President John C. Bowling reaches milestone in serving Olivet Nazarene University

Bourbonnais, IL (09/19/2017) — On the morning of Tuesday, Sept. 19, 2017, Dr. John C. Bowling crossed an invisible boundary and became the longest serving president in the 110-year history of Olivet Nazarene University (ONU). Entering his 27th year, Dr. Bowling surpassed his longtime mentor and friend, former president Dr. Harold W. Reed, who served as the 10th Olivet president from 1949 to 1975.

The Olivet Board of Trustees will formally recognize Dr. Bowling's achievement as the longest tenured president at the fall meeting of the Trustees, Oct. 3 and 4, on campus.

For those who want to share their congratulations and memories with Dr. Bowling, use #thanksdrb hashtag on social media or email thanksdrbowling@olivet.edu.

"Dr. Bowling is one of the finest university presidents in all of higher education," said Dr. David Roland, chair of the ONU Board of Trustees. "We are so blessed that God led him to Olivet. He serves with great distinction, and his work is not done. I believe some of Dr. Bowling's most significant days as president are yet to come. It is my privilege to congratulate Dr. Bowling for his exceptional leadership on behalf of the entire ONU Board of Trustees."

Dr. Bowling was elected as the 12th president of Olivet during a meeting of the Board of Trustees, in the early hours of the morning on July 16, 1991. At the time of his election, Dr. Bowling was serving as the senior pastor of College Church of the Nazarene in Bourbonnais, Illinois.

An Olivet alumnus, Dr. Bowling is a Harvard University Fellow with two master's and two earned doctorate degrees. He is also a best-selling author, a prominent national speaker and is recognized internationally as an outstanding leader in higher education.

During Dr. Bowling's tenure, Olivet's enrollment has more than doubled. Through the School of Graduate and Continuing Studies, the University, too, has a stronger national presence, as well as a stronger international reach through graduate studies in Hong Kong. In 2007, Dr. Bowling led in establishing the University's first doctoral degree program.

He has overseen several major developments to the campus, including acquisition of the 30-acre Fortin Villa property for ROTC and intramurals, as well as construction of the Admissions Center; Weber Center; the 3,000-seat Centennial Chapel (dedicated in 2010); the 180,000-square-foot Perry Student Life and Recreation Center (opened in 2012); and the engineering expansion of Reed Hall of Science (opened in 2014).

Dr. Bowling is largely credited for bringing the Chicago Bears Training Camp to the Olivet campus and the Bourbonnais community in 2002. The University has been named one of the top 25 "Best Christian Workplaces" in the United States by the Best Christian Workplaces Institute for several consecutive years - with consistently high scores for the "degree of trust between senior leadership and employees."

"On behalf of the entire student body, we love our president!" said Tommy Lambrecht, a junior and the 2017-2018 ONU student body president. "He and First Lady Jill Bowling are right there with us through our four years at Olivet. We are grateful for their investment in our lives."

Olivet Nazarene University is an accredited Christian, liberal arts university offering more than 140 areas of undergraduate and graduate study, including the Doctor of Education in ethical leadership. Olivet's 275-acre park-like main campus is in Bourbonnais, Illinois, 50 miles south of Chicago. Additional sites are in Rolling Meadows and Oak Brook, Illinois; Indianapolis, Indiana; Grand Rapids and Grand Ledge, Michigan; Hong Kong; and more than 100 School of Graduate and Continuing Studies learning locations throughout Chicagoland and the Midwest. From Oxford to Tokyo, hundreds of Olivet students also experience the global classroom each year through study abroad opportunities, internships and worldwide mission trips.

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Contact:

Laura Warfel

Public Relations Specialist

Olivet Nazarene University

Bourbonnais, IL 60914

olivet.edu

815-928-5403

lwwarfel@olivet.edu

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