SHAWNEE, Okla. — Oklahoma Baptist University (OBU) trustees accepted the retirement of OBU President Mark A. Brister during a special meeting Oct. 12 on the university’s campus in Shawnee.
Brister, who will retire effective Nov. 10 at the conclusion of OBU’s annual homecoming, has led the Christian liberal arts institution since Sept. 1, 1998.
"The time has come for me and my wife, Rhonda, to move to the next phase of our careers and lives," Brister said. "The last nine years have been among the most satisfying and enjoyable, and so it is with mixed feelings that we make this announcement."
Brister’s nine-year tenure as OBU’s 14th president is the third-longest in the university’s 97-year history.
Brister moved to OBU after 26 years of pastoral and church staff positions and service in denominational leadership posts.
Reared in Fort Worth, Texas, he earned a bachelor’s degree from Baylor University in Waco, Texas, and master’s and doctorate degrees from Southwestern Baptist Theological Seminary in Fort Worth.
His wife earned bachelor’s and master’s degrees from Texas Christian University in Fort Worth. They have two adult sons, Barrett and Austin.
During the trustee meeting, John W. Parrish was elected as the university’s interim president, effective Nov. 11. Parrish, OBU’s executive vice president emeritus, retired from the university’s administration in 2002 after more than 38 years at OBU.
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