Great Lakes Christian College in Lansing, Mich., has announced the impending retirement of one vice president and the promotion of another.
Phil Beavers will retire as VP of institutional advancement at the end of 2024. Beavers was appointed to that position in January 1999 and is the longest-serving VP in GLCC’s history.
Meanwhile, the appointment of Bryan Tarrant as vice president of finance and operations was affirmed by GLCC’s board of trustees. Tarrant has served as GLCC’s director of operations since September 2022. Tarrant’s appointment to VP is effective immediately.
“The Beavers family is synonymous with Great Lakes Christian College,” said President Frank Weller. “Phil’s parents were longtime supporters of GLCC. Phil’s wife, Judy, is a music instructor at GLCC, and the two met at GLCC while in college. The Beavers’ three daughters are Great Lakes alumni, as are two of their sons-in-law and a grandson. Phil’s biggest contribution has been leading the college’s Advancement Division for the last two and a half decades, and I will miss his steady, guiding influence.”
Contributions to GLCC increased 140 percent from fiscal year 2022 to fiscal year 2023, enabling the college to realize its first budget surplus in nearly a decade. The number of donors also has increased under Beavers’ leadership.
“My time at Great Lakes Christian College has taken me on a meaningful journey where I’ve had a part in expanding the kingdom through promoting and advancing the mission of the college,” Beavers said via a news release.
A search for a new VP of institutional advancement has begun.
As the school’s new VP of finance and operations, Bryan Tarrant will function as the school’s chief financial officer.
“[He will] ensure the college maintains financial sustainability, while also overseeing the college’s ancillary departments including the business office, food service, bookstore, and maintenance department,” President Weller said.
Tarrant is a veteran of the U.S. Marine Corps who subsequently worked in business. Tarrant played a key role in helping the school achieve the 2023 budget surplus, and it appears that financial trend will continue in 2024, Weller said.
“As an elder at South Lansing Christian Church in Lansing, I have witnessed firsthand the impact Great Lakes Christian College has made preparing students to be servant leaders in the church and world,” Tarrant said via news release. “I look forward to applying the gifts God has given me to serve his kingdom through the college.”
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News Briefs
The inaugural Jack W. Cottrell Lectureship and opening of the Jack Cottrell Memorial Library will take place on March 8 at Mid-Atlantic Christian University in Elizabeth City, N.C. Before his death in September 2022, Christian theologian Jack Cottrell called MACU President John Maurice to extend the offer of his personal library. Cottrell taught for 49 years at Cincinnati Christian University, which closed in 2019. The event will begin with a lunch gathering and end with an evening banquet. Speakers will include Drs. Gene Andrews, Bane Angles, Josiah Peeler, and Ronnie Woolard. Registration is $20 per person and includes lunch, lectureship admission, and banquet dinner. Learn more and register at www.macuniversity.edu.
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