Sumner Continues Service on University of Mount Olive Board

MOUNT OLIVE – Dr. Eugene Sumner of Raleigh is serving his 32nd year with the University of Mount Olive Board of Trustees as chair of the Academic Affairs Committee. Dr. Sumner previously served as chair on two presidential search committees. The 30 member Board is charged with the oversight and governance of the College.  University of Mount Olive Trustees have the responsibility of establishing the identity of University of Mount Olive through leading, planning and interpreting.

Sumner is currently a professor and chairman of the Department of Social Work at Campbell University. He previously held the position of chairman in the Department of Sociology and Social Work at Meredith College and assistant superintendent at the Free Will Baptist Children’s Home. Sumner has worked as a pastor at Little Creek Original Free Will Baptist Church and Dublin grove OFWB Church.

“As a career-long faculty member and administrator in higher education, I believe that I have an important perspective on the role of the programs of University of Mount Olive in contributing to its mission as an institution of Christian higher education,” said Sumner, who graduated from University of Mount Olive with his associate’s degree in 1962. He earned his bachelor’s degree from Atlantic Christian College (now Barton College) in 1964, his master of divinity at the Southeastern Baptist Theological Seminary in 1968, his master of social work from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill in 1973 and his doctorate in social work from the University of Utah in 1980.

“University of Mount Olive has contributed so much to my personal and professional development that I feel it is important to contribute to the continuation of this great institution, to ensure that current and future generations of students can also have similar experiences,” said Sumner. Sumner has been honored at Meredith College with the Professional Development Award and was chosen by the National Association of Social Workers as Social Worker of the Year.

Sumner is married to Joy Sumner and is a lifelong member of Sandy Plain original Free Will Baptist Church.

University of Mount Olive is a private institution rooted in the liberal arts tradition with defining Christian values. The College, sponsored by the Convention of Original Free Will Baptists, has locations in Mount Olive, New Bern, Wilmington, Goldsboro, Research Triangle Park, Washington and Jacksonville.  For more information, visit www.moc.edu.