BLUEFIELD, Va. (ABP) — Baptist-affiliated Bluefield College celebrated the inauguration of David Olive as president Nov. 2.
Hundreds of local dignitaries and educators filled the school's Harman Chapel to witness the formal installation service, the culmination of a weeklong series of events designed to commemorate the induction of the school's ninth president in its 85-year history.
Founded in 1922 by the Baptist General Association of Virginia, Bluefield is a private college located in the mountains of southwestern Virginia. It has about 850 students.
Olive, 44, the son of a retired Baptist minister, shared his vision for Bluefield College during an inaugural speech. He challenged the campus community to consider the questions, “Who are we?” and “Where are we going?”
“We are a Christ-centered college,” Olive said. “We are a college that was founded by Christians who had a heart for young people in Appalachia. And, unlike other colleges and universities that began through the mission of the church, Bluefield College has remained faithful to its heritage, a rich heritage, as a Christian college.”
Olive succeeds Dan MacMillan, who resigned to take another position.
Olive, who most recently served as the executive vice president and chief operating officer at Pfeiffer University in Charlotte, N.C., expressed appreciation to the founders of Bluefield College. They “worked tirelessly” from 1919 to 1922 to see the creation of a Christian higher education institution in Bluefield, he said. He spoke of the historical Virginia Baptist references to the school as a “lighthouse on top of the Appalachian mountains,” providing “educational and spiritual development” for men and women of the region.
“Our relationship with Virginia Baptists is important to us,” Olive said of the BGAV, the moderated-dominated state group that supports the school financially. “We are deeply indebted to Virginia Baptists and, as we seek a new path today of partnership and collaboration, please know of Bluefield College's commitment to always stand alongside the work and ministry of the Baptist General Association of Virginia. That is our sentiment. That is our commitment.”
The new president also challenged the faculty, staff, alumni and friends to imagine a Bluefield College with more students studying on campus and more living on site in a new residence hall. He encouraged listeners to envision a new Campus and Community Center for students and the development of new and improved athletic facilities.
-30-