Travis L. Frampton
President, University of Dubuque
Travis l. Frampton, Ph.D., began his tenure June 1 as twelfth President of the University of Dubuque in Iowa, which includes leadership of the Dubuque School of Theology. He succeeds the Rev. Jeffrey F. Bullock, Ph.D., who had served in the role for 25 years.
Frampton previously served for five years as provost and vice president for academic affairs at Schreiner University in Kerrville, Texas.
He holds a Bachelor of Arts degree in religion from Samford University, his Master of Arts in religion from Yale Divinity School, and a dual Ph.D. in philosophy and religion from Erasmus Universiteit Rotterdam (philosophy) in The Netherlands and Baylor University (religion).
He and his spouse, Tonya, have three children, Blake, Benjamin, and Brody.
Jonathan Strom
Dean, Candler School of Theology
Jonathan Strom, Ph.D., professor of Church History at the Candler School of Theology of Emory University in Atlanta, Georgia, was appointed Mary Lee Hardin Willard Dean of the School for a term of two years. He began his new role in August, succeeding Jan Love, Ph.D., who is taking a year of leave after 17 years in the role; she will return to the faculty for an academic year before retiring.
A scholar of Church History, Strom earned a Bachelor of Arts degree from St. Olaf College in Minnesota, a Master of Theological Studies from Harvard University and a Ph.D. from the University of Chicago.
He joined Candler’s faculty in 1997 and has held several administrative leadership positions, including seven years as associate dean and as acting dean between 2019 and 2021.
Louis Benedict Studer
President, Oblate School of Theology
Rev. Louis Benedict Studer, OMI, former Provincial for the U.S. Province of the Missionary Oblates of Mary Immaculate, was appointed in July as the 20th president of Oblate School of Theology of San Antonio, Texas, by the school’s Board of Trustees following a nationwide search.
Studer made his initial vows as an Oblate in 1972 and perpetual vows in 1975 before assuming a number of leadership roles with the Office of the Missionary Oblates of Mary Immaculate United States Province (OMIUSA) in 2011. From 2017 until 2023, he served as the Provincial of OMIUSA, located in Washington, DC.
He earned a Bachelor of Arts degree in Sociology from Lewis University, a Master of Divinity from Weston Jesuit School of Theology, a Master of Science in Education from Southern Illinois University Edwardsville, and a Doctor of Education from Saint Louis University.
Andy Miller III
President, Wesley Biblical Seminary
Wesley Biblical Seminary’s Board of Trustees announced in July the appointment of Andy Miller III, Ph.D., as the ninth President of the Ridgeland, Mississippi, seminary. Miller previously served as Dean and Vice President of Academic Affairs, and is the ninth permanent president to lead the seminary, founded in 1974.
Prior to joining WBS in 2021, Miller had an extensive ministry in the Salvation Army, serving as a pastor, leader, and administrator as a Corps Officer and Area Commander.
The author of three books, he holds a Doctor of Ministry from Perkins School of Theology (Southern Methodist University) and is completing a Ph.D. in historical theology with Nazarene Theological College (University of Manchester). He is also an alumnus of Asbury Theological Seminary and Asbury University.
Miller and his wife, Abby Adams Miller, who served with him as a Salvation Army Officer, have three children.
Jeff Eirvin
President-Rector, Mount Angel Seminary
An alumnus of Mount Angel Seminary in Saint Benedict, Oregon, was installed in August as the its 10th president-rector by Abbot Jeremy Driscoll, abbot and chancellor of Mount Angel Abbey and Seminary.
The Very Rev. Jeff Eirvin, S.T.L., a priest of the Archdiocese of Portland, Oregon, was ordained in 2012, served in parish ministry and as Director of Vocations for the Archdiocese of Portland, and held leadership positions in the National Conference of Diocesan Vocation Directors (NCDVD), including as president.
From 2014 to 2017, Eirvin taught at Mount Angel Seminary as an adjunct professor. He has participated in spiritual direction training and taught courses at the Institute for Priestly Formation (IPF) as a member of the IPF Priests of St. Joseph. Before he was appointed president-rector, Eirvin served as pastor of St. Therese Parish in Portland, Oregon.
Scott Bader-Saye
Dean and President, Seminary of the Southwest
Seminary of the Southwest’s Board of Trustees has appointed Scott Bader-Saye, Ph.D., as the ninth Dean and President of Seminary, located in Austin, Texas. Bader-Saye assumed office July 1, after joining the faculty in 2009 and serving as academic dean since 2013.
Bader-Saye succeeds the Very Rev. Cynthia Briggs Kittredge, who concluded her term on June 30, 2024; the Board has conferred on her Dean emerita status.
Prior to coming to the seminary, Bader-Saye taught for 12 years in the religion department at the University of Scranton. The author of several books, he holds a Ph.D. from Duke University, an M.Div. from Yale Divinity School, and a B.A. from Davidson College.
He and his wife, the Rev. Demery Bader-Saye, have three children.
Jon S. Bruss
President, Concordia Theological Seminary
Concordia Theological Seminary’s Board of Regents selected John S. Bruss, Ph.D.a longstanding Classics scholar, editor, and pastor, as the seminary’s 17th President.
Installed in September, Bruss joined the Concordia faculty in 2022 after serving as a pastor for St. John’s Evangelical Lutheran Church in Topeka, Kan., and holding faculty positions at his undergraduate alma mater, St. Olaf College; The University of the South; and University of Kansas.
He earned an M.A. and Ph.D. in 2001 in Classics at the University of Minnesota, and served on the Board of Directors of the Concordia University System. He succeeds Lawrence R. Rast, Jr., Ph.D., who returned to the faculty as professor of historical theology.
Paul Sniegowski
Earlham College and Earlham School of Religion
Paul Sniegowski, Ph.D., assumed office in August as the 21st president of Earlham College and Earlham School of Religion in Richmond, Indiana.
Sniegowski previously served as the Stephen A. Levin Family Dean of the College of Arts and Sciences and as a professor of biology at the University of Pennsylvania, where he was responsible for the undergraduate liberal arts curricula and interdisciplinary programs across the humanities and social and natural sciences.
An award-winning teacher and widely published scholar on evolutionary and population genetic theory, he also engages with public audiences to promote better understanding of science.
An Indiana native, he received his bachelor’s degree in music from the Indiana University School of Music; an M.A. in biology from Indiana University, Bloomington; and his Ph.D. from the University of Chicago. He joined Penn’s Department of Biology in 1997 after a postdoctoral fellowship at Michigan State University.
Sniegowski and his spouse and partner, Gail Kienitz, have two children.
Peter Rice
Dean, Harding School of Theology
Harding University College of Bible and Ministry has named Peter Rice, Ph.D., as Dean of Harding School of Theology in Searcy, Arkansas. Rice will be responsible for casting a vision for the future of HST and leading the HST faculty and staff.
Rice earned a Bachelor of Science degree in Psychology and Vocational Ministry from Oklahoma Christian University, Master of Divinity from Abilene Christian University, and his Ph.D. in Biblical Studies from Baylor University. He joined the faculty at Harding in 2013.
He and his wife, Abby, have three children.
He succeeds Dr. Mark Powell, who served for more than two decades as a member of the faculty and dean. Powell will continue as an adjunct member of the faculty.