The Rampage Nov 2024

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The Rampage

Employee Features

Dr. Shawn White: Jack-of all-Trades by Jenny Mitchell | Graphic Communication • 2024

W hile Dr. Shawn White is a professor at Bluefield University, he is equally known to students for the many other different roles he fills at the university. And a look at his life before BU shows a variety of experiences that have helped prepare him for the many positions he holds today. A native of Canada, after high school Dr. White went to the University of New Brunswick to become a doctor. “Halfway through that degree, I felt a call to ministry,” Dr. White said, “so I knew I was going to seminary.” After completing his bachelor’s degree in biochemistry, Dr. White enrolled in Acadia Divinity College with plans to become a pastor. While at Acadia, Dr. White had two influential mentors: a professor, Dr. Timothy Ashley, and Ashley’s wife, Maxine. After completing some classes, Dr. White became unsure about becoming a pastor. Inspiration from the Ashleys, he said, helped convince him of his calling, and in 1997, Dr. White graduated with a Master of Divinity degree. Two years later in 1999, he earned a Master of Hebrew Bible. Dr. White wasn’t just a student during his studies. In 1998, he served as a youth pastor at a local Baptist church and stayed there until 2005, transitioning to senior pastor during his time there. At the same time, Dr. White and his wife, Beverly, grew their family, having two sets of twin children, who are now ages 20 and 22. While pastoring, Dr. White said he felt a call to go back to college to get his PhD. “There is a passage in Proverbs that says basically you hand your plans over to the Lord, and he’ll give you the desires of your heart,” Dr. White said. “At some point during my pastoral journey, I just said, ‘I’m going to be a pastor, and I’m going to be happy being a pastor.’ Then, all of a sudden, as soon as I gave it up, God began to affirm that He wanted me to go on and get my doctorate.” So, Dr. White left pastoring in 2005 and returned to seminary where he studied the Hebrew and Aramaic languages to prepare himself for his doctorate. There were other signs during this time that confirmed for Dr. White that he needed

to get his doctorate and use his experience and education to become a professor. Dr. White was part of a group of pastors that met regularly with members from different denominations, and during one of their meetings, a conversation stuck with Dr. White. “We all loved Jesus and had a heart for seeing people come to a relationship with Jesus, so we got along really, really well,” Dr. White said about his pastors’ group. “I remember one of the conversations we had. An Anglican pastor said, ‘I went to a seminary where I was trained by the best scholars, but I wasn’t trained by people who were pastors.’ It makes sense to have pastors who also have that academic background training pastors. And I said, ‘that’s me!’” Dr. White went to the University of Edinburgh in Scotland to complete his doctorate. It was in Scotland that Dr. White would make his connection to Bluefield University. Through friends there, he learned about an opening for a professor of Old Testament at BU. The position was