News

Brenton Stacey
Public relations officer
Cooranbong, New South Wales, Australia

Students' spiritual growth, Higher Education Provider status and the PhD program rank as the most gratifying achievements of retiring Avondale College president Dr John Cox.

"I would prefer to call them Avondale's achievements rather than my achievements," he says. "None of them could have been achieved by one person; all required input and effort from numerous people at Avondale. I saw my role as a leader and facilitator."

John, 68 in June, announced his retirement in an email to staff members on April 17. He writes of accepting a further term of office in 2005 but of notifying the then chair of the college's council, Pastor Laurie Evans, he would not serve the full quinquennium. "During 2006, I decided that I would plan to retire at the end of 2008. I chose this date with the program of major Avondale projects in mind, recognising that we would be due for a major audit by the Australian Universities Quality Agency in 2008. Early this year, I informed [new council chair] Dr Barry Oliver . . . of my plans to retire at the end of the year, and that I intended to announce this during first semester."

BIOGRAPHY
By the end of this year, John will have served the Seventh-day Adventist Church for 47 years, five-and-a-quarter of those as president of the college. He graduated from Avondale with a Bachelor of Arts in theology and secondary education in 1961, returning nine years later as a tutor. After effectively six years of study leave, in which he completed a PhD through the University of London, John returned again to Avondale where, apart from two-and-a-half years of special leave as a senior lecturer at Newbold College (Binfield, Berkshire, England), he has taught for 30 years.

"Avondale has been part of my life ever since I arrived as a student in 1957, and it has been a great privilege to contribute for so long to its mission," says John. "How could I be anything but a strong supporter of Avondale in retirement?"

LEGACY
John speaks proudly of the "vigorous" spiritual life at Avondale and the "heightened" emphasis on service, particularly among students who continue to volunteer for projects in Australia and in developing countries. "One of my most heartfelt prayers is that each person at Avondale will develop an enduring relationship with Jesus, that will keep on guiding our choices and actions," says John.

Of John's other achievements, Higher Education Provider status gave students at Avondale access to increased government financial assistance, which, "along with a quality program and good PR and marketing, has resulted in 40 per cent enrolment growth since 2004." He describes establishing the Doctor of Philosophy program as "a true symbol of Avondale's coming of age as a higher education institution."

John's second prayer request is the challenge of achieving more with limited resources. "This has always been a challenge for Avondale; but I am continually amazed at what God has made possible, sometimes against formidable odds, through the dedicated people who have served here," he says. "I have faith that He will continue to do so."

Council chair Dr Oliver describes John's legacy as leading the college "with distinction in the fulfilment of its academic pursuits while at the same time leading by example in the development of its Christian ethos and mission from an Adventist perspective." He adds, "Under his leadership, the college became an incorporated entity, commenced a major land development to provide an endowment to secure the future and moved toward the development of a stronger research culture."

The council will establish a search committee to appoint John's successor.

Back to News