Southern Wesleyan Celebrates Its 18th President

Southern Wesleyan University will celebrate the inauguration of its 18th president, Dr. Todd Voss, at 3 p.m. October 26 on the campus in Central.

The inauguration speaker is Dr. Paul A. Rader, former worldwide leader of the Salvation Army and former president of Asbury College in Wilmore, Ky.

Voss was named president of Southern Wesleyan in 2011 following the retirement of Dr. David Spittal, who served the university for 17 years. Prior to becoming president, Voss served as executive vice president from Indiana Wesleyan University.

Voss began working at IWU in 1989 as vice president for student development with previous experience in student life, business affairs, auxiliary services and campus planning from West Virginia University, Western Michigan University and Michigan State.

Rader is the former worldwide leader of the Salvation Army and former president of Asbury College in Wilmore, Ky. He and his wife Kay responded to God’s call to a cross-cultural mission as Salvation Army officers. Following training at The Salvation Army School for Officer Training in New York, they were commissioned as officers and appointed to Korea, where they served for the next 22 years. He was then elected to the Salvation Army’s highest office in 1994 and served until 1999. Rader was the first American-born officer to have commanded the international movement. 

The inauguration ceremony will take place at Newton Hobson Chapel and Fine Arts Center.

Festivities will include a concert by An Atlas to Follow, featuring Southern Wesleyan alumnus Amanda Kinney. They perform folk-flavored, yet contemporary tunes with a unique blend of banjo, mandolin and acoustic guitar. Also on stage will be comedian Jonnie W., who with nothing more than a guitar and his razor-sharp wit, delights audiences nationwide. Jonnie W. blends music and traditional standup for a multimedia comedy experience not to be missed.

The inauguration ceremony coincides with Homecoming, which brings many visitors to the campus in Central.

A full schedule of events can be found online at www.swu.edu/inauguration.