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On Thursday November 21st, President Joel Wiggins was inaugurated as our sixteenth President.

The service includes speakers from across the nation, including Julianne Ortman from the Minnesota State Senate, Amy Klobuchar from the United States Senate, and Erik Paulsen from the United States House of Representatives. Crown musicians accompanied the commencement marvelously, performed beautiful choir pieces, as well as keeping a heavenly focus with worship, and finally, the Recessional. Integral to the service, and to Dr. Wiggins life was the focus on God. In his Inaugural Address, he rooted values in Acts 13:36 and spoke on them. He also included spiritual transformation in the themes he talked about among many other things. Threaded throughout the service was prayer, including a Blessing from the Crown Community: In Everything by Prayer, worship, readings, and words pointing to God and Dr. Wiggins service to Him. Crowns former President, Dr. Rick Mann, and his wife prayed over the Wiggins to send them forward as they embark on this new stage in their life. In the investiture of the President, Mr. Donald Berglund, Chairman of the Board of Trustees, stated, Effective leadership comes on a servant platform. Among other things, Mr. Berglund charged Dr. Wiggins to be a steward of his personal life, for when one is unable to take care of themselves they will be unable to lead others well, to remember that he is the steward of the essence of the institution, to lead by example, to be courageous and be ready for the decisions ahead, and to keep the Bible foundational to all education enterpriseto love the Bible so much that we do not forget it. Dr. Joel Wiggins is a graduate of Crown College in 1976 (then St. Paul Bible College), himself, making him wonderfully fitted for his new position. In 1982, he also became a pastor in the Christian and Missionary Alliance, and served as senior pastor to churches in Illinois, Washington, D.C., and Nebraska. While having this background, the President knows there is a culture here to understand better. One can see his dedication to school and to the students in particular through his interaction from games and even dining with students in the lunch room. This humble servant attitude could be sensed even through his inauguration. His Inaugural Address began with the Turtle on a Fence Post analogy. A turtle does not get up there on its own, nor does it maintain its own support, which he credited especially to his family: Kathy, his wife, and his two grown children Heather and Ryan. As stated in the Inaugural Program, Dr. Joel Wiggins brings a unique combination of ministry, education, and business leadership into his new role as president of Crown College, which he assumed on July 1, 2013. There is a running joke about the Wiggins Empire among friends of the family. Dr. Wiggins relatives are also stationed in leadership positions, which only brings more credibility to his background. After graduating from St. Paul Bible College, Dr.Wiggins attended Trinity International University to attain his M.Div., Th.M., D.Min, Leadership Studies, and Church Leadership. Once he obtained his Ph.D in Communication Studies from The University

of Texas at Austin, he taught courses both there and in the MBA extension program of LeTourneau University. Dr. Wiggins business background is extensive. In 1996 he joined a non-profit called Austin Technology Incubator (ATI) as a staff member and became the Executive Director in 2000. In 2005, Enterprise Center of Johnson County welcomed him as their CEO. Here, he co-founded a network called the Mid-America Angels. His international experiences are substantial, having visited more than a dozen countries as he ran workshops. In 2013, the worlds leading organization in furthering business incubation and entrepreneurship, the National Business Incubation Association presented him with the Presidents Award.

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