May 20, 2013
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Dr. G. Blair and Chris Dowden walking in their final Huntington University Commencement on May 18, 2013.
by Steve Dennie (left), Communications Director
Dr. G. Blair Dowden is retiring at the end of May 2013 after 22 years as president of Huntington University. It’s been a great run. Under his leadership, enrollment has doubled and the endowment has tripled. A number of buildings have been renovated or built from scratch. Exciting programs have been launched, including Digital Media Arts, Nursing, and several master’s programs. There is a branch campus in Fort Wayne, and an upcoming one in Peoria, Ariz. Huntington’s stature as a quality institution has soared.
Dr. Dowden has led the university far, and has led it well. In the process, our denominational college has remained solidly evangelical. I’ve noticed over the years that people scrutinize Christian colleges for signs of “going liberal.” I have no concerns about that with Huntington. A university, with its emphasis on academic freedom and investigating the full range of ideas and theories (and satisfying accreditation needs), will inevitably encounter tension living in partnership with a church organization that values absolute truth. But Dr. Dowden has served the needs of both the college and the denomination with integrity and the best of intentions, and from a heart devoted to Jesus Christ.
We have been privileged to have Dr. Dowden, and his wife Chris, leading our college for all of these years.
On May 15, I sat down with Dr. Dowden for an exit interview of sorts.
What is in the immediate future for you and Chris?
We were given good advice to take a sabbatical. We’ll spend six months at our lake cottage in Indiana, and do some traveling. We’re going to the Holy Land in October with Denny Miller, and will probably do some other traveling. We’re thinking of taking two weeks on Route 66 and see where it leads. We’ve rented a place in Venice, Fla., for three months, starting in mid-January of 2014.
And then it’s a matter of discerning where God can use our experience and gifts. I’ve received some inquiries about various things, but I respond, “Why don’t you contact me in December, and then we can talk.” So that’s where we’re headed.
Bishop C. Ray Miller (left) conducting the inauguration of Dr. Dowden in 1991 (kneeling, with wife Chris).
You followed Dr. Eugene Habecker, a very successful president who transformed the college. Did following in those footsteps intimidate you?
It was intimidating to some extent, knowing how successful Eugene was. He was a very good president, and he really changed the course of Huntington, as did the contributions of Orville and Ruth Merillat. I was fortunate to inherit all of that. But it was a little scary to think I’m following a very successful leader.
I knew Gene Habecker before I became president. He actually contacted me and asked me to consider coming. The year before, Gene came to Houghton College, where I had been serving, and did a presentation on the future of higher education. I was part of a faculty panel that responded to his address. Little did I know that he would call me and suggest I apply.
What interactions did you have with your predecessors?
Gene was a fantastic former president, and a great encouragement to me. One of the best practices for a former president is to get away. Gene and Mary Lou were that way. He sent me notes of congratulations, and was always there if I had questions or needed something, but he was never intrusive. He did not hold on to relationships. When he came back to campus, he always called first to let me know he was here. He has been a good friend over the years.
Dewitt and Evelyn Baker were super. When I first came, Dewitt was president emeritus, and he was still involved in contacting alumni. He contacted alumni in Florida during the winter and generated a large group, 70-100, for gatherings there. DeWitt always had a kind word, never a criticism. Since his death in 2000, Evelyn has been so gracious and kind.
I’m sure you came to Huntington with certain priorities and agendas. Were you able to stick to them, or did you get distracted into other urgent needs?
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The two main hotels for this summer’s US National Conference, the Hilton and Courtyard by Marriott, are mostly filled up. But we just (as of May 16) secured a block of rooms at the Hyatt Place. It’s nice hotel located 4.6 miles (13 minutes) from the Grand Wayne Center, our meeting place.
