HOUSTON – December 1, 2006 - Houston Baptist University President Robert B. Sloan Jr. has announced that Vice President for Academic Affairs Dr. Don Looser will be retiring after 44 years of service to the University.

“His dedication and commitment to the University are unparalleled, and I know the HBU family will join with me in thanking Don for his historic and substantial contributions to HBU,” said Sloan.

Looser joined the University in 1964 as an assistant professor in music as the first classes of the University were enrolling in what was then Houston Baptist College. He has also served HBU as an assistant to the president for academic affairs, dean of the Smith College of General Studies and vice president for administrative affairs.

As Looser reflected on over 40 years of service, the people he encountered came to mind. “Throughout all the years there have been extraordinary people--colleagues, students, trustees, friends of the University,” said Looser. “I am overcome in the recollection of the depth of my experience with exceptional people. At first, they were my mentors. But as the years passed, the heritage I had been given became increasingly my own responsibility to sustain and inculcate.”

Looser is a member of the University’s Executive Council and member of many committees across campus. He, along with the first president of HBU, Dr. William Hinton, wrote the school song, Hail the Orange and Blue, forever marking his contribution to the University.

A native of Lufkin, Looser is a graduate of Baylor University with bachelors’ degrees in music and music education, Northwestern University with a master of music, and Florida State University with a Ph.D. in higher education administration and music education.

A search committee has been created to begin the search for a vice president for academic affairs which will be chaired by Dr. Nancy Yuill, dean of the College of Nursing.

Although Looser is stepping down he will continue service within the life of the University in various aspects.

About Houston Baptist University

Houston Baptist University is an independent university located on the southwest side of Houston offering fully accredited academic programs in more than 40 undergraduate majors. The university gives the personal experience of a Christian college in one of the nation’s most dynamic and energetic cites. HBU has been ranked in the top tier among the “Best Universities” offering master’s degrees in the Western region by U.S. News & World Report in its America’s Best Colleges for 2007 edition.