Dr. Forrest E. Harris, Sr.

Welcome to the 2011 - 2012 Academic Year at American Baptist College!

Welcome returning students back home. And to new students welcome to your new academic home,
American Baptist College affectionately called “Holy Hill.” In the midst of the sweltering heat of summer days, the faculty and staff have been excitedly working to get the Holy Hill ready for you. According to a national data-based survey conducted by the U.S. Department of Education that included all colleges and universities in the country, American Baptist College is listed as the best bargain for the most affordable collegiate education you can receive in Tennessee. So welcome to the best bargain for higher education in town!

  All of the College’s resources, the entire faculty and staff are dedicated to providing you the best education possible. American Baptist College is challenging enough to help you to become your best, yet small enough to care about educating each of you. We want you to have the best educational experience possible, and expect the best from you to meet the best in God. We all are committed to during our best to help you achieve this goal of becoming the kind of moral thinkers and leaders needed by your family, church, and community.

  Are you ready to go to work? I know your answer is a resounding yes -or else you would not have signed up to join us here at American Baptist College. What you will notice is that all around you there are people who have also said yes to the mission of educating you for social justice leadership and Christian service in the world. You will also notice that the physical appearance of the campus makes us all of us proud to be ambassadors of American Baptist College. I can’t wait for you to see our campus worship space in the Library Chapel! On the lower level of the Library, the computer lab also has been improved to better accommodate your internet and technology needs. The “ABC Café” is the place for a good mean on campus when hunger strikes. It will be open for lunch and dinner in John Lewis and Julius Scruggs Leadership Development Center.

  The door of the President’s office is open to each of you to set a time to talk about how things are going during the course of the semester. “Education plus character” is the way Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. defined education. Let’s us make this kind of education real at American Baptist College.

It’s On!

Forrest E Harris,
President and CEO

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Biography of President Harris

Dr. Forrest E. Harris is nationally recognized as being one of the most progressive scholars, theological educators and visionary for prophetic Christianity in the Black Church tradition. Dr. Harris holds a Bachelor of Arts (B.A.) degree from Knoxville College, a Bachelor of Theology (Th.B.) degree from American Baptist College, Master of Divinity (M. Div.) and Doctor of Ministry (D. Min.) degrees from Vanderbilt University Divinity School where he was a Benjamin E. Mays Fellow and recipient of the Florence Conwell prize for preaching. Over the past 30 years as a former pastor, branch president of the NAACP, leader of numerous community activist projects, director of black church studies at a major university, a respected preacher, teacher, and lecturer, Dr. Harris is accredited with the distinction of making a significant contribution to the academy and the church by bridging academic theology with the practical ministry needs of the church.

American Baptist College was a fledging Black college with a great history and significant academic mission when Dr. Harris took the helm as president in 1999. Since becoming president of ABC, Dr. Harris has spearheaded transformative changes in the academic programs among which is the launching of the school’s first graduate studies program, a Master’s Degree program in clinical counseling for church and community leaders. A progressive visionary for institutional growth, Dr. Harris has led the College in a capital campaign that has resulted in a significant increase in the College’s endowment; gifts from foundations, donors and churches have totaled over $10 million dollars...