ERIC A. TURNER, ED.D., PRESIDENT
Eric Turner was named president-elect on July 20, 2018, by the Southwest Baptist University
Board of Trustees. He began his service as president-elect on Aug. 6, 2018, and assumed
the presidency on Sept. 1, 2018.
He comes from Black River Technical College (BRTC), where he served four years as
president. Prior to this, he served 17 years in various administrative capacities
at Williams Baptist University.
Under his leadership at BRTC, the college developed new community educational partnerships
and collaborative efforts, launched three new academic programs and constructed the
39,000-square-foot Health Science Complex and Fire Drill Tower. Additionally, Turner
rectified long-standing issues related to finance, accreditation and academics.
During his time at Williams, Turner's work focused primarily on fundraising and accreditation.
He and his team secured the largest planned gift in institutional history, along with
numerous gifts earmarked for scholarships, capital construction, and renovations.
He and his wife, Barbara, have a 15-year-old daughter, Emma.
President's Update
Wow! The last six weeks have been a whirlwind. We have crisscrossed our campuses in Bolivar, Springfield, Mountain View and Salem, and traveled beyond to listen to the SBU story and to tell the SBU story. My wife, Barbara, and I consistently walk away impressed with the fierce loyalty to the University. I am humbled to lead an institution with such a stellar history of impacting students’ lives for the kingdom of Christ.
A question continually posed to me as I interact with Bearcats across the country is, “Where are we headed as a University?” For several weeks now, I have stated that it is my desire for SBU to be the Christian university of choice throughout the Midwest and beyond. For us to achieve this, however, we must do this together. We must define what being the University of choice means for SBU. We also must chart our course by developing strategies and tactics to achieve this vision.
As we look toward celebrating the SBU sesquicentennial in 2028, we already have begun our planning effort by asking two simple questions of our SBU family:
- "What are things that should never change about SBU?" and
- "What should we change about SBU?"
In moving forward, these President’s Updates will keep you up-to-date on information of particular interest to you in the life of the University, as well as the progress of our strategic planning effort.
Shaping our story together,
Eric A. Turner
President