Williams Baptist University has granted tenure and a promotion in rank to two of its faculty members.  Dr. Charlotte Wheeless and Dr. Blake Perkins were promoted from assistant to associate professor, in addition to receiving tenure, following recent action by the WBU Board of Trustees.

Wheeless, who is from Powhatan, Ark., has taught on the university’s teacher education faculty since 2009.  In addition to her new rank, she was named the La Delle Moody Chair of Education. She earned her bachelor’s degree at WBU, and she holds a master’s and Ph.D. from Grand Canyon University.

Perkins is chair of the history department at Williams, and he has served on the WBU faculty since 2013.  He holds a bachelor’s from Lyon College, a master’s from Missouri State University, and a Ph.D. from West Virginia University.  He lives at Lynn, Ark.

“Dr. Wheeless and Dr. Perkins exemplify the academically excellent, Christ-centered education WBU provides, and they are highly valued members of our campus family.  They are both richly deserving of the status that has been conferred upon them. We look forward to the continued contributions they will make in our students’ lives for many years to come,” said Dr. Stan Norman, WBU’s president.

The status of tenure is a mark of academic freedom, assuring faculty members of an ongoing position at an institution under ordinary circumstances.  Colleges and universities bestow tenure on faculty who, over a period of years at the institution, have demonstrated a high level of academic achievement and teaching excellence.  

Williams is a private, Christian university in Walnut Ridge, Ark.