By Nicholas Steele
Syrinx Staff Writer
Fresno Pacific University inaugurated its newest president, Dr. André Stephens, in ceremonies March 31 at the university’s Special Events Center, in front of a crowd of faculty, students, staff and the Stephens family.
The FPU campus is already familiar to Stephens, who has actually been in the job as president of the university since July 2022.
The 90-minute celebration was filled with touching memories, stories, and compliments from people who know and have worked with President Stephens.
In his remarks, an emotional Stephens thanked everyone who has supported him in his career and put him in a position to become FPU’s president. “I vow to steward your support and goodwill to ensure FPU’s greatness into the future,” he said.
President Stephens is a man who has great knowledge and understanding of the faculty, staff and students at Fresno Pacific. President Stephens said one of his prayers for the university is for a stronger, greater imagination for the future than of memory of the past. As the FPU Idea states, it is a guide for forming a vision of the future.
Stephens came to Fresno Pacific in mid-2022 after serving as a vice president at Biola University in La Mirada. Biola president Barry H. Corey spoke at the inauguration and thanked Stephens for everything he had done at that university. Corey added that just being around Stephens makes one want to be a better human being.
The overall theme highlighted Stephens’ character as a God-fearing man that will do everything in his power to make Fresno Pacific University successful.
