Robert Bryan Sloan Jr. (born 1949) is an American academic and theologian. He has been the president of

Houston Baptist University Houston Christian University (HCU), formerly Houston Baptist University, is a private Baptist university in Houston, Texas. It is affiliated with the Baptist General Convention of Texas (Southern Baptist Convention). Its Cultural Arts Center hou ...

since 2006.

Education and background

Sloan was born in

Coleman, Texas Coleman is a town in and the county seat of Coleman County, Texas, United States. As of the 2010 census, its population was 4,709. Geography Coleman is located north of the center of Coleman County at (31.827694, −99.425689). U.S. Routes 84 a ...

, and grew up in Abilene, Texas. He earned his

B.A. Bachelor of arts (BA or AB; from the Latin ', ', or ') is a bachelor's degree awarded for an undergraduate program in the arts, or, in some cases, other disciplines. A Bachelor of Arts degree course is generally completed in three or four yea ...

from

Baylor University Baylor University is a private Baptist Christian research university in Waco, Texas. Baylor was chartered in 1845 by the last Congress of the Republic of Texas. Baylor is the oldest continuously operating university in Texas and one of the ...

in 1970, and his M.Div from

Princeton Theological Seminary Princeton Theological Seminary (PTSem), officially The Theological Seminary of the Presbyterian Church, is a private school of theology in Princeton, New Jersey. Founded in 1812 under the auspices of Archibald Alexander, the General Assembly of t ...

in 1973. After post-graduate research at the

University of Bristol , mottoeng = earningpromotes one's innate power (from Horace, ''Ode 4.4'') , established = 1595 – Merchant Venturers School1876 – University College, Bristol1909 – received royal charter , type ...

, he earned his D.Th., the Doktor der Theologie degree, from the University of Basel, Switzerland, in 1978. After serving as an adjunct at Hardin-Simmons University and on the faculty of

Southwestern Baptist Theological Seminary The Southwestern Baptist Theological Seminary is a Baptist theological institute in Fort Worth, Texas. It is affiliated with the Southern Baptist Convention. It was established in 1908 and is one of the largest seminaries in the world. It ...

, Sloan joined the Department of Religion faculty at

in 1983, and would eventually become the founding dean of the

George W. Truett Theological Seminary George W. Truett Theological Seminary is a Baptist theological seminary in Waco, Texas. The seminary, named after Southern Baptist preacher George Washington Truett, was founded in 1993 as part of Baylor University and is affiliated with the Ba ...

. He succeeded

Herbert H. Reynolds Herbert Hal Reynolds (March 20, 1930 – May 25, 2007) was an American academic administrator who worked as the president of Baylor University from 1981 to 1995. Early life and education Reynolds was born March 20, 1930, in Frankston, Texas. ...

as president of the university in 1995.

Baylor 2012

In 2002, Sloan unveiled a 42-page plan titled "Baylor 2012," outlining his strategy to transform into a national university with Ph.D. programs and research professors, allowing it "to enter the top tier of American universities while reaffirming and deepening its distinctive Christian mission." His plan included twelve imperatives that were "necessary for Baylor to fulfill the Vision". Opposition to the plan, as well as several controversial financial moves, resulted in Sloan narrowly escaping a 2004 vote to oust him as president, and eventually resigning in 2005. The saga is chronicled in the 2007 book ''The Baylor Project: Taking Christian Higher Education to the Next Level'' ().

Houston Baptist University: The Ten Pillars

Following a brief stint as Baylor's Chancellor in 2005–2006, Sloan served as

visiting scholar In academia, a visiting scholar, visiting researcher, visiting fellow, visiting lecturer, or visiting professor is a scholar from an institution who visits a host university to teach, lecture, or perform research on a topic for which the visitor ...

at the

University of St Andrews (Aien aristeuein) , motto_lang = grc , mottoeng = Ever to ExcelorEver to be the Best , established = , type = Public research university Ancient university , endowment ...

in 2006, before beginning his tenure as president of

on September 1, 2006. In 2008 Sloan, along with the board of trustees, approved a 12-year vision document titled "The Ten Pillars: Faith and Reason in a Great City". The purpose of this plan is to enable the university to "fulfill its responsibility for the renewal of Christian Higher Education."

Other roles

Sloan serves on the board of directors for the

Houston Symphony The Houston Symphony is an American orchestra based in Houston, Texas. The orchestra is resident at the Jesse H. Jones Hall for the Performing Arts. History The first concert of what was to become the Houston Symphony took place on June 21, ...

and the

Greater Houston Partnership The Greater Houston Partnership (GHP) is the largest chamber of commerce in the Houston area. The Partnership is an economic development organization for the Greater Houston area. The mission of the Greater Houston Partnership is to make Houston o ...

in addition to leadership roles on the boards of Memorial Hermann Healthcare Systems - Community Relations, Houston Christian High School, Market Place Chaplains USA, and Orphan Outreach. He is also the publisher of the academic journal, '' The City''.The City website, About
''The City'', Winter 2011, p. 2 Sloan published his first young adult fantasy book in 2016 and its sequel in February 2017. Sloan has pastored churches throughout Texas and beyond. He has also held membership in the Society of Biblical Literature, the

, the National Association of Baptist Professors of Religion, and Studiorum Novi Testamenti Societas.

Publications

*''Perspectives on John: methods and interpretation in the Fourth Gospel'', with Mikeal C. Parsons (1993), *''Foundations for Biblical Interpretation: A Complete Library of Tools and Resources'', with David S. Dockery and Kenneth A. Mathews (1994), *''Romans: Good News for a Troubled World'', with Harry Lucenay and Bob Campbell (2000), *''Hamelin Stoop: The Eagle, the Cave, and the Footbridge'' *''Hamelin Stoop: The Lost Princess and the Jewel of Periluna''

References

External links

Baylor 2012HBU Bio
{{DEFAULTSORT:Sloan, Robert B. Alumni of the University of Bristol Living people 1949 births Baptists from Texas Baylor University alumni Princeton Theological Seminary alumni Presidents of Baylor University Houston Christian University American expatriates in the United Kingdom