Paul W. Powell: Dean Of George W. Truett Theological Seminary

Q: What three things would you want your students to say about you and why?

I'm not as concerned about what my students may say about me now as what they may say five to 10 years from now. But, both now and then, I'd like for them to say first that I am a person of integrity. I'm true to my convictions, true to God, true to the people I work with and serve. Everywhere we turn in today's society, there is hypocrisy, duplicity and dishonesty. I'd like for them to believe that I practice what I preach.
Second, I'd like for them to know and say I am a person of compassion, and that I loved the students, and I always wanted what was best for them. I have had to make some hard decisions that some did not like -- sometimes they were decisions I didn't want to make but that my position demanded. I hope they would recognize I acted with compassion and that my aim was to be redemptive toward the people involved.
Finally, I would like them to say that I did my best to make Truett the premier Baptist theological seminary in the world. I was happily and securely retired when I was asked to come to the seminary. I gave that up to give three years, and now it's stretching beyond that, to making this seminary what the former and present administration want it to be. For me, it is a labor of love, and it is in that spirit that I carry on the work.