Brite president to support goals of predecessors
By Catherine Pillsbury
Staff Reporter

Newell Williams has been building on the work of his predecessors for the past few months since he became the eighth president of the Brite Divinity School.

“I am delighted with his vision,” said, David Gouwens, the interim dean of the Brite school. “He combines a strong variety of church history with preparing men and women to serve in the ministry.”

Williams, who served as Brite’s associate and assistant dean between 1978 and 1984, was hired as president June 2. He said he doesn’t plan on changing things but to support the goals that the staff already has.

“I would like to help the dreams and plans that the trustees and faculty have developed here,” Williams said. “I don’t see myself as bringing a new agenda to Brite, but simply bringing my energy and commitment to join what is already here.”

Part of Williams’ job is to continue to help raise funds for building expansions and the Latino and Korean ministries, and to support families of students in the doctorate program.

“These programs are incredibly expensive and will cost a certain amount of dollars,” Williams said. “So part of what I need to help happen is the raising of the funds.”

According to the Brite Web site, Williams came to Fort Worth after teaching church history at Christian Theological School since 1984 and serving as their vice president and dean from 1992 to 1998.

He was associate professor of American and Modern church history from 1984 to 1992 and said an important part of what he does is helping others to understand the history of the Christian Church, according to the site.

“Understanding the church history is critical in forming leadership in pastors,” Williams said.

Raymound Sommerville, assistant professor of church history at CTS, said there has been a void since Williams left Indianapolis.

“He did quite a bit at CTS and was the leading historian,” Sommerville said. “He kept us in line with the history of the Disciples of Christ.”

Williams said he only taught one or two classes a year as associate dean of Brite in the early 1980s, and his interaction tended to be with Brite students.

He also recruited students and got to know them well, but wanted the opportunity to know them in the classroom rather than just as an administrator, Williams said.

“I went to CTS 19 years ago because I wanted to be a teacher, pure and simple,” Williams said.

After eight years of teaching, CTS asked Williams to serve as dean and after much deliberation, Williams accepted.

Williams said he is excited about his three-year contract and looks forward to working with the faculty and trustees to make Brite a better school.

“I see myself bringing to Brite not a plan but a commitment and energy around helping the school to move forward,” Williams said. “This is a perfect fit. This school is doing what I started out to do.”