View/Download High-Resolution Photos of Dr. Corey at: www.biola.edu
Contact: Rae Lynn Rucker, Biola University, 562-777-4061
LA MIRADA, Calif., May 11 /Christian Newswire/ -- The Biola University Board of Trustees announced on Friday the appointment of its eighth president, Dr. Barry H. Corey, effective July 1, 2007. His tenure will officially launch the celebration of Biola's centennial year.
"We are thrilled that Dr. Barry Corey has been affirmed by the Board of Trustees as Biola's eighth president," said John Siefker, Chair of Biola's Board of Trustees. "His academic and fund raising experience, collaborative leadership style and deep love for the Bible is just what Biola needs at this time in our history."
Dr. Corey, 45, will succeed Dr. Clyde Cook, who is one of the longest-standing college presidents in the nation, serving as Biola's president since 1982.
Dr. Corey is a native of Massachusetts and currently serves as Vice President/Chief Academic Officer and Academic Dean of Gordon-Conwell Theological Seminary in Hamilton, Massachusetts. He has held this position since 2002, overseeing academic operations including faculty relations, curriculum development and degree/non-degree programs. Before that, he served as Vice President for Development at Gordon-Conwell since 1992, leading all fundraising and external relations programs. During this time, he led and completed a $54 million capital campaign.
Dr. Corey received his B.A. in English and Biblical Studies from Evangel University in Springfield, Missouri in 1984. In 1988, he received his M.A. in American Studies with a concentration in literature and religious history from Boston College's Graduate School of Arts and Sciences. He received his Ph.D. from Boston College in Curriculum, Instruction and Administration in 1992.
In addition to his educational experiences, Dr. Corey was a Fulbright Scholar with Bangladesh Rural Advancement Committee and lived in Bangladesh among the rural poor from 1990-1991. He serves on a number of non-profit boards including the Board of Trustees of Convoy of Hope, an international relief and development organization, and the Board of Trustees of The Boston Theological Consortium (a nine-member consortium of theological schools in the Boston area including Harvard University, Boston College and Boston University).
Dr. Corey also pastored the Greek Evangelical Church of Boston, an evangelical, ethnically niched, non-denominational church in Newton, Massachusetts, from 1993-2000. He also has completed two Boston Marathons, one in 2004 and one in 2006.
"Over the last week, as Dr. Corey interacted with Biola's faculty, staff and students on campus, he demonstrated the qualities that attracted our Search Team to him in the first place -- a deep love for Jesus and Scripture, 100 percent affirmation of Biola's Doctrinal Statement and genuine authenticity," said Stan Jantz, Chair of the Presidential Search Team.
Dr. Corey has been married to his wife, Paula, for 15 years, and they have three children: Anders, 14; Ella, 11; and Samuel, 8.
Dr. Corey released the following statement upon accepting the presidency:
"Over the past few months Paula and I have listened carefully to God's voice as we've considered a calling to Biola University. Although after 15 wonderful years we will be leaving those we love and respect at Gordon-Conwell Theological Seminary, we believe this calling to Biola is sure. How honored and humbled I am to follow President Clyde Cook, a man of profound integrity and strength of leadership, a man after God's own heart. Paula, our three children and I look forward to the years ahead, serving alongside this strategic, biblically centered Christian university. We are confident that the Lord will continue to lead Biola University from strength to strength, holding fast to our mission while boldly moving into a second century as a global center for Christian thought and spiritual renewal."
Biola University, founded in 1908, is recognized by U.S. News & World Report as a "National University," which they consider the "major leagues" of higher education. Biola offers 145 academic programs through its six schools, ranging from the B.A. to the Ph.D. As a theologically conservative, Protestant university, Biola provides Evangelical students with biblically centered education, equipping them in mind and character to impact the world for the Lord Jesus Christ in any professional setting. In 2003, Biola launched a new vision to be a global center for Christian thought and spiritual renewal, addressing the crucial cultural issues of our day. For more information, visit www.biola.edu.
