By Maegan Kennedy, student news writer
CAMPBELLSVILLE, Ky. – “Campbellsville University is proud to welcome Dr. W. Morgan Patterson as her visiting scholar again this semester,” said Dr. Michael V. Carter, president of Campbellsville University.
Patterson, former professor at The Southern Baptist Theological Seminary in Louisville and former president of Georgetown College, previously has taught at Campbellsville University for seven semesters and has joined the CU staff again this semester to teach the following: Renaissance and Reformation and Baptist Heritage undergraduate courses and the graduate course, The Pre-Formation History of the Church.
“It’s very satisfying to share what I have felt called to tell people about,” said Patterson. “Most people don’t have an idea about the Christian heritage between the New Testament and today. It’s important to teach Baptist and Christian heritage to the people around you and your children.”
Patterson said, “It’s been very satisfying to be in the classroom again. I enjoy interacting with the students, and I can learn a lot from them.”
Patterson was president of Georgetown College for seven years, a professor of church history and the Baptist Heritage at The Southern Baptist Theological Seminary in Louisville, Ky. for 17 years, was academic dean and senior professor of church history at Golden Gate Baptist Seminary in San Francisco, Calif. and taught at New Orleans Baptist Seminary before coming to Kentucky.
Patterson served as the president of Georgetown College from 1984 to 1991. During his tenure as president, Georgetown reached its highest enrollment, up until that time, and doubled its endowment. Since retiring from Georgetown College, Patterson has taught at three seminaries and four Baptist colleges and universities.
In 2006, Patterson delivered the first two lectures of the Baptist Heritage Series at Campbellsville University. He has preached in 120 Baptist churches in Kentucky, has served as pastor of two churches and as an interim pastor of several churches in Louisiana, Kentucky, Indiana and California.
He received his bachelor’s degree from Stetson University in Deland , Fla. and his master of divinity and doctor of theology degrees from the New Orleans Baptist Theological Seminary.
Patterson is listed in Who’s Who in America and is a contributor to the Baptist World Alliance Centennial volume published in 2005 and “Pilgrim Pathways” published by Mercer University Press in 1999.
Patterson and his wife, Ernestine, live in Campbellsville, while teaching at CU. Before coming to Kentucky, they lived in Novato, Calif. where their two grown sons still live. He is a native of New Orleans, La.
Campbellsville University, now celebrating her Centennial year, is a private, comprehensive institution located in South Central Kentucky. Founded in 1906, Campbellsville University is affiliated with the Kentucky Baptist Convention and has an enrollment of 2,310 students who represent 100 Kentucky counties, 32 states and 28 foreign nations. Listed in U.S. News & World Report’s “America’s Best Colleges” 14 consecutive years as one of the leading Southern master’s colleges and universities, Campbellsville University is located 82 miles southwest of Lexington, Ky., and 80 miles southeast of Louisville, Ky. Dr. Michael V. Carter is in his eighth year as president.