David W. Olive will be the next president of Bluefield College, the BC board of trustees announced April 21.
Olive, an executive vice president and chief operating officer at Pfeiffer University in Charlotte, N.C., will become Bluefield College's ninth president in its 85-year history as a result of the BC board of trustees' approval of a presidential search committee recommendation that followed a 10-month exploration process involving 26 applicants.
New Bluefield College President David Olive (center) answers questions from the media during a press conference announcing his appointment.
Olive will bring more than 15 years of higher education administration experience to the position when he begins his duties on July 1. He will come to Bluefield College from Pfeiffer University where he has served since 1998 as a vice president for advancement, an executive vice president for administration and advancement, and most recently an executive vice president and chief operating officer for graduate and adult studies.
During his nine years with Pfeiffer, Olive has worked closely with President Charles Ambrose in day-to-day operations of the institution, including the creation of enrollment, fundraising and budgeting strategies and in leadership for the academic and administrative processes of the adult programs. He has played an instrumental role in the growth of the university. In fact, during his tenure, Pfeiffer has expanded its operating budget by nearly $14 million, increased its annual donor support by more than $3 million, grown its enrollment more than 40 percent, and increased its alumni giving by 13 percent.
“His ability in fundraising is excellent,” said Rev. Jack Marcom, chair and one of five BC trustees to serve on the Presidential Search Committee, “and we are confident he will bring growth, both in students and in institutional development, to Bluefield College.”
Before Pfeiffer, Olive served three years as the director of charitable gift planning at Carson-Newman College in Jefferson City, Tenn., two years as a legal advocate for students at the University of Tennessee in Knoxville, and one year as the coordinator of alumni and development programs at Tennessee Tech University in Cookeville.
“Olive is a man of Christian character who lives his faith,” Marcom added. “Everyone sees him as a match for the vision of Bluefield College. What impressed me most was his warmth that radiates love.”
Before beginning his professional career in higher education, Olive, a licensed attorney who holds a doctor of jurisprudence degree from the University of Tennessee, worked in law firms in Tennessee and Kentucky for six years. He, an ordained minister with a master of divinity degree from Southern Baptist Theological Seminary in Louisville, Kentucky, also served two years as an interim and associate pastor for First Baptist Church in Georgetown, Kentucky.
”I am honored and humbled to have been asked to serve Bluefield College in this capacity,” Olive said about his latest calling. “My family and I are excited about living in the Bluefield community and working together to further the college's mission.”
In pursuing the position at Bluefield College, Olive said he has a strong passion for faith-based higher education and the critical role it plays in society. As a fifth generation Baptist, he said he also has a great appreciation and admiration for the mission of Bluefield College, a private Christ-centered institution affiliated with the Baptist General Association of Virginia since 1922.
“Being a Baptist my entire life, this is a dream come true to serve in this capacity at a Baptist college,” Olive said. “I also believe the best days of Bluefield College are still ahead. This place has phenomenal potential to impact a greater number of students' lives and demonstrate servant leadership to the community and surrounding region.”
Olive will follow in the footsteps of Charles Warren, who served Bluefield College as interim president during the 2006-2007 academic year. In fact, Warren will stay on at BC for at least two months to facilitate the presidential transition.
Joining Marcom on the Presidential Search Committee were trustees Steve Blaydes, David Dockery, Margaret Leonard (also an alumna), David Skidmore, and Dan Grabeel (ex-officio member and alumnus), Vice President for Academic Affairs Elizabeth Gomez (faculty representative), Campus Minister David Taylor (staff representative), and a member of BC's Student Government Association (student body representative).