The Board of Trustees at Williams Baptist University approved the school’s budget for the 2021-22 fiscal year Friday, April 9. The board, meeting in regular session on the WBU campus, also gave its approval to the 2021 graduating class, voted to add new members to the university’s Foundations for the Future board, and passed a resolution of appreciation for Williams faculty & staff.
Williams will operate on a $17.6 million budget for the upcoming fiscal year, after the board voted to approve the financial plan. The budget marks an increase from the $16.2 million layout in the current fiscal year. WBU’s fiscal year begins in July.
“We have worked diligently in preparing this budget to be good stewards of what God has provided WBU,” said Dr. Stan Norman, president of WBU. “Williams is blessed with the resources it has, and we believe this budget focuses those resources on strategically fulfilling our calling, which is to provide a transformative higher education experience for our students.”
A slate of more than 90 graduates was approved by the board, pending the students’ completion of graduation requirements. WBU commencement exercises are set for May 1, with a limited crowd size to allow for social distancing.
“We are always proud of our graduates, but this year’s seniors have worked especially hard to deal with the challenges of the pandemic,” Norman said. “It will be an honor to hand them diplomas that they certainly have earned, and we can’t wait to see what God does in their lives as they launch out on this exciting new chapter.”
Trustees passed a resolution expressing their gratitude to the WBU faculty & staff, which read, “The Board of Trustees wishes to express its deep appreciation to the faculty and staff for their outstanding dedication and hard work in difficult times. We also wish to recognize their unwavering commitment to the mission of WBU, investing their lives in our students and shaping their future.”
The board also voted to add two more members to WBU’s Foundations for the Future board. Harold Clark of Jonesboro and Adam Staples of Walnut Ridge will join the group, which supports and gives guidance to the University.
The meeting was socially distanced for those in attendance, and other members joined the session virtually. The WBU Board of Trustees is composed of 24 members who are appointed by the Arkansas Baptist State Convention.
WBU is a private, Christian university in Walnut Ridge, Ark.
