The opportunity to serve one’s alma mater in any capacity is something to be cherished. Since graduating from CSU, it has always held a special place in my heart. Attending first as a night student while serving in the Navy and then as a commuting regular day student until graduation, I was able to see a broader picture of the entire university. Having attended and led undergraduate, graduate, and professional programs at three different schools – different in size, scope, and mission – has allowed me to gauge my experience at CSU against that at other schools. CSU has always risen to the top.

Being a first-generation high school graduate in my family has shown me how pivotal an education really is. Education done right – like at Charleston Southern University – transforms lives. My time in the service (U.S. Navy) helped me to understand the need for excellence in everything that we do, and it emphasized the importance of integrity. I gained an appreciation of the power of a team. My law school and business school experiences revealed the beauty of being pushed harder academically than I had ever been pushed before. The analytical and critical thinking skills honed in law school particularly have helped me to be a better thinker, writer, and advocate.

My time in Christian higher education has helped me to see the power of Christ in unifying all things. Faith and inquiry are not at odds but are clarified and unified through Him. I have been privileged to serve as the dean of three law schools and a business school. These experiences have shown me that developing students – academically, professionally, personally, and spiritually – is what excites me. I really enjoyed practicing law, but I love being a professor, dean, and president because our team is training the next generation of servant leaders to go out and fulfill the Great Commission.

My faith journey has shown me the power of the Holy Spirit in our lives and fully trusting in the Trinity is the key to success in all aspects of life.

At the outset, as president I want to serve the CSU community. I believe that my role as president is to lead and create the climate for success for students, faculty and staff, athletics, and alumni. In order to succeed, it takes a team. CSU’s team is defined by faithfulness and excellence. Our team will evaluate opportunities to improve and expand by using our mission as the lens through which we make decisions. And once decisions are made, we will execute them with excellence and precision.

It is my intention to work with the team to bring some long-awaited projects to completion – namely the construction of a convocation center and the successful completion of our Limitless Campaign. Other priorities will be growing our student body, expanding and strengthening academic programs, developing innovative partnerships, expanding missions, focusing on career outcomes and possibilities for our graduates and students, improving campus culture, and improving the physical and fiscal landscape of the university. All of this takes imagination, planning, execution, and faith.

Our team’s focus will be delivering a first class experience to our community at every level. As your president, I can promise that I will get up every day focused on making CSU a first-choice university for every prospective student and a place where every alumnus can become even more proud to have attended.

With Christ serving as not only our cornerstone, but also as our entire foundation, CSU’s future is indeed Limitless.