Spire Spring 2018

from the president

Dear Alumni and Friends:

The skyline is changing at Bluefield College! The long- awaited expansion of the Science Center is occurring as steel is being erected to make way for a third floor. The $2.7 million project will provide new academic space for biology and nursing. The additional space also will allow for expansion of our nursing offerings to include a four-year undergraduate nursing program. We are excited about the educational enhancements this added space will bring, as well as grateful for the visionary leadership of those 25 years ago who designed the Science Center and have made this expansion possible. Visit the college’s website to see the progress: bluefield.edu/sciencecenter. As I reflect on the past academic year, I am amazed by what was achieved and how richly God has blessed Bluefield College. While you will read in the pages that follow about many of these blessings, there are several that stand out as significant mile-markers in the life of the college, including: • the successful launch of the Master of Business Administration (MBA) degree (the college’s third master’s program); • the approval to start in the coming academic year a Master of Arts in Biomedical Sciences in Blacksburg on the campus of Via College of Osteopathic Medicine; • the first named school at the college: the Dr. Donald W. Caudill School of Business; and • the creation of an associate’s degree in ministerial leadership with initial church partners being

Highlands Fellowship Church in Abingdon, Virginia, and Columbia Baptist Church in Falls Church, Virginia.

More importantly than what we construct or create, our focus remains on our students and our mission to develop transformational servant leaders within the context of a Christ-centered learning community who will impact the world. We seek to graduate students who understand their life calling and are committed to living into that calling through their vocation and service. You will learn about several alumni who are doing just that, graduates like Baraka Kasongo and his language interpretation company; Jennifer Brewster who is fulfilling her calling to teach; and David Kessler and the impact he is making through sports. These are just a few of our heroes. There are many, many more who are making a difference in the lives of others in the communities in which they work and serve, and we salute all of you! Bluefield College is an amazing place with a tremendous mission. We have phenomenal alumni and friends, and we give thanks to you for your involvement with and investment in our students and our collective mission of transforming lives!

Partnering with you in faithful service,

1 David W. Olive President