CIU Today Fall 2017

CIU’s Seventh President Takes the Reins

By Bob Holmes

“I like to grow things.”

hat’s how Dr. Mark A. Smith introduced himself at a

luncheon for CIU scholarship donors last spring, one

of his first opportunities to shake hands with CIU alumni and

friends. And Smith’s track record shows that when he follows his

passion, things happen.

Smith, 51, comes to CIU from Ohio Christian University

(OCU) where he served as president for 11 years, increasing

enrollment from 400 to approximately 4,600 students during his

tenure. In addition, under Smith the university opened 14 sites

in rural areas for student learning and began offering online

educational programs. Smith also directed $30 million in capital

construction projects and the increase of university personnel

from 50 to approximately 800 employees.

Prior to coming to OCU, Smith served as vice president for

adult and graduate studies at Indiana Wesleyan University

where he oversaw the doubling of enrollment from

approximately 5,000 to 10,000 students in four years.

Smith says his assignment from the CIU Board of Trustees is to

grow enrollment at CIU.

“We’ll try our best, but only if God is the builder will it grow,”

Smith said at the luncheon. “It will be as God leads and directs

our lives. As the Holy Spirit shows us the right place to invest.

But it will be bathed in prayer as we focus on getting as many

people as we can to go to the nations to reach the world for

Jesus Christ.”

In an interview with CIU Today, Smith said it is CIU’s nearly

100-year-old reputation for Bible-centered learning and world

evangelization that drew him to the school.

“I’m a Bible college guy,” Smith began. “My whole life has

been about being involved in ministry and missions. As I

began to explore opportunities that were coming to me, I

quickly understood that it was important for me to stay true

to what I felt God had called me to do, and that is preparing

a new generation of ministers, missionaries and ministering

professionals for the day that we live in.”

“Christ Spoke to my Heart”

Smith was raised on a farm in Southwestern Virginia near

the town of Galax. His parents faithfully took him to church,

including a fall revival meeting that changed his life when he

was 10 years old.

“Christ spoke to my heart. I was convicted of my sin and

couldn’t wait until the preacher got done to go forward and

give my life to Jesus Christ,” Smith fondly recalls. “I’ve certainly

not been perfect in any manner, but I gave Christ my life then

and have followed Christ since that time.”

Smith says he was called to ministry early in his college career

after initially planning to be a veterinarian. While he was ready

to study for eight years in college to prepare to be a vet, he

sensed the Lord asking if he would be willing to instead use

eight years of education to prepare for ministry, specifically to

become a Bible college administrator.

“I realized we were heading toward a day in which accreditation

was going to require a much higher level of education to run a

Bible college or university,” Smith said. “So I began to prepare

myself for that at the age of 20.”

Through prayer Smith set some ambitious goals: a bachelor’s

degree by age 22, a master’s degree by 25, a doctorate

by 30, author a book and pastor a church by 35, and gain

administrative experience by 40. He was just tad ahead of

schedule.

“All of those happened, and at 39, I was named the president

of Ohio Christian University,” Smith said.

“I will give everything to CIU and try to learn and try to understand and

try to be faithful to what God has called you and me to do with regard

to Christ and the nations.”

CIU Today