New Westmont President Steps Into Office
Gayle Beebe assumed leadership of Westmont as the college’s eighth president July 1. He, his wife, Pam, and their three children (Anna, 14, Elizabeth, 12, and Ricky, 8)moved into the president’s house above the college in June. The family came from Spring Arbor, Mich., where Beebe served as president of Spring Arbor University for seven years.
Beebe has spent his first days meeting individually with faculty members and making plans for the coming year. He has also named Doug Jones as vice president for finance. Jones worked with him as vice president of finance and administration at Spring Arbor University and begins Sept. 1. He replaces Ron Cronk, who retired last October.
Beebe succeeds Stan D. Gaede, who accepted a position as scholar in residence and senior adviser to the president at Gordon College in Massachusetts in July 2006. Former president and Chancellor David K. Winter has served since that time as interim president.
Beebe attended Westmont for a semester in 1980 while earning his bachelor’s degree at George Fox University in Oregon. He received master’s degrees in divinity from Princeton Theological Seminary, in philosophy of religion and theology from Claremont Graduate University, and in business administration in strategic management from the Drucker School at Claremont Graduate University. He completed his doctorate in philosophy of religion and theology from Claremont Graduate University in 1997. Prior to leading Spring Arbor, Beebe served as dean of the school of theology at Azusa Pacific University.
Under Beebe’s leadership, Spring Arbor University was named a top-tier university by U.S. News & World Report in its most recent America’s Best Colleges and Universities publication. The Council for Christian Colleges and Universities awarded Spring Arbor its 2003 Racial Harmony Award, which honors institutions making considerable progress in the areas of diversity, racial harmony and reconciliation.
Beebe has also been instrumental in improving campus facilities at Spring Arbor, which recently completed a $45 million capital campaign, including a major academic building. Spring Arbor has a 100-acre main campus in south central Michigan as well as 14 satellite campuses throughout the region.
He has published numerous academic articles and edited several publications. He spent five years working with Richard Foster, Dallas Willard, Lynda Graybeal and Thomas Oden to write the acclaimed “Renovaré Study Bible.”