The Board of Trustees at Williams Baptist University elected officers for the coming year, voted to hire a prominent student recruitment firm and welcomed a strong audit report on Friday, September 14.  The board met in regular session on the WBU campus in Walnut Ridge.

Trustee Dave Russell of Jonesboro, Ark., will serve as board chair this year.  He was elected to replace J.R. Cox of Walnut Ridge, whose term on the board expires this fall.  Also elected to officer positions were Sarah Shell Teague of El Dorado, Ark., as vice president and James Miller of Melbourne, Ark., as secretary.

The board took action toward building enrollment at WBU. Trustees voted to enter into a four-year contract with Ruffalo Noel Levitz, a prominent national firm that specializes in student recruitment and financial aid.  The firm will work closely with Williams personnel to implement marketing and recruitment strategies, as well as financial aid packaging, best suited for WBU’s target market.

“We are getting the people and strategies in place for WBU to make strides in the Christian higher education marketplace.  Students all across Arkansas and well beyond our state would find Williams to be a great fit and a transformative experience, so we are taking the steps necessary to bring them here,” said WBU President Dr. Stan Norman.

The board also accepted the audit report for the 2017-18 budget year.  The audit showed WBU finished the year with a balanced budget and no issues to report in its accounting.  The report was presented by Lisa Stephens, a certified public accountant in Conway, Ark., who conducted the audit.

“We appreciate our board members for the time they invest and the insight they bring to these meetings.  They demonstrate a clear dedication toward WBU, which is a great encouragement as we continue to move Williams forward together,” Norman said.

Williams is a private, Christian university in Walnut Ridge.  Its trustees are appointed by the Arkansas Baptist State Convention.