Southwest Baptist University News Release
Contact: Sharina Smith, Office of Marketing & Communications
BOLIVAR, Mo. – Southwest Baptist University announced that it will rename its University Success Center after Ed and Theo Clark. The University Success Center, located in Mabee Chapel on the Bolivar campus, is a department that serves all first-year students to help them transition from high school to university life.
Dr. Clark began SBU’s accounting department and later served as chief financial officer at the University. Theo served the University as dean of women.
SBU Accounting Department Chair and Assistant Professor Wayne Clark and his wife Lee Ann, have generously given a lead gift in honor of his parents for the chapel renovation project.
Many of Dr. Clark’s former students also have given contributions in his honor. Following are quotes from two former students:
Nita Jane Ayres ‘79
“My teachers and instructors made a terrific impact on my life. But Dr. Ed Clark stands out above all others. He was the instructor for most of the upper level accounting classes I took to secure my degree in accounting. However, it was not an accounting class he taught that made the most impact on me. It was the way he conducted his life and the business ethics class he taught that made the most significant impact on me. He did not just teach; he set an example of how to conduct and operate a business with integrity. Dr. Clark’s influence has made a lasting impact on my life and it is a privilege to be able to give back to Southwest Baptist in his honor and more importantly to remind people to give praise and glory to God through the way we conduct our lives. “
Roger M. Driskill ‘71
“It was my privilege to be a student of B.E. Clark in several courses at Bolivar. When you were in his class, you knew school was in session. Dr. Clark’s lectures were a model of clarity and structure in teaching complex topics and subject matter. He made the class come alive and generated in students a desire to perform quality work. I value highly the opportunity to have been one of his students. Any effort to honor his academic career is a very worthy objective.”
Any former students or colleagues interested in making a gift in honor of Ed and Theo Clark for the Mabee Chapel renovation project, please call 417-328-1528.
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Southwest Baptist University is a leader among private universities in truly integrating Christ-centered academic pursuits with comprehensive professional programs at an affordable price. Since 1878, the faculty and staff have created a caring, academic community to prepare students to be servant leaders in a global society. The University has been named one of America’s Best Christian Colleges® for 13 consecutive years, one of America’s 100 Best College Buys® for 14 consecutive years, and it has been named among institutions with America’s Best College Scholarships ® for the past three years by Institutional Research and Evaluation, Inc. For more information, visit www.SBUniv.edu.
SBU’s Office of Marketing & Communications is available to news media 24/7 at 417-399-7918.
