Nigerian Baptist Educators Visit Texas Counterparts
Eight faculty and staff members of Bowen University, located in Iwo, Nigeria, visited the Hardin-Simmons University campus Feb. 18-21 for a fact-finding visit with their fellow Baptist educators. Founded in 2001, Bowen University already counts over 4,000 students, and their administration believes that a mutual exchange of ideas, strategy, and encouragement is vital to their continuing success.
HSU Provost Dr. Bill Ellis says, "Because Bowen University is such a rapidly growing Christian university, it was stimulating to our faculty and staff to have an opportunity to exchange ideas and strategies with our Bowen guests regarding what makes a university successful. As a part of a well-established university, I found it very gratifying to be able to offer them advice in dealing with their enormous challenges and opportunities in Nigeria, and I anticipate that HSU and Bowen will continue our relationships, as sister Baptist institutions."
Bowen University is connected to the higher education system of the Nigeria Baptist Convention (NBC), and the Baptist General Convention of Texas and the NBC established a formal ministry partnership in 2005. One emphasis within the partnership has focused on higher education. Three teams of Baptist Student Ministries students from across Texas have ministered on the Bowen campus in the past two years and professors from Logsdon have been involved in short-term teaching assignments at the Nigeria Baptist Theological Seminary for the past three years.
Representatives from Bowen's registrar's office, finance office, and agriculture, physics, sociology, computer science, mathematics, and microbiology disciplines met with representatives from the BGCT Monday night. They then spent the week in meetings, chapel, discussing business and teaching methods with their HSU peers, touring the campus, touring Abilene, and in meetings with representatives from First Baptist Church.
Curious about our western heritage, the group made their farewell stop the Six White Horses Center, and a few adventurous souls took turns riding Powder around the barnyard before a final group portrait.
Bowen University is named after Reverend Thomas Jefferson Bowen who pioneered Baptist work in Nigeria in 1850. The idea of a Nigerian Baptist university was conceived in 1938 and was endorsed in 1957 by the Nigerian Baptist Convention. After it obtained government approval to operate in 2001, Bowen opened its doors in the fall of 2002, and held its first commencement in November 2006.
Written by Dave Coffield
HSU Director of Public Relations
dcoffield@hsutx.edu