Thriving in Challenging Times in Higher Education
Time: Noon to 1:15 pm
Venue: WOW Hall
291 West 8th
Eugene, Oregon
97401
- Join the Livestream
- YouTube
- Podcast
We will meet at the WOW Hall, 291 W 8th. Learn more: https://wowhall.org/about-us/. Walk, ride a bike or take the bus. You may park on the street or in the parking lot of FOOD for Lane County's Dining Room, across 8th from the WOW Hall. A freewill donation acknowledging the Dining Room's generosity may be made at the meeting.
Sorry - we no longer offer lunch. However, you are welcome to bring your own food.
Topic:
Local colleges and universities have long played a critical role in the educational, economic, cultural identity and vitality of Eugene. While our diverse set of both public and private colleges and universities can point to many past and current achievements, each is facing demographic, financial and political challenges.
In the first of a series on this topic, Dr. Joseph Womack, president of Bushnell University, will describe how Bushnell, a private nonprofit university, has not only survived but thrived despite these challenges by focusing on its unique, faith-based mission. Bushnell has substantially increased enrollment, co-curricular offerings, and graduate and undergraduate degree programs, with a focus on workforce needs. President Womack will describe the university’s planned facilities expansion in southeast Eugene and the capital campaign that will support it while making beneficial impact on both the campus and local community.
Speakers
Title: President
Organization: Bushnell University
Website: https://bushnell.edu/
Biography:
Biography is provided by the speaker and edited for length/proofreading
Dr. Joseph D. Womack is the 10th president of Bushnell University in its 130-year history, where he has served since June of 2010. During the 16 years of his tenure, Dr. Womack has initiated a strategic shift to reinforce Bushnell’s identity as a Christian liberal arts institution to better reflect the University’s mission to equip students to discover and answer God’s call in their lives through academic excellence and faithful stewardship in a Christ-centered community. His emphasis on holistic education that seeks to shape the whole person has ensured Bushnell’s identity and values are integrated with both academic and professional training that equips graduates to be successful citizens, employees, parents, friends, spouses, and community members.
Under his leadership since 2010, Bushnell University has experienced substantial enrollment growth, the addition of 20 new graduate and undergraduate programs, and significantly expanded co-curricular offerings in campus ministries, student missions, community engagement, student internships and intercollegiate athletics. He has also secured substantial capital funds to support this growth.
Before coming to Bushnell, Womack earned his undergraduate degrees from Texas Christian University and Bushnell, as well as a master’s and doctorate from Azusa Pacific University. He served in a number of administrative capacities at William Jessup University in Rocklin, California, and California Baptist University in Riverside. While at William Jessup, he led the college’s relocation and design of the campus in Rocklin. He is the son of Sharron Kay ’64 and James ’63 (Bushnell’s 8th president serving from 1986-2004) and husband to wife, Ruby Kristine ’89. Joe and Kristy have four sons and one granddaughter.
