Valerie Rempel, Ph.D., has been selected as dean of the Fresno Pacific Biblical Seminary and vice president of Fresno Pacific University starting July 1, 2019.
Appointed interim vice president in August 2018, Rempel has been dean since 2014. She is also an associate professor at the seminary, holding the J.B. Toews Chair of History and Theology. She joined the seminary faculty in 1996 and has a Ph.D. from Vanderbilt University, M.A. degrees from both Vanderbilt and Mennonite Brethren Biblical Seminary (FPBS) and a B.A. from Tabor College.
Rempel’s primary mission in teaching is to encourage students to deepen their love for the church and its complexities, and to gain both knowledge and appreciation for the Christian tradition. “I want students to think about what they believe and why they believe it and to see how those beliefs have been shaped by their theological tradition, their culture and their own experience. As an Anabaptist, I am also committed to the belief that theological reflection is a community task. I want to encourage students to engage in theological conversation with each other as preparation for ministry in the church and world,” she said.
Reporting to President Joseph Jones, Ph.D., as dean of the Fresno Pacific Biblical Seminary and vice president, Rempel is a member of the President’s Cabinet.