklahoma Baptist University as provost and executive vice president. He has worked in Baptist higher education since 1996 as both a professor and administrator.
Williams is a private, Christian university in Walnut Ridge.