Seasoned senior administrator named George Fox provost

December 14th, 2007

Patrick Allen, provost at Southern Nazarene University, brings more than 20 years of experience in Christian higher education administration to George Fox University’s top academic post

NEWBERG, Ore. (Dec. 14, 2007) – Patrick Allen, who has served as the chief academic officer at three universities over the last two decades, will be the next provost at George Fox University.

Allen, provost at Southern Nazarene University in Bethany, Okla., will start July 1.

President Robin Baker made the announcement Dec. 14, culminating a search that became necessary when Baker vacated the provost position to become George Fox president on July 1. At George Fox, the provost is the chief academic officer of the institution and is responsible for all academic staff and resources.

“Dr. Allen came highly recommended by several active university presidents, and we are very pleased that he and his wife Lori will be joining us,” Baker said. “He has been a successful leader at other universities that share our Christ-centered mission. His extensive experience in the academic operation of an institution of higher education will allow me to effectively commit time to my role as president.”

Allen has spent nearly his entire career in Christian higher education, including more than 20 years as a senior academic administrator. At Southern Nazarene, he has been responsible for all day-to-day campus operations, including academics, student life, spiritual development, athletics, human resources, and strategic planning on two campuses.

“Lori and I are excited to join the George Fox family,” Allen said. “We are so impressed with the deep sense of heritage, the strong faculty and staff, the energetic leadership, and the vision for the future of George Fox. We are eager to come to Oregon and help make the dreams for George Fox a reality.”

Prior to his move to Southern Nazarene in 2005, he served 10 years as provost and chief academic officer at 4,000-student Point Loma Nazarene University in San Diego. During his tenure, Point Loma underwent a transition from college to university status, expanded to three off-campus teaching sites, and added several graduate programs, a Center of Women’s Studies, and a Center for Justice and Reconciliation.

Previous to Point Loma, Allen served as vice president for academic affairs at Anderson University in Indiana, and as dean of the School of Business and Lloyd Pickrell Distinguished Professor of Management at Friends University in Wichita, Kan. He also served earlier in his career at Southern Nazarene, and at MidAmerica Nazarene University in Olathe, Kan.

Chuck Conniry, director of the Doctor of Ministry program at George Fox Evangelical Seminary, served as chair of the George Fox provost selection committee. “Dr. Allen is both a visionary and a manager; an entrepreneur and an administrator extraordinaire,” Conniry said. “He brings the perfect complement to President Baker’s administrative gifts. My colleagues on the search committee are very pleased with the outcome of this process.”

Allen’s areas of expertise include university planning, regional accreditation, organizational development, and the philosophy of higher education.

Allen earned a doctorate in higher education from the University of Oklahoma, where he specialized in the history and philosophy of higher education, organization theory, and management history. He also holds a master of science in management degree from Southern Nazarene University, a master of arts degree in liberal arts from Southern Methodist University, and a bachelor of arts degree in psychology from Olivet Nazarene University.

Known for his humor, quick wit, and stories about his childhood, Allen speaks often in churches, chapels, retreats, and banquet occasions. In his professional speaking and writing, he often addresses how community can be developed and sustained, and how the traditional values of higher education can be nurtured in a Christian setting. He has traveled extensively, at times leading student trips; he has taken more than 25 different student groups to Europe alone. He plays guitar and was a member of a local bluegrass band in San Diego – the Loma Bottom Boys.

Jim Foster, previously dean of the George Fox School of Behavioral and Health Sciences, will continue to serve as interim provost until July.

George Fox University is the only evangelical Christian university in the Pacific Northwest classified by U.S. News & World Report as a national university. More than 3,200 students attend classes on the university’s campus in Newberg, Ore., and at teaching centers in Portland, Salem, and Redmond Ore., and Boise, Idaho. George Fox offers bachelor’s degrees in more than 40 majors, degree-completion programs for working adults, five seminary degrees, and 12 master’s and doctoral degrees

Note to Editors: A high resolution photo of Patrick Allen and his resume are available online