Bates Named SAU President for
2007-2008 Academic Year

The Spring Arbor University Board of Trustees has overwhelmingly voted to appoint Dr. Gerald E. Bates president of Spring Arbor University for the 2007-08 academic year, effective June 1. Bates will succeed Dr. Gayle D. Beebe, who is leaving to become president of Westmont College in Santa Barbara, Calif.

Bates currently serves the University as vice chair of the Board of Trustees and chair of the board’s strategic planning oversight committee. During this assignment, he worked with faculty, staff and administration to sharpen the University’s position within higher education, with a focus on strategic planning.

“Dr. Bates is an ideal person to lead and represent Spring Arbor University in the coming year as we search for a new president,” says Les Dietzman, chairman of the SAU Board of Trustees. “He has worked closely with Dr. Beebe, particularly in the area of strategic planning. We believe he will be able to lead our talented executive team as they continue the momentum that has distinguished SAU over the past several years. Dr. Bates has been a leader on the board and demonstrated his strength and wisdom. We are very fortunate to have someone who is this qualified, who knows and loves the University and who is available to act as a bridge during this period.”

The board will grant Bates a leave of absence from his board duties during his one-year term as president.

A search for the next president of Spring Arbor University will begin immediately. Bates will serve until the new president takes office. E. Harold Munn will lead the search for Spring Arbor University’s next president as chair of the presidential search committee. Bates will not be a candidate for the permanent position.

“Dr. Bates is a strong spiritual leader who believes deeply in the Spring Arbor University Concept, and in the values and principles that have characterized the institution from its beginning. He will keep us focused on our strong spiritual tradition, and will be a steady hand as we continue to grow and seek new leadership,” says Dietzman.

Dietzman continues to say, “I believe God has prepared him uniquely for this moment in Spring Arbor's history.”

A proven leader and administrator, Bates has a wealth of experience in higher education. He will continue to lead the University on its path, founded in Christ and driven by the Spring Arbor University Concept, over the next year. “I have a longstanding loyalty and love for Spring Arbor University,” says Bates.

“My goal is to expand the momentum this institution has experienced since 2000,” says Bates.

Involved in the growth and development of the University for decades, Bates says, “SAU has a place in God’s great plan and I want to maintain the focus of the institution expressed in the Concept, which affirms the ongoing process of learning with special attention to the liberal arts and total commitment to Jesus Christ whose living presence guides our educational efforts and defines our active participation in today's world.”

Maturing from college to university status in 2001, SAU has set enrollment records every year since 2000. Both traditional undergraduate enrollment (1,570) and total enrollment (4,002) have increased over 40 percent. The University now offers more than 50 majors and programs, and has an annual operating budget of $49 million, balancing each year. In addition, the University has secured $33 million in deferred gifts since 2000 and recently surpassed Concept of Promise fundraising campaign goal, raising 107 percent of the projected $43,500,000 goal three months ahead of schedule.

Since July 2000, SAU has added 174,000-square-feet of buildings and renovated an additional 69,000-square-feet of facilities. The total price tag for these projects is nearly $40 million. Among the new buildings are seven village housing units and a new dormitory; the Hugh A. and Edna C. White Library, a state-of-the-art, 40,000-square-foot building; the 80-foot-high McKenna Carillon Tower and surrounding University Plaza; Dunckel Gymnasium, a 30,000-square-foot auxiliary gym; and Ganton Art Gallery, the state’s largest single-room gallery.

In November 2006, Spring Arbor University broke ground on the $8.5 million Poling Center for Global Learning and Leadership, a 38,000-square-foot facility that will house the Gainey School of Business and Management, the Hosmer Center for Entrepreneurship and Innovation, and the department of social sciences.

Bates holds a doctoral degree in education from Michigan State University, a master’s in theology from Western Theological Seminary, a master’s in divinity from Asbury Theological Seminary, a bachelor’s degree from Greenville College and an associate degree from Spring Arbor University.

Bates has been involved in starting and developing higher educational institutions in India, Hungary and Central Africa. Currently he is the president of Friends of Hope Africa University, director of the Center for the Study of Wesley and Society, Marston Historical Center; and Bishop Emeritus of the Free Methodist Church of North America. He previously served on the board of trustees at both Central Christian College and Asbury Theological Seminary.

Throughout his career, Bates has been a professor and lecturer around the world and has received numerous honors and recognitions including Alumnus of the Year (SAU), Goodwill Ambassador Award ( Noble County, Ohio), Alumnus of the Year (Asbury Theological Seminary) and the Distinguished Alumnus Award ( Greenville College). He also holds honorary doctorates from Roberts Wesleyan College and Greenville College, and has been recognized among prestigious organizations such as Who’s Who in the World and Who’s Who in America. Bates is a member of Michigan State University’s chapter of Phi Kappa Phi Honor Society.

A long-term missionary for the General Missionary Board of the Free Methodist Church of North America (1957-1985), Bates has traveled the world serving others for most of his life. From 1985-1999, Bates was an executive bishop for the Free Methodist Church of North America, which has over 77,000 members in the United States. As executive bishop he oversaw the Denominational Ministries Center in Indianapolis, and participated in international assignments in Central and Southern Africa, India and the United Kingdom.

In addition to his current roles, Bates is a member of numerous professional boards and organizations, Southern Michigan Conference, Free Methodist Church of North America; India Missionary Training Board; Hope Africa University Governing Council; Free Methodist Historical Committee; American Society of Missiology; International Association for the Promotion of Christian Higher Education; and Wesleyan Theological Society.

Bates and his wife, Marlene, have three children: alum David E. Bates ‘82, director and CEO of Olive Branch Mission in Chicago; alum William R. Bates ‘85, an attorney in Kalamazoo, Mich.; and Elizabeth Ann Ansert, a nurse in Indianapolis. They also have five granddaughters.