Robert B. Sloan

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Robert Bryan Sloan, Jr. (born 1949) is an American academic and theologian, currently serving as president of Houston Baptist University.

Education and background

Sloan was born in Coleman, Texas, and grew up in Abilene, Texas. He earned his B.A. from Baylor University in 1970, and his M.Div from Princeton Theological Seminary in 1973. After post-graduate research at the University of Bristol, he earned his Ph.D. from the University of Basel in 1978.[1][2] After serving as an adjunct at Hardin-Simmons University and on the faculty of Southwestern Baptist Theological Seminary, Sloan joined the Department of Religion faculty at Baylor University in 1983, and would eventually become the founding dean of the George W. Truett Theological Seminary.[2] He succeeded Herbert H. Reynolds as president of the university in 1995.[1]

Baylor 2012

In 2002, Sloan unveiled a 42-page plan titled "Baylor 2012," outlining his strategy to transform into a national university with Ph.D. programs and research professors, allowing to "to enter the top tier of American universities while reaffirming and deepening its distinctive Christian mission."[3] His plan included twelve imperatives that were "necessary for Baylor to fulfill the Vision".[4] Opposition to the plan, as well as several controversial financial moves, resulted in Sloan narrowly escaping a 2004 vote to oust him as president,[5] and eventually resigning in 2005.[6] The saga is chronicled in the 2007 book The Baylor Project: Taking Christian Higher Education to the Next Level (ISBN 1587310627).

Houston Baptist University: The Ten Pillars

Following a brief stint as Baylor's Chancellor, Sloan served as visiting scholar at the University of St Andrews in 2006, [2] before beginning his tenure as president of Houston Baptist University on September 1, 2006.

In 2008 Sloan, along with the Board of Trustees, approved a 12 year vision document titled "The Ten Pillars: Faith and Reason in a Great City". The purpose of this plan is to enable the university to "fulfill its responsibility for the renewal of Christian Higher Education."[7]

Other roles

Sloan serves on the Board of Directors for the Houston Symphony and the Greater Houston Partnership in addition to leadership roles on the boards of Memorial Hermann Healthcare Systems - Community Relations, Houston Christian High School, Market Place Chaplains USA, and Orphan Outreach.[citation needed] He is also the publisher of the academic journal, The City.[8][9]

Sloan has pastored churches throughout Texas and beyond.[citation needed] He has also held membership in the Society of Biblical Literature, the Southwestern Baptist Theological Seminary, the National Association of Baptist Professors of Religion, and Studiorum Novi Testamenti Societas.[citation needed]

Publications

  • Perspectives on John: methods and interpretation in the Fourth Gospel, with Mikeal C. Parsons (1993), ISBN 0-7734-2859-3
  • Foundations for Biblical Interpretation: A Complete Library of Tools and Resources, with David S. Dockery and Kenneth A. Mathews (1994), ISBN 0-8054-1039-2
  • Romans: Good News for a Troubled World, with Harry Lucenay and Bob Campbell (2000), ISBN 0-9673424-4-9

References

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  8. The City website, About
  9. The City, Winter 2011, p. 2

External links

Academic offices
Preceded by President of Baylor University
1995-2005
Succeeded by
William D. Underwood