The Board of Trustees at Williams Baptist University welcomed four new members to its ranks on Tuesday, December 9. The board, meeting in regular session on the Williams campus, also voted to grant tenure to a veteran professor and department chair.
New board members at WBU begin their service with the December meeting each year, and four trustees joined the board Tuesday. Don Blackmore (pictured left) of Jonesboro, Andy Miller (right) of Melbourne, Tommy Miller (not pictured) of Beebe, and Melvin York (center) of Des Arc were all welcomed to the board.
“Our new trustees all care deeply about Christian higher education, and they all have a strong connection to Williams,” said WBU President Dr. Stan Norman. “Three of these gentlemen are WBU alumni, and the other is the father of a Williams graduate. We appreciate their commitment to this institution and we look forward to their service on our Board of Trustees.”
In official action, the board approved granting tenure to Dr. Rodney Harris, as well as promoting him in rank to Associate Professor of History. Harris, who has served on the Williams faculty for seven years, is chair of the Department of History and Political Science. He was recommended for tenure by a faculty committee.
“Dr. Harris has distinguished himself as a scholar in both history and political science,” Norman said. “He is a published author, and he is regarded as a preeminent expert on the Arkansas Constitution, among other areas of historical expertise. He is an asset to Williams in the classroom, and a valued member of our campus family. We are very excited to have him among our tenured faculty.”
Tenure of full-time faculty at WBU provides for continuing appointment, assuring faculty members of an ongoing position at the institution under ordinary circumstances. Tenure is a privilege conferred by the Board of Trustees to a faculty member who is deemed to have earned this honor. Williams bestows tenure on faculty who, over a period of years, have demonstrated a commitment to the Christian mission of the university and have achieved a high level of academic and teaching excellence.
The board also discussed a $1.9 million Arkansas workforce grant that WBU will be receiving. The award was announced in November, and Dr. Norman said the university is currently finalizing plans on how best to make use of the grant funds.
And the board heard from Little Rock attorney Mike Rainwater on the responsibilities of trustees. Rainwater has for years provided such trustee training for institutions of the Arkansas Baptist State Convention, which includes WBU.
Williams is a private, Christian university in Walnut Ridge.
