SBU names new provost

After nearly a year with an interim leader in place, Southwest Baptist University found its next provost.

Effective June 1, Lee Skinkle will take over the position for the Bolivar-based private school, according to a news release. As provost, Skinkle will be the university’s chief academic officer, providing leadership and direction in all academic areas.

The husband and father of two has a decade of administrative and teaching experience in higher education at Belhaven University in Jackson, Miss., where he currently serves as associate provost, and at Southwestern Baptist Theological Seminary in Fort Worth, Texas.

“Providing a quality education is absolutely crucial to our mission of creating servant leaders in a global society, and the provost plays a large role in assuring our academic programs are of the highest quality,” SBU President C. Pat Taylor said in the release.  

The provost position was vacated in June 2015 with Bill Brown’s retirement. Allison Langford has served in the interim since July and will continue to work as associate provost for teaching and learning.

Skinkle has a bachelor’s in business administration from the University of Georgia, Athens, a master of divinity from SWBTS and a philosophy doctorate in education administration with a minor in higher education from SWBTS.