BOILING SPRINGS, N.C. (ABP) — Barely a year after he became dean of Gardner-Webb University's school of divinity, Charles Bugg has resigned from the position.
Bugg, who assumed the position in June 2005, as dean of Gardner-Webb University's school of divinity, told Associated Baptist Press July 18 that he will step down from his post at the end of his current contract. The contract, renewed on a one-year basis, ends June 30, 2007.
Bugg said he declined to renew because he wants to spend more time with his wife and son. He was previously professor of preaching at Baptist Theological Seminary at Richmond, and will return to a teaching position at Gardner-Webb after his term expires.
The decision to move, Bugg said, came in part because of an illness his wife had last spring.
“That [experience] did involve for me a reassessment of where I wanted to spend time and attention,” Bugg told ABP. “I felt it was a point for me to reassess where I wanted to give time and energy.”
Bugg also said a recent increase in enrollment — 75 to 80 new students — at the 14-year-old divinity school provided a natural time for him to step aside. The school had faced a plateau and dip in enrollment in the last three years.
“Sometimes the impression [when school deans leave] is that the institution has hit the iceberg and is going down,” Bugg said, adding that the scenario didn't apply to Gardner-Webb. “I began to look at the fall, and it seemed to be a good time for me to leave.”
The M. Christopher White School of Divinity was named for a former president of the 100-year-old university. The school has ties to the North Carolina Baptist State Convention and the Cooperative Baptist Fellowship.
According to Bugg, the school has formed a search committee to find his replacement. He said he would “work with the school” should the committee find a replacement before his contract expires.
“I am enormously grateful, especially for the faculty and staff and students … to be a part of the circle,” he said.
A native of Miami, Bugg is a graduate of Stetson University in DeLand, Fla., and Southern Baptist Theological Seminary, where he earned a PhD. He has been the pastor of churches in DeLand; Augusta, Ga.; and Charlotte, N.C. He and his wife, Dianne, have two children. His books include A Faith to Meet Our Fears, Preaching & Intimacy and Learning to Dream Again.
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