Loren Gresham, president of Southern Nazarene University in Bethany, Oklahoma, will be speaking to the congregation of Greenbrier Valley Church of the Nazarene this Sunday, Mar. 1, in the 10:30 a.m. worship service.
Dr. Gresham is in the area with the SNU Foundation Board of Directors, who have been meeting this week at The Greenbrier.
Dr. Gresham has served as president of the university since 1989, making him not only the longest tenured president among the eight Nazarene institutions of higher education in North America but also the longest tenured president currently serving at any college or university in Oklahoma.
“For nearly four decades it has been my personal and professional privilege to watch Loren Gresham focus his professional career on training . . . its students, athletes and co-workers . . . through the roles of coaching and teaching to administrative responsibilities, culminating with challenges held with the presidency of a private university,” commented J. Michael Crabtree, Assistant to the President as Southern Nazarene University.
Gresham earned a bachelor of arts degree at Pasadena College, (now Point Loma Nazarene University) in 1962. He continued studies at the University of Southern California, earning a master of arts degree in international relations. In 1964 he married Linda Brown, a former classmate at Pasadena (Nazarene) College and daughter of W. Shelburne Brown, president of the college.
In 1967 Gresham, Linda, and daughter, Suzanne, moved to Bethany, Oklahoma, where he became professor of political science at Southern Nazarene University. He resumed graduate studies in that discipline at the University of Oklahoma, completing his Ph.D. degree in 1973.
Gresham became assistant coach and later head coach of the college men’s intercollegiate team, which achieved a national championship in the National Association of Intercollegiate Athletics in 1981.
In 1985, Gresham became provost of the college, and in 1989 the Board of Trustees elected him president of the institution.
“Across these years Dr. Gresham has maintained a caring-personal nature whether interacting with students, parents or donors; has led by example the “Christ-servant leadership” model, living out a life-style of integrity, a high level of intellectual ethics, a loving son-father and husband, and a man of Christian character,” stated Crabtree.
“Dr. Gresham has put SNU on the map in greater Oklahoma City area,” said Peggy Poteet, professor of English and chair of the Division of Cultural and Communication Studies at the university. “He serves on the board of directors of such influential organizations as the YMCA of Metro Oklahoma City, Integris Baptist Medical Center, Community Bank of OKC, and OKC Chamber of Commerce, making SNU a familiar and respected presence in the OKC community. He helped to establish the Peer Learning Network, which helps to bring nationally known business leaders to the campus and attracts influential CEOs in the area as well.”
Dr. Gresham has chaired the NAIA Council of Presidents, as well as serving on the Board of Directors for the National Association of Independent Colleges and Universities. He has chaired the Council of Christian Colleges and Universities (CCCU) Board of Directors for four years (CCCU is an organization that includes more than 111 Christian colleges and universities across the nation).
Greenbrier Valley Church of the Nazarene is located at Davis Stuart Road and Dawkins Drive in Fairlea, approximately one-half mile south of Greenbrier Valley Medical Center. The Rev. Glen Thaxton is pastor. The church’s web site is accessed at gvnazarene.org.
