Whitlock named president of Oklahoma Baptist University
By Staff
BOLIVAR—David W. Whitlock, associate provost and dean of the college of business at Southwest Baptist University (SBU), has been named as the 15th president of Oklahoma Baptist University (OBU), Alton Fannin, chairman of the OBU board of trustees, announced Oct. 10.
Whitlock will assume the presidency of OBU on Nov. 3.
“I see now how God has been preparing me each step along the way to serve in this day and in this place,” Whitlock said during a campus-wide announcement of his presidency. “So I pledge to you today that I will be a faithful steward of my experience for the betterment of this university.”
Whitlock’s tenure will follow the 12-month tenure of John W. Parrish, who has served as OBU’s interim president following the retirement of Mark Brister in November 2007. Brister served as OBU’s 14th president from 1998-2007.
Whitlock has served on the administration of SBU since 1999. He also is a professor of business at the university. He has served as associate provost since 2006 and has helped coordinate SBU’s five-year strategic plan.
In statement released Oct. 13 by SBU, Whitlock said, “I am so grateful for the opportunity to have served with the tremendous faculty, staff, and students at SBU. I am particularly grateful to Dr. Gordon Dutile and President (C. Pat) Taylor for their encouragement and support while at SBU and through the process leading to this new opportunity. Both men have become great friends and valued mentors. I leave many dear friends at SBU and will particularly miss my colleagues in the College of Business and Computer Science and on the Deans Council. Each of them has made me a better educator and a better person.”