The Office of Student Life is seeking to hire a university chaplain and dean of spiritual formation to replace Dr. Jan Meyer, who left the university at the end of last spring.

Chris Riley, vice president of Student Life, said the new position is an expanded one that will include ongoing spiritual formation of the entire campus community. This will include development and coordination of co-curricular programming, corporate worship, daily chapel, pastoral care and stronger connectivity with local congregations. Meyer, whose position as dean of spiritual formation included some of those responsibilities, joined the staff of Camp Eagle in New Mexico over the summer.

A Spiritual Formation taskforce made up of faculty and staff recommended the creation of the role in conjunction with the Siburt Institute for Church Relations and the College of Biblical Studies. The search committee will consist of Dr. Darryl Tippens, Dr. Cliff Barbarick, Randy Harris, Dr. Jerry Taylor, Robert Oglesby, Janine Morgan, Dr. Richard Beck, Suzanne Allmon and Mark Lewis.

“It’s a blessing to work with this committee as we discern who God has prepared for this role,” Riley said in an email.

The search committee is reviewing applications and has received more than 100 applicants so far. The finalists will meet with students, faculty and staff representatives as the interviews continue. Until a hire is made, Mark Lewis will continue to serve as Interim Dean of Spiritual Formation. Riley said the upcoming semester’s chapel routine is unlikely to change.