Anderson University has named Dr. James Noble as its Vice President for Diversity and Inclusion, tasked with providing leadership to the ongoing institutional focus on enhancing the diversity of Anderson’s faculty, staff and students. Dr. Noble has served in an interim role since November 2018.
Created as a senior leadership post in 2016, the position of Vice President for Diversity and Inclusion’s responsibility is in creating a diverse faculty, staff and student body. Its responsibilities are vitally important in leading the way to achieve Anderson’s institutional mission and academic success of all students.
“Dr. Noble is a gifted professor and administrator,” said Evans P. Whitaker, Ph.D., president of Anderson University. “He is dedicated to Anderson’s mission and is an excellent fit for this role. He understands the value of diversity at a Christian university and will lead us in this area with commitment, strength and wisdom.”
“Diversity is intentional at Anderson University,” Dr. Noble said. “While in the interim position of Vice President for Diversity and Inclusion, I saw firsthand how important diversity is to the students, faculty, staff and administration. I am confident that we will continue to work diligently to accomplish our goals.”
Born and raised in Little Rock, Arkansas, Dr. Noble was a student at the historic Little Rock Central High School, where one of the first major racial integration conflicts arose following the United States Supreme Court’s Brown v. Board of Education decision in 1954.
“I believe people are God’s greatest treasure,” Dr. Noble said. “Because God created all people in His image, the more we love people, the more we show our love for God. At AU, love is the guiding principle in creating a campus where all students thrive.
Dr. Noble in 1996 earned a bachelor degree in theology from Arkansas Baptist College and served as pastor of Traveler’s Rest Baptist Church in Arkansas. He earned a master of divinity and a doctorate of philosophy from Mid-America Baptist Theological Seminary in Cordova, Tennessee.
A former vice president of the Tennessee Baptist Convention, a member of the Tennessee Baptist Executive Board and a leadership strategist for the Mid-South Baptist Association in Memphis, Tennessee, Dr. Noble came to Anderson University in 2016. He currently serves as an assistant professor of pastoral ministry in the Anderson University College of Christian Studies and its Clamp Divinity School.
Dr. Noble is pastor of Mountain Spring Baptist Church in Anderson. He and his wife, Redunda, have three children, a daughter-in-law and a granddaughter.
“As Vice President of Diversity and Inclusion, I have the unique opportunity to promote and encourage kingdom diversity,” Dr. Noble said. “I am excited to see AU grow through strategic campus events and community diversity initiatives.”