Dr. Charles Pollard

Dr. Chip Pollard has been the president of John Brown University since July 2004. During his time at JBU, the university has been blessed to receive over $385 million in gifts and grants, to grow its endowment from $50 million to over $200 million, and to complete 26 major building projects. JBU has also initiated new academic programs in play therapy, nursing, computer science, cybersecurity, data analytics, civil engineering and professional flight and has seen its enrollment grow to over 2000 students. The Chronicle of Higher Education has named JBU to the “High Honor Roll” in its “Great Colleges To Work For” survey for the last decade (2015-2025), and the Wall Street Journal has ranked JBU either first or second best university in Arkansas for the previous five years. Dr. Pollard teaches regularly in the undergraduate program and speaks frequently in chapel and other venues. He has published two books, "New World Modernisms" (2005) and "May It Always Be True: Educating Students in Faith" (2011).

Dr. Pollard was elected to serve on the Council for Independent Colleges board in 2021 and its executive committee in 2024. He served on the board of the Council of Christian Colleges and Universities for thirteen years (2009-2022), including five years as the board chair (2013-2018). In 2024, he was appointed to serve on the Walton Family Charitable Support Foundation Board. He also serves on the boards of Wheaton College (2021 to present), Arvest Bank in Siloam Springs (2007 to present), Mercy Northwest Arkansas Community Board (2017 to present), LegacyWise (2019 to present), and MLA Foundation (2019 to present).

He received his undergraduate degree in English from Wheaton College in 1985, a law degree from Harvard Law School in 1988, a master’s degree in English from Oxford University in 1990, and a Ph.D. in English from the University of Virginia in 1999. He also practiced law at Latham & Watkins for three years and taught English literature at Calvin College for seven years before coming to JBU.

His wife, Carey, works in the Office of the President, and they enjoy working with college students, including hosting a class in their home, regularly attending chapel, musical performances, art openings, and sporting events, and informally mentoring students over lunch or a cup of coffee. They have four children: Chad, married to Anna (parents of Audrey, Emmy, Charlie, and Gwennie), Benjamin (deceased), Emma, married to David (parents of Teddy and Mac), and James, married to Annika (parents of Judith and Charlotte). They are members of First Presbyterian Church of Siloam Springs.

Authored by Dr. Pollard