Brownwood News – Dr. Cory Hines was officially welcomed Wednesday, September 19, 2019 as the 20th President of Howard Payne University during Inauguration Ceremonies in Mims Auditorium.
Rev. Ray Still, Chairman of the HPU Board of Trustees and Senior Pastor of Oakwood Baptist Church in New Braunfels, led the ceremonies. Numerous universities were represented such as Hardin Simmons, Mary Hardin Baylor, Tarleton State, Wayland Baptist, McMurry and others.
Others speaking included Dr. David Hardage, Executive Director of the Baptist General Convention of Texas; Dr. Shirley Hoogstra, President of the Council for Christian Colleges and Universities in Washington, D.C.; Dr. Robert Mangrum, Mayor of the City of Early and Coley Chair of History and University Historian at HPU; Mayor Stephen Haynes with the City of Brownwood; Representative Mike Lang, District 60 Representative in the Texas House of Representatives.
In addressing the crowd, Dr. Hines said Howard Payne University is ready to transition to the university’s next chapter. “My personal goals, my commitment to you, our Board of Trustees, Howard Payne employees, our students, our alumni, the Brownwood/Early communities, is to steward this office every single day by asking the Lord for wisdom and courage as we face the future together,” Hines said.
In HPU’s 130-year history, over 17,000 graduates have left campus prepared to enter into a life of service to God and humanity. Dr. Hines was one of those students, stepping foot on campus in 1992, leaving campus in 1997 with a Bachelor of Arts degree in religious education. He pursued graduate work at Southwestern Baptist Theological Seminary, where he earned the Master of Arts degree in Christian education in 2000, and Dallas Baptist University, where he earned the Doctor of Philosophy degree in leadership studies – higher education in 2012.
Dr. Hines and his wife, Melinda, have two children, Mackenzie and Caleb.
