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When George R. Brunk III joined the Eastern Mennonite Seminary faculty in 1974, little did he imagine that three short years later he would be named dean.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
But, in 1977, he was appointed dean of EMS and held that position for 22 years, until 1999<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cMy title those first two years was acting dean,\u201d said Brunk. \u201cThat title was appropriate, since I had no prior experience in educational administration. After \u2018acting\u2019 the part successfully for two years, I became dean.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
At first, the dean role was half time. Brunk spent the other half pursuing his true love, teaching.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cI often threatened to post a notice on my dean\u2019s office door that said I\u2019d rather be teaching, but I never did,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Carmen Horst, a 2010 seminary graduate, took Greek Exegesis with Brunk.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cWe focused on Galatians, and I learned the importance and delicacy of every word,\u201d Horst said. \u201cEvery word adds to the beauty of God\u2019s word to his people and to \u2018pictures\u2019 we have of God\u2019s people in that time. I was like a sponge soaking it all in.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Former students remember Brunk\u2019s dry sense of humor, the particular way he pronounced the word \u201cpericope,\u201d which means a small unit of biblical text, and the warm way he related to students.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cGeorge was more than a professor,\u201d said Kevin Gasser, \u201908 \u201cHe was a pastoral presence in the classroom and outside.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Aaron Boggs \u201906 said, \u201cGeorge was my academic advisor. He was so encouraging. I wouldn\u2019t have traded him with anyone.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
While Brunk didn\u2019t always relish the administrative side of his role at EMS, he led the seminary into a new era. During his tenure, the seminary doubled in enrollment, added the formation program, which is now a key component of education at EMS, and received full accreditation, which allowed EMS to attract students from a broader range of denominations.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cNaturally, given the length of my stay at EMS, I have seen a complete turnover in the faculty,\u201d Brunk noted. \u201cThis generational change obviously brings new perspectives and new interests. The seminary has become more diverse in its composition and orientation.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cYou can no longer easily put EMU and EMS at a particular point on the spread of Mennonite thought and life,\u201d he stated.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Brunk also guided EMS and the larger church through a change in attitude about the need for theological education.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cEMS has primarily served the more traditional Mennonite churches in the eastern part of the U.S.,\u201d said Brunk. \u201cMany of these congregations have been slower to appreciate the value and importance of formal pastoral education. A major goal of my leadership is to bring about a healthy change of attitude and practice on this point.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
In 2009-10, Brunk was asked to serve as interim president for Associated Mennonite Biblical Seminary, EMS\u2019 sister seminary in Elkhart, Ind.
\u201cIt recently occurred to me that I have had the good fortune of experiencing all levels of seminary life \u2013 student, faculty, dean and president,\u201d said Brunk.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cThe invitation to serve as AMBS president was a complete surprise.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cPerhaps a key factor was marriage to the widow of a former AMBS leader. History is full of examples where marriage opened the way to surprising political changes!\u201d Brunk quipped.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Alicia Horst \u201906 remembers when Brunk started dating Ruthann Miller, whom he married in 2005. \u201cHe confided to the Interpreting the Biblical Text class that he was meeting up with a lovely lady in Indiana. How he trusted us with that information is beyond me.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cThe experience as president of AMBS confirmed for me what I observed earlier,\u201d Brunk said. \u201cThere is an increasing amount of homogeneity among our Mennonite schools, including the seminaries.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Asked what legacy Brunk hopes to leave as he retires, he replied, \u201cI hope that students remember me as someone who loved the material being studied, the scripture and its interpretation, and tried to make that love contagious.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Then, he added, \u201cI hope that history will show me as a bridge person who was committed to take the seminary to a new stage, aspired to make the seminary a respected part of the larger university and active partner with the sister seminary AMBS, and worked at greater unity in the Mennonite family in North America.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Brunk will continue to teach Greek Exegesis and Interpreting the Biblical Text this fall. He is finishing his commentary on Galatians for the Believers Church Bible Commentary series.<\/p>\n\n\n\n