WAKE FOREST, N.C. (BP) – On Tuesday, Oct. 15, Southeastern Baptist Theological Seminary’s board of trustees unanimously voted to approve that The College at Southeastern be renamed Judson College. Named after Adoniram Judson, pioneer Baptist missionary to Burma (modern-day Myanmar) in the early 1800s, Judson College exists to equip students to give their lives for the cause of Christ in the church, among the nations and in every aspect of society.
“When we were considering names for the undergraduate program at Southeastern, we wanted a name that represents our Great Commission vision and mission as an institution and one that demonstrates what kind of school Southern Baptists would be sending their children to,” said SEBTS President Danny Akin.
“Adoniram Judson did not ask the question, ‘Should I go?’ He asked the question, ‘Why should I stay?’” Akin said. “And seeing the need was so great in Southeast Asia, he answered that call, and he went; and the results were incredible.”
Judson, Akin said, perfectly represents the college’s mission and culture in the way he dedicated his life for the cause of Christ in his ministry among the Burmese people.
The college’s new name was announced in chapel following the annual fall meeting of the board of trustees and Southeastern Society. Immediately after chapel, Southeastern students, family, faculty and staff gathered on the quad for a celebration lunch and the reveal of the official Judson College sign outside of Appleby Hall, the primary building for undergraduate studies.
This fall, Judson College celebrates its 30th anniversary, following years of steady growth, both in enrollment and in building projects, amenities and campus life, such as the school’s vibrant House System.
When reflecting on his own call to missions, Adoniram Judson once wrote, “The command of Christ, ‘Go into all the world and preach the Gospel to every creature,’ was presented to my mind with such clearness and power, that I came to a full decision, and though great difficulties appeared in my way, resolved to obey the command at all events.”*
To learn more, visit judsoncollege.com/about.
*Judson, Edward. The Life of Adoniram Judson. New York. Anson D. F. Randolph & Company, 1883, 17.
