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4 faculty members added at New Orleans


NEW ORLEANS (BP)–Two new faculty members were elected to New Orleans Baptist Theological Seminary’s faculty during the June 4 annual summer meeting of the seminary’s trustees. Two other new faculty members were named by presidential appointment.

NOBTS President Chuck Kelley also announced to the trustees that the partial seminary enrollment count for the 2001-02 academic year had already exceeded last year’s record total enrollment. He also updated the trustees on the progress in the construction of three four-bedroom apartment buildings set to be completed this fall, along with several other construction projects on campus, in response to increasing enrollment.

Trustees elected Eddie Campbell of Clarksdale, Miss., and Norris Grubbs of Pontotoc, Miss., as assistant professors for the seminary’s Leavell College. Kelley, meanwhile, announced the appointment of Donna Peavey of New Orleans as instructor in Christian education in the college and Charles L. Quarles of Oxford, Miss., as associate professor of New Testament and Greek on the NOBTS faculty for the 2002-03 academic year.

Campbell, who will teach English at Leavell College, served on the adjunct faculty of the college teaching English for six years before being elected as instructor in 1998. When the college moved to a competency-based curriculum in spring 2001, Campbell became chairman of its life skills division.

Previously, Campbell served in several Louisiana and Mississippi churches as a supply preacher and as minister of youth and music since 1987.

Campbell completed both the bachelor and master of education degrees in English at Delta State University, Cleveland, Miss., in 1975 and 1976, respectively, and the master of divinity and doctor of philosophy degrees at NOBTS in 1994 and 2002. He and his wife, Betty, have five sons, Brad, Cory, Kevin, Jonathan and Stephen.

Grubbs, who will teach New Testament and Greek at the college, served on the adjunct faculty teaching New Testament for one year before being elected by the trustees to serve as instructor of New Testament and Greek in August 2000. Previously, he served as pastor of Lee Hill Baptist Church in Folsom, La., from 1995-99.

Grubbs completed the bachelor of science degree in religion and mathematics from Union University in Jackson, Tenn., in 1994 and the master of divinity and doctor of philosophy degrees from NOBTS in 1997 and 2002. He and his wife, Kimberly, have one daughter, Katie Sunrise.

Peavey, who served on the adjunct faculty for the past year, has been instrumental in coordinating the preschool/children’s ministry certificate program. She previously served for 11 years as a childhood education consultant, serving churches, associations, state conventions and childcare centers while also serving as director of the childhood education center at Briarlake Baptist Church in Decatur, Ga. She is an approved trainer for childcare licensing in the state of Louisiana.

Peavey completed the bachelor of science degree at the University of Southern Mississippi in Hattiesburg in 1983 and the master of religious education degree from NOBTS in 1986. She anticipates completing the doctor of philosophy degree in Christian education from NOBTS this year. She is married to Philip E. Peavey, director and chaplain of New Hope Ministries of Greater New Orleans.

“Norris Grubbs, Eddie Campbell and Donna Peavey have already made a wonderful contribution in the life of Leavell College through the years they have served as adjunct teachers and instructors,” said Thomas Strong, the college’s dean. “Now that they have reached the end of their doctrinal seminars and research, we know they will be able to make an even greater contribution to the lives of our students.”

Quarles, who was appointed associate professor of New Testament and Greek, spent the last three years as a career missionary and theological education team leader for the International Mission Board in Bucharest, Romania, where he most recently served as associate professor of New Testament and Greek at the Bucharest Baptist Theological Seminary and University of Bucharest.

Since 1996, Quarles has served as chairman of the Bible/theology division and as associate professor of New Testament and Greek at Clear Creek Baptist Bible College in Pineville, Ky. He earlier served as adjunct professor of New Testament and Greek at Mid-America Baptist Theological Seminary in Germantown, Tenn.

For more than 10 years, Quarles pastored churches in Tennessee and Mississippi, most recently as senior pastor of Hickory Ridge Baptist Church in Memphis.

Quarles completed the bachelor of arts degree in sociology and classics (Greek) from the University of Mississippi in 1986 and master of divinity and doctor of philosophy degrees in New Testament with minors in theology and Old Testament from Mid-America Baptist Theological Seminary in 1989 and 1995, respectively. He and his wife, Julie, have three children, Rachael, Hannah and Joshua.

“Chuck Quarles brings not only excellent academic credentials and publications to our faculty, but also significant ministerial experience in the pastorate and in global missions,” said NOBTS provost Steve Lemke. “He has a mind of a scholar, the heart of a pastor and the passion of an evangelist.”

Also during the meeting, Kelley announced the naming of Tim Searcy as the director of institutional effectiveness. Searcy will be involved in assessing instruction and institutional services, developing and publishing reports, monitoring accreditation compliance and performing institutional research. Searcy also will continue to serve as associate professor of Christian education.

A nomenclature change regarding leadership of the seminary’s doctoral programs was also announced at the meeting. Reflecting the increasingly significant role played by those directing the seminary’s doctoral programs, Steve Echols was named associate dean for the professional doctoral program and Charles Ray Jr. was named associate dean for the research doctoral program.

The professional doctorate program has experienced a particularly large enrollment increase in students, with more than 200 enrolled. To accommodate these growing programs, Charles Harvey Jr., associate professor of Christian education, was named director of the doctor of ministry program and Joe Sherrer, associate professor of adult education, as director of the doctor of educational ministry program.
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  • Shannon Baker

    Shannon Baker is director of communications for the Baptist Resource Network of Pennsylvania/South Jersey and editor of the Network’s weekly newsletter, BRN United.

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