Southwest Baptist University has named Ron Miller as the Vice President for Online
Learning to serve as the university's executive leader of all online learning.
The Vice President for Online Learning is a visionary new position at SBU, focusing on state-of-the-art remote, digital, and online technologies to expand SBU’s educational reach. The VP for Online Learning will develop a strategic path to build SBU’s portfolio of online classes, degrees, and certificate offerings.
“The Lord has exceeded our expectations in bringing Mr. Ron Miller to be SBU’s first Vice President for Online Learning,” says President Rick Melson. “Mr. Miller is passionate about SBU’s mission and has extensive experience collaborating with faculty to showcase existing courses and to build targeted and successful online programs. He combines professional excellence and pastoral heart as an accomplished technology and higher education administration leader and as an elder in his local church.”
Miller comes to SBU with eleven years of experience in higher education at Liberty University in Lynchburg, Virginia. Miller’s roles included Associate Dean and Assistant Professor of Government, Interim Dean, and Online Dean for the Helms School of Government at Liberty University. He is also currently the President of the No Walls Ministry in Lynchburg, a racial reconciliation ministry working on uniting Christians and meeting local needs through community service, relationship building, and education.
“The online campus is the present and future of higher education, and it is the most egalitarian form of education in existence,” Miller said. “Most people cannot put their family and work lives on hold and physically attend a brick-and-mortar college campus to take classes or obtain a degree. However, we live in a world where higher education is increasingly a requirement for more entry-level jobs than ever before, and advanced certificate and degree programs are essential to higher pay, career advancement, or career change. The accessibility of online higher education is a great equalizer, and the demand is much greater than the supply.”
“The exciting thing about SBU’s online campus is that it has great programs and people already in place, and the potential for expansion is enormous,” Miller continued. “Dr. Melson visualizes SBU as a major player in online higher education, with global reach and global impact.” Miller explains, “the online program integration of academic excellence and Biblical wisdom is a formula replicated by only a few colleges or universities. The statue on campus of Jesus washing Peter’s feet spoke profoundly to me about the servant’s heart of the Bearcat community, and I look forward to helping SBU build an online campus that encircles the globe, emphasizes the best in academics, and fulfills the Great Commandment and the Great Commission.”
Miller is an accomplished senior university administrator and professor, communicator, advocate, senior executive, strategist, and technology/new media professional. He has over thirty-nine years of multi-disciplinary experience developing and implementing strategic management and communications strategies.
Miller has a Bachelor of Arts in Political Science from Texas Tech University in Lubbock, Texas, a Master of Science in International Relations from Troy University in Troy, Alabama, earned through their distance learning program while stationed overseas with the U.S. Air Force, and is currently working on his Doctor of Public Administration degree through Liberty University Online in Lynchburg, Virginia.
“We are grateful that God has brought Mr. Ron Miller to join our team at Southwest Baptist University for this exciting time in our university’s history.” President Rick Melson says, “I believe Mr. Miller will be used of God to expand our online reach and develop world-changing servant leaders for Jesus Christ.”
Miller will serve as part of the Executive Cabinet and assumes his role as the Vice President for Online Learning in mid-September. Please join us in welcoming Ron Miller.
*Posted: 8/30/2022