Ellis named dean at Logsdon School of Theology

Robert Ellis, professor of Old Testament and Hebrew and dean of Logsdon School of Theology and Logsdon Seminary, was named Faculty Member of the Year by his peers at Hardin-Simmons University. (HSU File Photo)

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ABILENE—Hardin-Simmons University named Robert Ellis dean of the Logsdon School of Theology.

Robert Ellis

The university made the announcement five months after Ellis was named interim dean, following the retirement of Donald Williford. Ellis will be the fourth dean for HSU’s Logsdon School of Theology since its beginning in the 1980s.

“Now more than ever, we need ministers trained to meet spiritual needs,” HSU President Eric Bruntmyer said. “Bob’s commitment to the embodiment of a strong, biblically-informed theology of love and compassion makes him a superb choice to lead Logsdon into the next chapter of its story.”

HSU’s Logsdon School of Theology is home to both undergraduate studies and accredited seminary programs. As such, Ellis will be responsible for a wide scope of theological education and ministry preparation, including Logsdon Seminary programs, including extension campuses in San Antonio, Dallas-Fort Worth, Corpus Christi, McAllen and Lubbock.

Ellis earned his undergraduate degree in religion at HSU and earned both his Master of Divinity and Doctor of Philosophy degrees at Southwestern Baptist Theological Seminary. He also pursued post-doctoral study at the University of Cambridge.

Ellis is the author of numerous publications, including Learning to Read Biblical Hebrew: An Introductory Grammar. In 1992, he was named a distinguished alumnus of Logsdon.

Tenured at HSU since 1996, Ellis served as the Phillips Professor of Old Testament and Hebrew, and he previously directed both the Master of Arts in Religion and Master of Divinity programs. Until his appointment as interim dean, he was associate dean for academics at Logsdon Seminary and liaison to the Association of Theological Schools.

While most of Ellis’ teaching career has been at HSU, he also served a decade as an associate professor of Old Testament at Southwestern Baptist Theological Seminary.

Additionally, Ellis taught as an adjunct at the Baptist Theological Seminary in Bucharest, Romania, and at the Nigerian Baptist Theological Seminary in Ogbomosho, Nigeria.


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He has served as an interim pastor for numerous congregations.

Ellis, and his wife Teresa, Logsdon’s theological librarian, are members of First Baptist Church in Abilene, where they teach a Sunday School class. Both are deacons and have been engaged regularly in international mission efforts.


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