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FROM THE COLLEGES: U of Mobile to inaugurate pres.; LC establishes scholarships; OBU track wins again

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In today’s From the Colleges: University of Mobile inaugurates fourth president; Louisiana College scholarships honor Lewis, Schaeffer; OBU men & women repeat as track champs.

University of Mobile inaugurates Smith as 4th president

MOBILE, Ala. — The University of Mobile will inaugurate Timothy L. Smith as its fourth president March 24.

Among speakers at the inauguration will be U.S. Rep. Bradley Byrne, R-Ala.; Frank S. Page, president of the Southern Baptist Convention Executive Committee; and Bobby Dubois, associate executive director of the Alabama Baptist State Board of Missions. The ceremony will be held at Cottage Hill Baptist Church in Mobile.

Smith, who served previously as provost of Anderson (S.C) University, was named University of Mobile president in April 2016 and has led the university to adopt a mission of “higher education for a higher purpose.” A licensed nurse anesthetist, Smith also has led the university to open the Center for Excellence in Healthcare Practice, with simulation labs and augmented reality technology.

Prior to his service at Anderson, Smith was dean of Union University’s school of nursing. Before that, he served as director of the nurse anesthesia program at the University of Tennessee.

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Smith holds two doctor of philosophy degrees, one from the University of Tennessee in nursing and the other in leadership from Southern Baptist Theological Seminary, where he serves as an adjunct professor.

The University of Mobile is affiliated with the Alabama Baptist State Convention.

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LC scholarships honor Lewis, Schaeffer

PINEVILLE, La. — Louisiana College has announced scholarships named for Christian apologists C.S. Lewis and Francis Schaeffer and geared toward equipping students to engage culture in Jesus’ name.

“We look forward to helping students become salt and light in a culture that so desperately needs both as we partner with churches in engaging the culture and advancing the Kingdom of God,” LC President Rick Brewer said in a March 14 news release.

The C.S. Lewis Scholarship, among other benefits, will award selected freshmen $8,500 annually and allow them to participate in a cohort that will study the life and writings of Lewis, a 20th-century literary scholar who held academic posts at both Oxford and Cambridge Universities.

“These academic innovations are Louisiana College’s rewards to high school students who excelled academically and who aspire to continue the level of Christian impact upon the culture that C.S. Lewis had,” Brewer said. In both his “intellectual acumen” and “Christian influence,” Lewis reflects LC’s “goal of preparing graduates and transforming lives.”

The Francis A Schaeffer Christian Worldview Scholarship awards qualifying students $2,500 per year for four years. A key component of qualifying for the Schaeffer Scholarship is completion of the 12-lesson church-based study “Thinking Like a Christian: Understanding and Living a Biblical Worldview.”

Schaeffer scholars will participate in mission projects and lead youth discipleship events over their four years at LC.

Louisiana College is affiliated with the Louisiana Baptist Convention.

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OBU men & women repeat as indoor track champs

SHAWNEE, Okla. — The Oklahoma Baptist University men’s and women’s track teams each placed first for the second consecutive year at the National Christian College Athletic Association (NCCAA) Indoor Track and Field National Championships in Houghton, N.Y.

The OBU women dominated the field, more than doubling the point total of second-place Dallas Baptist University. The men edged runner-up Bethel College by a 154.5-142.5 margin.

The meet saw 18 Lady Bison earn a total of 27 All-America honors. The women’s team has won a national championship for eight consecutive years and holds 11 total national championships, with eight coming indoors.

“The championships are won in the fall when [the athletes] show tremendous work ethic,” said OBU track and field coach Ford Mastin. “You can tell if they’re going to win in the spring back in October if they do the little things at a high level.

“The girls did almost exactly what we thought they would heading into the meet,” Mastin said. “They just took care of business.”

The OBU men captured their sixth national championship, with 19 athletes earning All-America honors in 25 events.

“It was a really great team effort,” Mastin said of the men’s championship. “We had several things go right for us over the two days. We had a lot of really great performances from some of our guys that we needed to step up. It is great to win.”

OBU is affiliated with the Baptist General Convention of Oklahoma.