Dr. Norman Wendth Accepts Presidency at Atlantic Union College

— South Lancaster, Massachusetts. Norman Wendth, Ph.D., has accepted the presidency ofAtlantic Union College. Wendth is a 1968 graduate of Atlantic Union College and is currently dean for academic affairs at Kettering College of Medical Arts in Kettering, Ohio.

“The Atlantic Union College Board of Trustees is pleased that Dr. Wendth has accepted its offer to become the next president,” says Dr. Donald King, chair. “Dr. Wendth is an alumnus of AUC and will provide spiritual leadership and bring strong visionary and academic quality to the College. Our prayers and support go with him as he assumes the mantle of leadership.”

In Wendth’s acceptance statement he said, “I am very grateful for the invitation to serve God as president of Atlantic Union College. I know that AUC is God’s college, that the College has been God’s since its historic founding in the earliest years of the Seventh-day Adventist Church, and that its future is in God’s hand.

“I know that the dedicated faculty of the College work diligently to direct and support the deepening faith of their students. I know that my own life of service to the Seventh-day Adventist Church is the direct outcome of the direction I received from AUC faculty and leaders when I was a student many years ago. I therefore know AUC as a school that makes a strong spiritual life the most important learning outcome.

“I pray for a college whose graduates are known for their active involvement in their local churches, alumni whose daily lives are lived so sweetly and winsomely that their very existence is a testimony to Adventist beliefs. Most of all, I envision AUC sending hundreds of workers into the world vineyard, serving their Church and their God with joyful diligence at home, in the workplace, and in their communities — Christians who are civic leaders, church leaders, business leaders, moral leaders.

“How could anyone not love such a school? I certainly do. Therefore, after many hours of prayer and consultation, I have accepted the Board’s election as the invitation of the Lord, and have said ‘yes.’”

BACKGROUND:
Wendth is currently dean for academic affairs at Kettering College of Medical Arts, Kettering, Ohio. Prior to serving Kettering College, his previous positions included: chair of the Department of English and chair of the Division of General Studies at Atlantic Union College; professor of English at Pacific Union College Angwin, California; instructor in English at Nihon Saniku Gakuin, Sodegaura, Japan; and instructor in English at Loma Linda University, Riverside, California.

Wendth’s doctorate in English was earned at Claremont Graduate School (now known as Claremont Graduate University); Claremont, California; his master’s degree in English at Loma Linda University, Loma Linda, California; and his bachelor’s degree in English at Atlantic Union College.

Some of Wendth’s professional associations include: member, Executive Committee of Chief Academic Officers, Southwestern Ohio Council of Higher Education (SOCHE), chair 2002-2004; secretary, Board of Trustees, John Henry Weidner Foundation; member, Board of Trustees, Dayton Peace Accords Project; chair, Seventh-day Adventist Commission on Collaboration and created the national Seventh-day Adventist College Consortium; and past member, Grants and Awards Committee, Robinson Jeffers Association.

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