]BOLIVAR – Southwest Baptist University received the Large Business of the Year award from the Bolivar Area Chamber of Commerce on Nov. 5.
“One of the neat things about when a prospective student visits our campus is when making that decision to attend SBU, they look at the community,” said Dr. Rob Harris, vice president for student development, when he accepted the award. “They go and eat at places in Bolivar and they find out if this is the community they want to be in. Time and time and time again, we hear, ‘We like it here. We like the caring atmosphere.’ So people of Bolivar and businesses, thank you for this award and thank you for your efforts to make this community thrive.”
SBU President C. Pat Taylor was unable to accept the award because he was out of town on personal business, but he was thrilled to hear that SBU had received the award.
“Being selected for this award is such an honor,” Taylor said. “SBU was founded in 1878 in Lebanon, Mo., and moved to Bolivar in 1879, thanks to the generosity of the people of Bolivar. Throughout our history and still today, Bolivar residents are among SBU’s biggest supporters.
“For years, SBU has enjoyed being part of the Bolivar community, and it is always our goal to be a positive contributor to Bolivar and the people who live here,” Taylor said.