Cutting a New Path in Christian Higher Ed

Contact: Lynda Hayes, Director of Public Relations, Philadelphia Biblical University, 215-702-4307

LANGHORNE, Pennsylvania, March 25 /Christian Newswire/ -- On February 7, 2008, Todd J. Williams, Ph.D., was formally installed as Philadelphia Biblical University's (PBU) fifth president.  A cum laude graduate of PBU, Williams is the first alumnus to serve as president of the University.

One of the hallmarks of Williams' presidency will be his vision to define and establish PBU, founded in 1913, as a model for a "Biblical University"–where curriculum and philosophy not only distinguish the institution from Christian liberal arts or Bible colleges–but where the PBU experience is marked by academic rigor and cultural engagement through dialogue and service.

"We must have the fortitude and diligence to cut a new path through the landscape of contemporary higher education...to define and establish this model of a biblical university and thereby create a positive disruption in the academy," Williams said in his Inaugural Address. "We must engage more effectively the broader evangelical and academic communities...Like the apostle Paul on Mars Hill, we must enter the marketplace, and the marketplace of ideas, and speak.  If our goal is to elevate the profile of the University–and it is– then we must elevate our level of participation."

Prior to his appointment by PBU's Board of Trustees on October 11, 2007, Williams had served as the University's Sr. Vice President and Provost since 2005.  During that time, he enhanced and strengthened PBU's academic programs through the establishment of the Center for University Studies; appointment of noted Christian author and speaker Dr. Nancy Pearcey as Worldview Scholar; and a curriculum revision that broadened course offerings across a spectrum of disciplines.  Students and faculty alike responded enthusiastically to his leadership and challenge to bring Christian perspectives and biblical worldview to the cultural discourse.

Williams began his academic career at PBU in 1994 when he joined the faculty in the School of Arts and Sciences.  He rose through the ranks as Associate Dean of Undergraduate Education and then became Vice President and Academic Dean of Undergraduate Studies before leaving in 2001 to become Headmaster and CEO at Trinity Christian School in Fairfax, VA, a suburb of Washington, D.C.  He returned to PBU in June 2005 as Provost.  When he assumed the PBU Presidency on January 1, 2008, he replaced Dr. W. Sherrill Babb who had retired after 28 years.

President Williams holds a B.S. in Bible degree from PBU and his M.Ed. and Ph.D. degrees from Temple University in Philadelphia.