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He's chosen to lead where he least expected

Mark T. O'Farrell never expected to be a college president. Now he hopes to spread the good news about Trinity College.

By EBONY WINDOM
Published December 31, 2005

TRINITY - In the administration building at Trinity College, framed photos line a wall, showing every president since the college's inception.

And recently, a new one went up.

So far, everything is in place for the arrival of Mark T. O'Farrell. In a few weeks, he'll assume the school's top post.

When Trinity's former president Bill Lanpher retired, a committee launched a nationwide search that drew 22 candidates. Six months later, one person fit the bill: O'Farrell.

Right off the bat, O'Farrell, 57, wowed the group with his "experience, leadership and knowledge," search committee member Tom Ash said.

"(O'Farrell) just seemed to be the one . . . the Lord sent to be our next president," Ash said.

Taking on this new role as Trinity president is a "new and exciting challenge" for O'Farrell, who spent 12 years starting and maintaining churches for a denomination called Christian Missionary Alliance based in Orlando.

Trinity College is a nondenominational Bible college where students prepare for ministry careers. Among its alums are the Rev. Billy Graham.

But up until a year ago, leading a Bible college "wasn't on my radar screen," O'Farrell said with a chuckle. "I never really aspired for something like this."

But, O'Farrell said, it made sense to apply because for years he had been on the school's board of trustees. O'Farrell has rubbed elbows with a few of the school's past presidents. He grew to love Trinity College.

When he got wind of the job opening, O'Farrell decided to apply.

During the interview process, O'Farrell prayed and felt what he described as "peace in my heart."

Now O'Farrell is wrapping up his work at Christian Missionary Alliance. He'll stay on for a while as a consultant and to help train his replacement.

"He's going to be missed," said Ellen Diomedes, O'Farrell's former administrative assistant at Christian Missionary Alliance. "But I expect to see great things happen with Trinity College under his administration. . . . I think he can move the college ahead."

As president, O'Farrell will juggle enrollment, fundraising, academics and leadership of about 30 full-time faculty members.

Through his previous work, O'Farrell got to know hundreds of Florida pastors. O'Farrell wants to use those connections to help boost enrollment at Trinity.

As the new ambassador for Trinity College, O'Farrell's goal is to spread the word about the school. Some locals don't even know it exists, he said.

O'Farrell is an ordained minister and "very committed to the Lord," Ash said. Decades ago, O'Farrell passed up the big universities to attend a Bible college in South Carolina. And he's a former pastor who recites Scripture at the drop of a hat.

For now, his new office on the second floor of the school's administration building is mostly bare. But soon, there will be books on the shelves and plaques on the walls. O'Farrell and his wife of 35 years, Phillis, plan to sell their Orlando home and settle into a nearby apartment.

The thought of being the new guy on campus makes him a bit nervous.

"I haven't been here since day one; I didn't come up through the ranks," O'Farrell said.

He wonders whether he'll gel with the faculty and staff and whether students will like him.

O'Farrell hasn't quite figured out what new name he'll go by in academia. Dr. O'Farrell sounds way too formal, he says. Folks rarely call him that. O'Farrell was awarded an honorary doctor of divinity degree from Toccoa Falls College in Georgia.

O'Farrell leans back in his chair, rests his arms above his head and says, "Maybe president Mark."

[Last modified December 31, 2005, 00:47:16]