Trinity regents pass new budget, dedicate new Miami-Dade campus
Trinity International University regents unanimously approved a new budget for the 2016-17 fiscal year and dedicated a new facility during their winter meeting Feb. 24-25 on the campuses of TIU-Florida.
The visit marked the first time regents have met as a group at TIU-Florida since 2010. Most of the current board members had never visited the Davie campus in Broward County, located along State Road 84 just a few miles west of Fort Lauderdale-Hollywood International Airport.
Regents also dedicated a new classroom facility in the Miami-Dade County community of Kendall, southwest of downtown Miami.
Classes in theology and New Testament began at the Kendall campus in August, and the facility is poised for growth in the months ahead. Its location at 9010 S.W. 137 Ave. is adjacent to the busy Kendall Drive corridor.
"It is a great space, as you can see, with ample parking, and it's highly accessible," President David S. Dockery said at the dedication ceremony Feb. 24. "We feel, indeed, that the Lord has given us a long-term place here where we can make a difference."
Many of the 55 Trinity students currently enrolled in Kendall are members of Christ Fellowship Miami, a large evangelical congregation with an interest in spreading the Gospel in South Florida and looking beyond to Central and South America.
Christ Fellowship Lead Teaching Pastor Rick Blackwood told the group attending the dedication that he had spoken earlier in the day with an expert on global evangelism in South Africa who identified three key places in the world where Christians can have the most impact.
"He said the first is Dubai, the second is Singapore and the third is Miami, Florida," Blackwood said.
The Davie campus offers bachelor's programs in organizational leadership, education, Christian ministries, business administration, and psychology, as well as master's programs in counseling psychology, leadership, and theological studies.
The board approved a $48 million operating budget for Trinity, a total that represents a 2.5 percent increase from the previous year. It includes pay raises for faculty and staff. Trinity's new fiscal year begins May 1.
In other actions, regents approved changes to the board policy manual, authorized a new extension site in Kansas City, and appointed a special committee to track the progress of Trinity's strategic planning. The board approved "Heritage and Hope: Trinity 2023" one year ago. That strategic plan includes 12 over-arching priorities and more than 120 individual initiatives.
Three faculty members were approved for promotions to full professor: Peter Cha (pastoral theology) and Bruce Fields (biblical and systematic theology) of TEDS, and Paul Bialek (mathematics) of Trinity College.