Ben Wayman Steps into the Provost Role at Greenville University

Published: January 28, 2026

Author: Liz Dowell

Photo by Dave Bell

As Greenville University continues to navigate a shifting higher-education landscape, a new season of academic leadership is taking shape with the appointment of Ben Wayman as provost.

Often described as a university’s chief academic officer, the provost serves just below the president, overseeing academic programs, faculty, curriculum, and the institution's overall educational direction.

In this role, Wayman will help guide Greenville’s academic life forward, ensuring that teaching, learning, and faith remain deeply connected as the university leans into its Greenville Rising initiative.

For Wayman, the excitement of the role is rooted less in structure and more in calling.

“In this new season for GU, I’m most excited about building something excellent that draws on the best of our community to be faithful to our calling to Christian higher education,” he said.

Academic Life Shaped by Excellence and Community

Wayman describes Greenville Rising as both an honest assessment of current trends in higher education and a bold plan for faithfulness moving forward. His vision for academic life centers on excellence, not as an abstract standard, but as something lived through teaching, collaboration, and community.

“Academic excellence is an integration of faith and experiential learning,” Wayman explained. “We need the whole campus to do this well.”

That vision extends beyond classrooms. Wayman sees academic life as deeply connected to athletics, student life, and community engagement. Each contributes to a holistic educational experience that transforms students both intellectually and spiritually.

Relationship-Centered Education at the Core

Greenville University’s longstanding commitment to relational education remains central to Wayman’s leadership philosophy. At its heart, he believes, is the relationship between faculty and students.

“The magic is when faculty inspire students to become all that God has created them to be,” Wayman said, emphasizing that this work extends beyond professors to include coaches, chaplains, mentors, and community life leaders across campus.

In a Christ-centered, liberal arts context, Wayman considers academic excellence as an act of discipleship—an invitation to pursue truth faithfully and without fear.

“Christians have long held that all truth is God’s truth,” he said. “Our pursuit of truth will lead us right into the arms of the Living God.”

Expanding Experiential Learning

Experiential learning, long a hallmark of a Greenville University education, is another area Wayman hopes to deepen. Drawing on the university’s Wesleyan tradition, he sees learning in the community as essential to formation.

“Experiential learning is education at its best,” Wayman said. “It’s embodied and requires the whole of you.”

Looking ahead, Wayman shared plans to integrate experiential learning more fully across academic programs by connecting students with scholars, practitioners, internships, and professional networks. He also highlighted the recent Lilly Foundation Collaboration Grant, which will create new opportunities for study and learning in places such as the Dominican Republic and Nashville.

Innovation, Faculty Support, and Collaboration

As higher education continues to evolve, Wayman points to hybrid learning models as one crucial step forward. Beginning next fall, Greenville will implement a model that combines intense in-person instruction with high-quality online offerings, including certificates and industry-recognized credentials.

Supporting faculty through these changes remains a priority. Wayman describes his role not as directing innovation, but as creating space for it.

“My role is to platform them and their gifts,” he said. “The innovation comes out of a faculty living out their vocation.”

Collaboration across academics, athletics, student life, and enrollment is essential to this vision. Education at Greenville, Wayman noted, is for the whole person. And that kind of formation requires the engagement of the entire campus community.

Hope Rooted in Faith

After returning from sabbatical, Wayman says his time spent learning from fellow academic leaders reshaped how he approaches the provost role. His sabbatical emphasized experiential learning through relationships, reflection, and faith integration. Through that experience, he hopes Greenville students will encounter in their own education.

When asked what he hopes students feel, his answer was simple.

“God,” Wayman said. “I hope students recognize and feel the difference Christ makes for everything we are and do at GU.”

That same conviction grounds his hope for Greenville University’s future.

“As long as Greenville University is committed to Christ-centered education,” he said, “our hope is not in vain.”

Photo by Alex Weatherspoon