Campus briefs

• Preview Weekend sponsored by New Orleans Baptist Theological Seminary

— NEW ORLEANS (NOBTS) – The New Orleans Baptist Theological Seminary student enlistment office will sponsor a Preview Weekend for prospective seminary students on Oct. 30 - Nov. 1 (Thursday - Saturday).

Student preview weekends are held two times during the year and provide interested students the opportunity to experience seminary life first-hand.

As guests, prospective students will tour the campus, meet faculty and staff, and learn more about admission requirements, degree programs, cost of attendance, financial aid, scholarships, housing, student organizations, and other important information about life at NOBTS. Activities available include opportunities to attend classes, a special chapel service, meetings with professors in the prospective student’s area of interest, a Campus Life Fair, a special reception at the President’s home and a dinner on the town with a faculty member.

Registration/check-in will begin at 4:30 p.m. at River City Café. Students must pre-register by October 23, 2003 for the upcoming weekend. The cost for the weekend is $25 per person. This fee pays for two nights stay and meals Thursday night, all day on Friday and breakfast on Saturday morning. Those interested can receive registration forms by contacting the Office of Student Enlistment at 1-800-NOBTS-01, ext. 3303. To read more about Preview Weekend, visit www.nobts.edu/enlistment/preview.shtm.

• Baptist College of Florida celebrates 60 year anniversary

— GRACEVILLE (BCF) — The Baptist College of Florida will commemorate its 60th anniversary with a celebration to be held Friday, October 17 on the college’s Graceville campus. The festivities will begin with a ceremony in the R. G. Lee Chapel at 10 a.m., followed by a reception at 11 a.m. in the college plaza.

The public is invited to attend the celebration featuring a look back at the college’s history as well as recognition of those individuals who have helped shape the life of the college.

For more information about the event, contact Tommy Smith at (850) 263-3261, ext. 530, or e-mail tesmith@baptistcollege.edu.

• BCF BOASTS RECORD ENROLLMENT

— GRACEVILLE (BCF) — Student enrollment is at an all-time high this semester at The Baptist College of Florida. In total, 628 students from twenty states and eleven foreign countries enrolled to study at the main campus in Graceville, distance sites in Jacksonville, Orlando, Pensacola, Tallahassee, and Tampa, as well as via the Internet at the BCF on-line campus.

The milestone marks the fifth consecutive year the college has boasted record enrollment for the fall semester. In addition, this year’s class of incoming new students broke previous records with a 16 percent increase.

"We are delighted with the record numbers in overall enrollment and especially in new student enrollment," commented Thomas A. Kinchen, BCF president. "The 6% increase in overall numbers is the largest that we have had in several years. The 16% increase in new students far exceeds recent growth."

While delighted at the numbers, Kinchen is more excited about the lives they represent. "These numbers stand as testimony to the work that our Lord is doing among His people and the response that they are making," he explained. "I am convinced that our students represent the very finest in any college population. I thank God for them."

Theology majors still claim the highest enrollment, followed closest by Christian counseling, music and education. As the college continues to grow, degree programs available to students also are expanding. A new missions major was added this year and according to administrators, plans are in the works to add degrees in non-profit management, history, and communication in the future.

According to Kinchen, "The expansion of degree offerings comes in response to the increasing calls for ministry around the world. We have the opportunity to take the Gospel further into the marketplace than we ever have in the past."

"These folks are going to need skills beyond what we have ever provided," he continues. "The exciting thing is that the message remains unchanged while the methods for sharing it are ever-changing. We believe that the new degrees will serve to tie us closer to our heritage and give us the tools to reach further in our hope. Truly this is an exciting time."

For more information about BCF, call (800) 328-2660, ext. 460, or visit the BCF website at www.baptistcollege.edu.

• Palm Beach Atlantic University Florida License Plate on Sale Now

— WEST PALM BEACH (PBAU) — Palm Beach Atlantic University alumni, students, faculty, staff and supporters are now able to purchase a specially designed license plate for their vehicles registered in Florida.

"I’m anxious to get my own Palm Beach Atlantic license plate," said University President David W. Clark. "It’s a great way to show your pride in the University and to support future students through scholarships."

Sales of the plate, designed with PBA’s sailfish emblem, support the University’s scholarship programs. The cost is $27 plus what a Florida motorist pays to register his or her vehicle. The plates are available at local tax collectors’ offices.