Guenther inaugurated as SMA’s 15th president

Dr. Brian N. Guenther was inaugurated as the 15th president of San Marcos Baptist Academy during a Convocation March 30 on the Academy campus.

Guenther has served as president of the 111-year-old private school since Aug. 1, 2018. He joined the Academy as an administrator in 2015 and was the Interim Academic Dean when the Board of Trustees named him as president.

“As I have stepped into this office, I am blessed to be standing on the foundation of fourteen presidents before me,” Dr. Guenther said during his inaugural address. “As the fifteenth president of this historic institution, it is my desire to remain committed to the values set forth by our founder, Dr. J.M. Carroll, and the Baptist men and women who wrote the original charter for the school. I will challenge the faculty, staff, students, and families to remain connected to the mission of San Marcos Baptist Academy as we seek to educate young men and women within a nurturing community based upon Christian values.”

Among the guests bringing inaugural greetings to President Guenther were the Honorable Jane Hughson, mayor of San Marcos; the Honorable Ruben Becerra, Hays County judge; Dr. David Hardage, executive director of the Baptist General Convention of Texas; Barbara-Jane Paris, director of Improvement Services for AdvancED; and Dr. Randy Wood, executive director of the Accreditation Commission of the Texas Association of Baptist Schools.

Also bringing greetings to the president were Mr. Nathan Gaskey, representing the faculty; LTC (Ret.) Cal Downey, co-president of the SMBA Alumni Association; and Cadet LTC Joshua Burich, president of the SMBA Student Council.

After throwing out the first pitch at the Bears’ March 29 baseball game, Dr. Brian N. Guenther celebrates with his son Caleb, a junior who plays catcher for the San Marcos Baptist Academy team. The Academy family gathered at the baseball and softball fields for a “Bears, Ballgames & Barbecue” event on the eve of Dr. Guenther’s inauguration.

Dr. Ruth B. Welborn, chair of the Academy Board of Trustees, presided over the Convocation and presented Dr. Guenther with the SMBA Charter. Dr. John H. Garrison, 13th president of the Academy, presented Dr. Guenther with a school flag, and Mr. Jimmie W. Scott, President Emeritus, presented him with the Chain of Office to complete the Investiture ceremony.

Delegates to the inauguration included representatives from six Texas Baptist universities, Texas State University, and the San Marcos Area Chamber of Commerce.

In addition to the convocation, the inauguration weekend included a barbecue dinner March 29 at the softball and baseball fields where SMBA families and students gathered to support the Bear athletes and enjoy an evening of fellowship. The dinner was sponsored by La Cima, which provides a Good Neighbor Grant for new home builders whose children attend the Academy.

Prior to the convocation, Dr. Chad Chaddick, pastor of First Baptist Church in San Marcos, presided over a Prayer Breakfast with Academy trustees and other guests. Later in the day, First Lady Christy Guenther hosted a Texas High Tea for Academy ladies and friends.

San Marcos Baptist Academy enrolls day students in kindergarten through 12th grade and boarding students from all over the world in grades 6 through

12. The private, college preparatory school has been affiliated since 1910 with Texas Baptists and has been accredited since 1913 by the Southern Association of Colleges and Schools (AdvancED). SMBA is also accredited and is a charter member of the Accreditation Commission of the Texas Association of Baptist Schools.