From the very beginning, someone named Dowell has held a significant role at Baptist Bible College. Beginning with W.E. Dowell followed by his son, Bill Dowell Jr., and then his son, Steve Dowell, our college has been their workplace, their ministry, and their heart.
Recently, Steve announced that a new job would take him and his family to Chanute Kansas.
Steve began teaching at BBC as an adjunct in the fall of 1997 when his father was head of the Communication Department. In the Fall of 2001, Steve was offered a full-time position by Leland Kennedy.
Steve would teach Public Speaking and was the director of Christian Life Ministries. Steve also began teaching some drama-related communication courses and soon launched Living Word, a new drama team. The first play, Bridge of Blood, told the Jim Elliot story. A group of ten students presented ten performances in the first year.
Soon his schedule was filled with English and literature courses. Living Word continued to perform and travel featuring stories of BBFI Missionaries Bob and Helen Hughes, Fred and Effie Donnelson, and Elmer and Mary Deal. Living Word performed in churches and Christian schools in Arkansas, Colorado, Florida, Illinois, Indiana, Kansas, Michigan, Mississippi, Missouri, Ohio, Oklahoma, and Texas.
Steve also served his local church, Baptist Temple, as worship leader and Sunday School teacher for many years.
In 2016 Steve was named a co-chair of BBC’s Assessment Committee. In 2017 Steve wrote and published; Cry Aloud, Spare Not: The Story of W. E. Dowell. In 2018 Steve was appointed to serve on the Institutional Effectiveness Committee during a very crucial time for BBC.
Steve is leaving BBC and Springfield to serve as the Dean for Assessment and Institutional Effectiveness at Neosho County Community College in Chanute, Kansas.
Steve shared, “I am grateful for the tremendous investment that all of the faculty, staff, and students of BBC have made in my life.”
President Milioni adds, “Steve is a man of integrity, hard work, and high quality. We are better because of his many years of service. Thank you, Steve, for your time and effort and the constant reminder of the great Dowell heritage. May God richly bless you and your family!”
