On June 30, 2022, Covenant College’s Vice President of Academic Affairs, Dr. Jeff Hall will be retiring after almost 30 years of working with the school full time.
Dr. Hall started out at Covenant in 1986 as an adjunct professor in the education department. He began working full time with the department in 1994. In 1998, Hall was hired as the Dean of Faculty, working with the vice president at the time, Robert Littlejohn. When Littlejohn stepped down in 2001, Hall took up the position in a temporary way until the new president, Dr. Neil Nelson, came, and, after working with Hall for a while, hired him officially for the position in 2003.
Over his many years at Covenant, Hall has seen a lot of growth in the size of the community. More than the changes, however, he has been struck by what has stayed the same. “We still believe pretty much what we believed when I started here. It’s really wonderful to see a tradition that is sustained and one that’s faithful to Scripture and faithful to our walk with the Lord, which is, I think, relatively unique,” Hall said.
He has found that his relationships with the faculty have shaped him, and the faculty have deeply appreciated working with him. Chaplain Grant Lowe speaks fondly of the almost ten years in which he served on the president’s cabinet with Hall and notes both Hall’s immense institutional knowledge and friendship.
“He’s got a very pastoral heart as well. What I think of Dr. Hall is a consistent faithfulness to the Lord and to the mission of the college and the way that he approaches work in the college from a deep place of spiritual maturity,” Lowe said.
Dr. Sarah Donaldson of the math department, who has known Dr. Hall since she was in fifth grade, also spoke highly of him. “[His impact on the college is] immeasurable. He’s held things together through lots of ups and downs for the last thirty years, helping us maintain our mission in what we’re doing as well as the really practical needs of the college like accreditation. His impact in terms of leadership and integrity and kindness, again, it’s kind of immeasurable,” she said.
Along with faculty, students have appreciated opportunities to get to know Dr. Hall. “He was also very kind and always smiled, so it was a very warm class. I enjoyed being in class with him and enjoyed interacting with him. He was really thoughtful and spoke really well, always knew what to say,” said Knox Gibson ‘24 after taking statistics with Dr. Hall.
Gibson’s classmate, Reghan Black ‘24 spoke similarly of her experience with Dr. Hall. “He was always just super nice, super sweet, very uplifting. He was very encouraging and was always there to help with anything, never had a bad attitude, came in and he would do devotions with us,” Black said.
Faculty and students alike agree that Dr. Hall’s impact on Covenant College has been more than intellectual or academic, but has been that of kindness and dedication towards the institution. “He is a dear sweet man,” said Sydney Teagarden ‘23, who, while having had only small interactions with Hall, has appreciated his friendliness and kindness.
“I’m going to miss him a lot. It’s interesting that I could tell you instance after instance after instance of times where he has spoken wisdom into situations, but the things that I remember most are the personal aspects and personal stories,” Lowe said.
In stepping down from his position at Covenant, Hall hopes that the school will stay true to its mission. “I hope that those things that shouldn’t change don’t change. That it remains as a rule faithful. I hope that some things get easier, that it grows in terms of students, but I hope it stays faithful as a residential liberal arts college, faithfully serving Jesus,” Hall said.