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Meet the Dean: Douglas Strong, Ph.D.

New dean to the School of Theology, Douglas Strong, Ph.D., comes to SPU from Wesley Theological Seminary in Washington, D.C. There for 18 years, he taught church history, specializing in the religious history of 19th-century American revivalism and social reform.

He says he is “committed to preparing students to live out their Christian vocation in a global society.” For the past eight years, he has led students on numerous trips to Russia, where he has taught at the Theological Seminary of the Russian Methodist church. Strong has also taught at two theological schools in Korea.

A prolific author, Strong has written numerous articles and just released his fourth book, Reclaiming Our Wesleyan Tradition: John Wesley’s Sermons for Today, published by Discipleship Resources in September 2007.

He and his wife, Cindy, have two sons. Their oldest son, Tim, starts his university career at SPU this September. So along with being a new dean, Strong knows what it feels like to be the parent of a new college student.

“Doug brings great wisdom and energy to his new role in the School of Theology,” says Les Steele, vice president for academic affairs. “And as a teacher, scholar of the Christian church, and minister, he will bring great skill to guiding our efforts in biblical and theological education.”

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