A: Davis College has historically been a school of Bible and ministry. Since the days of our founder, John Davis, our school has had a passion to teach the Bible in such a way that men and women can communicate it. The College has had great Bible professors of the past such as Bancroft, Barackman, Griffis, Wagner. Today we have Parker, Snyder, Baker, and Colton. All of these are individuals who are well schooled in the Holy Scriptures.

In the days of Practical Bible Training School most graduates went into ministry. The ministries were very needed and effective. The ministries were usually pastoral, youth, missions, or a few unique ones like camping. Today ministry is very broad. The purpose of our College is the same today and it is characterized by our  mission statement that includes “…the equipping of students with the knowledge, competencies and skills needed in an ever changing world for service and leadership in the church, Christian organizations and society.”

What I desire is that we can do this in a world class way which means that we do the best with what God has provided to us. We may never be the biggest but we can be the best God would have us to be. The following must be addressed.  We need to have an academic program that has quality enhancements so students can continue to grow; to recruit and retain the best possible faculty; to be world class; to be about community/locality and a college that is training the next generation of leaders. There will be a strong emphasis on men called of God to go into the ministry of pastoring churches. Our college will be a school that has a clear Biblical worldview that matures the institution’s academics. We are to be a school that strives to improve the presentation and functioning of all areas and to revive alumni relations and to network with the broader local community.

One of the great attributes of Davis is that we are providing a wide spectrum of opportunities with our Counseling and Teaching English as a Second Language programs. I desire to see first class programs in International Ministries and Music/Worship Leader. Our Youth Ministries program recently was redesigned and approved by New York State. Professors such as Melious, Flipse, Seavey and Novak are preparing students to impact the lives of people. If I were to put the vision into one sentence it would be the following: We are Davis College, a college of Bible and ministry, training the next generation to serve our Lord.           

A: New Testament Baptist Church in South Florida is an amazing place. The ministry has over 120 acres on two campuses and around 250 employees. When I accepted the call to come to Davis the vision was to set up teaching sites in various places with a strategic one being in South Florida on our campuses. I was thrilled when  Middle States and the Department of Education of Florida accepted the South Florida  campuses as a teaching site for Davis.

I spent the time from April of 2008 leading both of these ministries plus overseeing the Florida Association and International Association of Christian Schools.  Nearly every Sunday afternoon after our morning services I would travel to Binghamton and arrive late Sunday night at the airport. Through the kindness of trustees at Davis I was provided a car and a beautiful place to stay. On Wednesdays I usually took the 5:40 AM flight back to South Florida and would be in my South Florida office around noon. I would then do the work of the church ministry and again on Sunday repeat the same exercise.

Although God gave me great strength there developed an obvious need. The College has many places for the President to speak, meetings to attend with friends of the College and a variety of things that I could not do because of my limited time. As the financial crisis hit South Florida our church needed the Senior Pastor to be there more. There was a sense of conflict that was developing in my spirit. I spent two nights without sleep as God began to deal with my heart.

Both my wife and I became absolutely convinced that the Lord was directing me to Davis to lead the outstanding team that we have here to train the next generation of Christian women and men in ministry. Knowing that this was God’s will I then proceeded to tell my family, the church leadership and then the congregation. In an almost simultaneous way I told the leadership, faculty, staff, and students at Davis. I am here because of the call of God. I am very thankful for a marvelous wife and supportive family who have been there for me every step of the way.

A: There are men and women around the globe that are graduates of our institution and are faithfully serving the Lord. I suppose it is very accurate to say the sun never sets but that the gospel goes out from a Davis College graduate. The community is becoming very aware of our school. There are many examples of this. Guests such as the editor of the local newspaper have been on campus to attend a Tuesday Presidential Chapel; the mayor of Binghamton had lunch with some leaders and students at the Klee Dining Hall; numerous contractors came on the campus to examine the structural needs; our Marketing and Development Department is connecting with constituent groups through the use of various media. This is just a small sampling of what is taking place. The impact is huge and we want to see it to continue to grow.  

A: There are many maintenance areas that need to be addressed because of an aging structure. There are so many positive comments on the work that our maintenance team is doing but there is much to be done. We want each of our classrooms to be world class.  Some of our trustees have been a huge help in these areas.

There are numerous areas that we want to continue to improve such as IT, transportation, services to the students, and whatever it takes to support our students.  I definitely want to see our professors write more. We have an outstanding group of professors that have much to give. These challenges are our opportunities to make a difference. The greatest challenge is to provide our students with an affordable education.

I am very impressed with the quality and the commitment of our students this semester. Our friends who give to the general fund of the College or remember the College in their planned giving are a huge blessing to our students.

A: I enjoy the people who are a part of our college. The trustees, faculty and staff are awesome. The group though that is number one is our students. They excite me and I am delighted to see them and I enjoy them. Whether they are on the mountain top or in the valley (as we all get sometimes) I simply enjoy being around them.

A: Most importantly, and something that is already a reality we will continue to build upon, my dream is to train men and women for ministry. That is the greatest dream. I also want to see teaching sites up and down the East Coast. I desire to see our students excited about serving Jesus and seeing a difference in their lives by serving others. Life was meant for service and I can think of no other joy then to see our students serve their Lord. I have many dreams for Davis College that I am not sharing now but will do so at the proper time. I need to bathe these in prayer.

There is a Dream Book that my colleagues have put together with the input of Davis faculty and staff. Many of those dreams I believe will become a reality. Television and radio in addition to the Internet are great places to reach out into the local community and broader audience for Davis. As we see the wonderful hand of God on this 111 year old institution, I believe there will be some grand and glorious days ahead for our college. 

I encourage all of those who have been a part of the past of our college (whether it was PBTS, PBC, OR Davis) to join our team and help us; to those who have never been a part of this team, you are invited to come and help us. You are not only welcome but wanted!