March 26, 2001
Armes installed as 12th president of Wayland-Plainview
___By Teresa Young
___Wayland Baptist University
___PLAINVIEW--Words of encouragement and support were the theme during the March 31 inauguration of Paul Armes as 12th president of Wayland Baptist University-Plainview.
___In his inaugural address, Baptist General Convention of Texas Executive DirectorCharles Wade echoed the sentiments of many gathered on the platform in Harral Memorial Auditorium in welcoming Armes, who officially took office Feb. 1.
PAUL ARMES
___"You have come to this point with great expectations and the confidence of thousands of Texas Baptists," Wade said to Armes. "With Wayland's great history and great future, you enter into a great trust. I encourage you to care for students, challenge your faculty and count on the support of Texas Baptists."
___Wade spoke highly of the university, which is one of eight Texas Baptist schools. He concluded his address by admonishing all faculty, staff, students and trustees to "let the vision of Jesus guide you. He was anchored in the will of God and the word of God. But he was free to confront unbelief and hypocrisy. Let the vision of Jesus mark the vision of Texas Baptists."
___In his response, Armes quoted Jeremiah 13:15-16, which deals with God speaking to people.
___"Wayland Baptist University was birthed by people who felt God was speaking to them," Armes said. "The years have demonstrated that these founding fathers heard God's call correctly. My service is based on the same philosophy, that the Eternal is still in the business of communicating."
___Chancellor Wallace Davis welcomed Armes with a story about a visit with Mabel Wayland Adams, the daughter of the university's founder, when he first took office in 1991 as the university's 11th president.
___"She told me, 'You're not just Wayland's president, you're the caretaker of a sacred trust handed down by my father and those pioneers who established it," he recalled. "I realized that if I depended on my title and all that went with it, I was lost. I wasn't called to be president but a servant. And when challenges that faced me seemed beyond my ability, I must not forget that the same God who led me here will lead the way."
___Although the university's 12th president, Armes is the first to serve under a new university system structure. His primary responsibility will be the Plainview campus, while Davis as chancellor will oversee the system of extension campuses.
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