Charles W. Smith was formally inaugurated May 1 as the 6th president of the University of Mobile at Redemption Church in Saraland, Alabama.
Jason Allen, president of Midwestern Baptist Theological Seminary, delivered the keynote address. Distinguished guests from across the Southern Baptist Convention, along with other leaders and guests, filled the sanctuary for the time-honored academic tradition marking the formal investiture of a university president.
Allen spoke on Proverbs 9:10, the foundational Scripture for the University of Mobile: “The fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom, and knowledge of the Holy One is understanding.” The first half of the Scripture is on the university’s official seal, along with the phrase “For Christ & His Kingdom.”
Avoiding the drift
Allen noted, “The temptation for every institution, large or small, old or young, is to drift from the founding convictions and mission that the institution once held so dear. In the Southern Baptist world there are 53 Baptist colleges historically associated with the Southern Baptist Convention. The majority of those these days in the 21st century really maintain no true affiliation or connection with, nor oversight of, the Baptist bodies at large.
“But this institution, praise God, continues to be serious about its commitment to serving the churches of the Alabama Baptist Convention, serious about its Christian identity, serious about its Christian convictions, serious about the Bible as the Word of God, and the Great Commission as the urgent task for churches and for Christian believers.”
A charge rooted in Christ
Smith has served as president of the University of Mobile since May 6, 2024. Previously, he served with Allen in a variety of senior leadership roles at Midwestern Baptist Theological Seminary and Spurgeon College.
He and his wife, Ashley, are natives of Montgomery, Alabama, and they have three daughters.
A renewed vision and mission
In his presidential address based on John 6, Smith warned of the dangers facing Christian institutions that drift from their spiritual foundations.
“There is no shortage of once-faithful Christian universities who have lost their way,” he said, noting that the University of Mobile remains firmly committed to Jesus Christ as the foundation of all true knowledge and the hope of every generation.
Under Smith’s leadership, the renewed vision of the University of Mobile, expressed by the phrase “For Christ & His Kingdom” — is to multiply Kingdom leaders who embrace their callings and live out the Great Commission for the glory of God and the good of the world.
“Our prayers and plans for the future are bold,” Smith said, pointing to a growing list of initiatives aimed at strengthening the university — expanding academic programs, enhancing student life, increasing online offerings, investing in campus facilities, launching workforce development, and many other strategies designed to strengthen the university’s impact in the region and beyond.
While these initiatives are important and inspiring, they are not the university’s identity, he said. Rather, they are the resultof the university’s identity in Christ.
The celebration concluded later in the evening with fireworks and Spring Spectacular, an outdoor concert held on the university’s Great Commission Lawn.
Watch the full inauguration ceremony at umobile.edu/inauguration.
EDITOR’S NOTE — This story was written by Kathy Dean and originally published by the University of Mobile.
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