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Board of Governors appoints new principal

Updated: Thursday, March 31 2022

After a meeting of the Board of Governors held on campus today, Dr Stephen Currow has been appointed to the role of Principal at Newbold (subject to endorsement by the Trans-European Division Executive Committee by the end of this week). Dr Currow will take over the reins and assume full responsibilities from Friday 1 April, while John Baildam will adopt an advisory role to the new Principal as requested during a period of transition ending on Friday 27 May.

Having served in Newbold’s erstwhile Department of Theological Studies before becoming Principal of Fulton Adventist University College in Fiji (2011-16) prior to a brief sojourn as Departmental Director and Ministerial Secretary in the South Pacific Division (2017-18) and a subsequent appointment to Avondale University in Australia as Deputy Vice-Chancellor (2019-21), Dr Currow joined the Newbold team again in August 2021 on a secondment basis before being appointed to a substantive role as Principal Lecturer in Pastoral Studies.

Dr John Baildam is Newbold’s second longest-serving Principal and has worked enthusiastically in various roles, including his tenure as Principal, for over 40 years. One of his most notable achievements as Principal is his commitment to establishing Newbold’s reputation for academic quality and rigour. Dr Baildam will retire on 31 May 2022 after 47 years of service to the church.

“I would like to acknowledge Dr John Baildam’s contribution to Newbold over many years. I have always appreciated his expert knowledge and significant experience in British higher education as well as the networks he established. I value the opportunity to have Dr Baildam as an advisor for the next couple of months,” said Dr Currow. “I am looking forward to working with the Newbold staff in this new role. Together we will see Newbold continue to contribute to God’s mission throughout the Trans-European Division.”

We wish Dr Currow every blessing and success in his new duties, and we will support him and his wife Narisa during this next stage in Newbold’s history.