Buies Creek — President Jerry M. Wallace has announced the appointment of Dr. Andrew Wakefield as the next Dean of the Campbell University Divinity School. Commenting on the appointment, President Wallace said, “We are extremely pleased that Dr. Wakefield will be positioned as the school’s second Dean. In assuming the role, he brings a sterling academic record, a deep commitment to ministry, and years of demonstrated excellence within the school itself. Andy is an extraordinarily talented individual whose range of skills will, no doubt, propel the school upward from the significant achievements of its first fourteen years.” With the appointment effective on July 1, 2010, Dr. Wakefield will succeed founding dean Dr. Michael Cogdill.
Dr. Wakefield is a 1983 summa cum laude graduate of Wake Forest University. He went on to earn the Master of Divinity degree from Southern Baptist Theological Seminary in Louisville, Kentucky, then earned his Ph.D. in New Testament from Duke University in 2000. His dissertation, “Where to Live: The Hermeneutical Significance of Paul’s Citations of Scripture in Galatians 3:10-14,” was published by Brill Academic Publishers and the Society of Biblical Literature. More recently, in addition to numerous scholarly articles, he has produced a finished manuscript for the teaching of New Testament Greek, and is well along the way on a commentary on Galatians. Dr. Wakefield has served on the faculty of the Divinity School since 1997, and currently holds the Lewis Edward and Martha Barnes Tyner Chair of Bible.
In commenting on the position, Dr. Wakefield acknowledged the tremendous opportunity before him in leading the Divinity School. He stated, “I am deeply humbled to have been selected as dean. Under Dr. Cogdill’s leadership, this school has achieved the highest levels of excellence; I look forward to maintaining the proven values that have led to its success. At the same time, I look forward to the challenges that lie ahead as we respond to the rapidly changing landscape of the church and of theological education. My desire is that we will always continue growing and stretching, so that Campbell University Divinity School students will always be at the forefront of leading the church to meet the challenges of a post-modern world.”
Dr. Wakefield was born in Chattanooga, Tenn., but spent his childhood in Southeast Asia as the son of missionary parents. Those early years indelibly imprinted on him a commitment to church, missions and ministry. Most recently he has been serving as coordinator for Baptist Fellowship of Angier, a mission church focused on ministry with children and families from economically depressed areas.
Voicing praise for Dr. Wakefield was Campbell University provost Dr. Dwaine Greene, who chaired the dean search committee. He stated, “Andy possesses a wonderful combination of intellectual breadth, skill in teaching, and love of ministry, all wrapped in the package of a Christian man with experience and creativity. Under his leadership, the coming years in the Divinity School hold the promise of great excitement and success.”
Dr. Wakefield and his wife, Olivia, reside in Lillington with their two daughters, Natalie and Allison. They are members of the Memorial Baptist Church in Buies Creek.
Bulletin: 16511
Date: May/5/10