Vice President Honored for 35 Years of Service

H. Lee Merritt, Vice President of Finance at Fuller, was honored at an awards ceremony this week for 35 years of service at the seminary. Merritt has played a key role in the growth of Fuller Seminary since 1971, and his contributions of service to the larger community of Pasadena have been significant as well.

“Lee Merritt has been instrumental in the shaping of our seminary’s financial health over these last 35 years,” said President Richard J. Mouw. “A man of humility, practicality and insight, he has assiduously given strong leadership to Fuller’s business and financial management.” Mouw announced that, in honor of Merritt’s years of leadership, an anonymous donor has established a scholarship in his name that will support students in all three schools at Fuller.

The seminary has grown during Merritt’s tenure from an enrollment of less than 400 students in 1971 to a total annual enrollment today of nearly 5,000. In recent years Merritt’s visibility in Pasadena has particularly increased as he has provided key leadership in the developing and managing of Fuller’s campus changes to improve student housing and academic resources.

Several other members of Fuller’s staff and faculty were also honored with significant awards at the March 2 “Symphony of Service” convocation. The Dolores Loeding Service Awards, given to staff who have served 25 years, were given to Grant Millikan, assistant provost and chief information officer, and Patricia Rexroat, director of Fuller Southern California. J. Robert “Bobby” Clinton, professor of leadership, was also honored for 25 years of service. Twenty-year awards were given to Viggo Søgaard, senior professor of communication; J. Dudley Woodberry, dean emeritus and professor of Islamic Studies; Richard Hunt, senior professor of psychology; and Marianne Meye Thompson, professor of New Testament Interpretation. President Richard Mouw, who joined the seminary in 1985 as professor of Christian philosophy, was also granted a 20-year award.