June 10, 2002

Southwestern provost will continue as theology dean; other changes made
___FORT WORTH--The new provost at Southwestern Baptist Theological Seminary will double as the seminary's theology school dean for an "indefinite period," according to a seminary news release.
___Meanwhile, Provost Craig Blaising has eliminated the positions of department chairmen in the theology school and created a new administrative structure based around five assistant deans.
___Blaising came to the newly created post at Southwestern in January from Southern Baptist Theological Seminary in Louisville, Ky., where he had been a professor. He is a native Texan who previously taught at Dallas Theological Seminary and was a long-time member of First Baptist Church of Dallas.
___Prior to Blaising's arrival, seminary President Ken Hemphill had removed David Crutchley as dean of the theology school. Crutchley had been known as a faculty advocate and peacemaker.
___A seminary spokesman reported Blaising changed the administrative structure in the theology school to reduce the administrative load for faculty members.
___Blaising announced the changes to faculty May 16.
___Those appointed assistant deans are:
___ Mike Barnett, associate professor of missions, who will serve as assistant dean for evangelism and missions studies and also as director of the World Missions Center.
___ Larry Ashlock, assistant professor of pastoral ministry, who will serve as assistant dean for preaching and pastoral studies.
___ Doug Blount, associate professor of philosophy, who will serve as assistant dean for ethics and philosophical studies. He also will oversee modern languages.
___ Paul Wolfe, associate professor of New Testament, who will serve as assistant dean for the biblical studies division. He will oversee the areas of Old Testament, New Testament and biblical backgrounds.
___ Jeffrey Bingham, recently elected to the faculty as professor of historical theology, who will serve as assistant dean for theological studies, overseeing the areas systematic theology and church history.
___The five areas supervised by the assistant deans replace 11 departments previously used--preaching, biblical backgrounds, Old Testament, New Testament, pastoral ministry, theology, missions, evangelism, ethics, philosophy and history.
___The reorganization will not alter the function of three associate deans of the theology school, Blaising said.
___Paul Stevens will continue as associate dean for the doctor of ministry program. Karen Bullock will continue as associate dean for the doctor of philosophy program. George Klein will continue as associate dean for advanced studies and as overseer of all master's-level graduate programs in the school.

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