Administration
John Derry, PresidentJohn L. Derry became the sixth President of Hope International University on August 15, 2003. Dr. Derry comes to the university from a background of academic, campus and pastoral ministries.
A native of Illinois, John L. Derry is a 1972 graduate of Lincoln Christian College. While enrolled as a student at LCC, he served as senior minister with the Isabel Christian Church near Lewistown, Illinois and then with Vermont Christian Church in Vermont, Illinois. In 1978 he received a Master of Arts degree from Lincoln Christian Seminary in the area of theology and philosophy and was ordained to the ministry. While a graduate student at LCS, Dr. Derry established a campus ministry at Western Illinois University where he served from 1973 to 1985. During that time he was also an adjunct faculty member for Lincoln Christian College offering extension courses at off-campus sites. In 1983 he completed a Master of Science in Education degree at WIU majoring in educational foundations, followed by additional post-graduate work in the area of educational administration. In 1985 he accepted a call to become Vice President for Student Development at Milligan College in Tennessee. While serving in this capacity, he also completed doctoral work at East Tennessee State University receiving an Ed.D in 1996 in the area of educational leadership and policy analysis with an emphasis in higher education. He was selected to serve as president of Dallas Christian College and assumed that position on August 1, 1998.
During his career Dr. Derry has authored articles in professional publications and presented seminars and workshops on various topics relative to Christian ministry and to higher education. He has served on the board of directors of such organizations as Communities in Schools, Christian Student Fellowship, East Tennessee Consortium for Service-Learning, Rotary Club, Lincoln Christian College and Seminary Alumni Association, North American Christian Convention and National Missionary Convention Continuation Committees, the Association for Christians in Student Development, and elder in two congregations. He has been listed in Who's Who in America in Religion, Community Leaders and Noteworthy Americans, Outstanding Young Men of America, and is a member of Phi Kappa Phi honor society, Phi Delta Kappa, and the National Association for Student Personnel Administrators. He was recently selected Alumnus of the Year at East Tennessee State University for the department of Educational Leadership and received the Fide Et Amore service award from Milligan College.