SBU to establish endowed chair, award honorary doctorates

Southwest Baptist University plans to formalize an endowed chair and award two honorary doctorates during its March 10 Founders' Day ceremony.

Endowed chair
A donation from Al and Rosemary McCord is funding the Courts Redford Chair of Biblical Studies for the Bolivar college, according to a news release.

Endowed chairs, of which Southwest Baptist now has five, recognize distinguished faculty members and provide resources to support salary, research and teaching or service activities. The minimum threshold to establish an endowed chair at SBU is $250,000, but a fully funded chair is $500,000.

Rodney Reeves, SBU professor of biblical studies and dean of the Courts Redford College of Theology and Ministry, will be named chairman, according to the release.

Rosemary McCord is the daughter of Courts Redford, who served as the 15th president of the university 1930-43, during the Great Depression.

Honorary doctorates
The university will present two honorary doctorates to Missourians and graduates of the class of 1979.

One will go to Alvin Rohrs, president and CEO of Enactus, who will receive an honorary doctor of business, according to the release.

Col. Chaplain Gary Gilmore, of Mt. Vernon, will receive an honorary doctor of theology. Gilmore is a senior chaplain in the Missouri National Guard, supervising all Army and Air National Guard chaplains and eight seminarian chaplain candidates.