For almost 27 years, Point Loma Nazarene University has flourished under the leadership of President Bob Brower, growing in reputation, in locations, in facilities, and in the number of students served. Finances have been skillfully managed, challenges have been prayerfully overcome, and students have been lovingly inspired. Dr. Brower has also been a leader in the Church of the Nazarene, the Council of Christian Colleges and Universities (CCCU), and in the San Diego community. Through it all, he has had his wife, Linda, by his side as an active contributor to the success of this place and its students.
“The purpose and mission of Point Loma is vitally important, said Dr. Brower. “It’s transformational for students. And every season must be tended and cared for and prospered. I have been here only for a season, and my responsibilities have been to steward, care for, and promote our purpose and mission. In doing that, I have had to hold this place firmly to guide it well and gently because it’s ultimately not mine. This is God’s place, and God has been at work for nearly 125 years in this institution.”
As PLNU prepares to congratulate the Browers on their retirement and to welcome a new university president, these words are an important reminder. Since its founding, this institution has been guided and sustained by a great and mighty God who will continue to be with us now and into the future.
For now, we take this time to reflect on the values and qualities that have characterized the Browers’ time at PLNU.
Leading with Values
FAMILY. Anyone who knows the Browers knows how important family is to them. The story of Bob and Linda’s family began when the two were in college at Trevecca Nazarene University.
“We actually met the spring before my freshman year of college,” Linda said. “He was a rising senior and was going to be student body president.” Linda was at Trevecca’s commencement as her father was on the board, and that’s when the two were introduced. They met again later that weekend at a picnic for the concert choir. Linda had just auditioned, and Bob was already a member. He recalls going home after the picnic and telling his roommate that he had met the girl he was going to marry. By Sept. 23 of Linda’s freshman year, they had their first date. By February, they were engaged. They married during her sophomore year and have been married for 51 years.
The next few years saw the Browers move several times to complete their degrees and pursue their careers. Linda graduated from Trevecca Nazarene University in 1975 and became a teacher. After completing his B.A. in speech and English at Trevecca, Bob went on to earn an M.A. in communication from the University of Cincinnati and his Ph.D. in organizational and interpersonal communication from the University of Kansas. Linda earned her M.A. in curriculum and instruction in 1986. She was also nearly finished with a master’s in counseling before the Browers accepted the position at Point Loma. Before coming to PLNU, Bob worked at Trevecca, MidAmerica Nazarene University, and Nazarene Publishing House.
In 1977, Bob and Linda’s son, Jeff, was born while they were living in Nashville. A couple of years later, the family moved to Olathe, Kansas. Their daughter, Julie, was born there in 1980. The kids grew up playing sports and attending the Church of the Nazarene. When Bob and Linda were called to PLNU in 1997, Jeff was in college at MidAmerica Nazarene University. That’s where he met his wife, Alisha. The two have three children: Carson, Miles, and Molly. Julie enrolled as a freshman at PLNU when her dad started. There she met her husband, Jonathan. They have four children: Jeremy, Katelyn, Anthony, and Audrey.
One of the Brower grandchildren is a student at PLNU and several others are planning to attend, and they have all been featured in Dr. Brower’s annual Christmas video shown at staff chapel before he shares his message.
CALLING. At PLNU, there is a strong emphasis on helping students fully become who they are called to be. A sense of calling and of following God’s will has always been vitally important in Bob and Linda’s lives as well.
“All my life, I knew I wanted to teach school,” Linda said. “Looking back on it, I think it was a calling. It was more than just teaching the subject matter. It was being with the kids and knowing the families.”
During her teaching career, Linda, an English major, taught ninth, second, and sixth grade. She also used her love for teaching and children in the church.
“I was in charge of children’s Bible quizzing and was also the director at the district level,” she said. “Teaching was a ministry.”
When the Browers came to PLNU, Linda began a new ministry to college students. “I decided not to teach here in California,” she said. “I decided I would rather be involved in campus life.” Still deeply passionate about her call to young people, Linda has formed bonds with students, cheering for them at athletic events, serving alongside them at Spring Break Build, and hosting them for meals and fellowship.
“Being around college students kept us young,” she laughed.
For Bob, calling has manifested itself throughout his career. “My undergrad experience was very transformative for me,” he said. “I had a few key professors who were really shaping in those days. By the time I got to my mid-junior year, I really began to feel that working at the college level was what I wanted and should be doing. I had a set of experiences from being highly involved in student leadership where I got to see how things worked from a different perspective than normal. My major professor was very influential in terms of not only who I became but what it was I was interested in doing.”
After earning his master’s and while Linda was finishing her undergraduate degree, Bob returned to work at Trevecca. “My major professor was running one of the first nontraditional undergrad programs,” he said. “I began teaching ‘adult’ students barely being an adult myself.” Dr. Brower also gained experience in consulting, communications, and running administrative programs during those years – all of which became helpful in the future. It seems God was preparing him for his call to PLNU even before he could imagine the possibility.
Brower then taught and administered federal grant programs at MidAmerica where he also started adult degree completion and graduate programs. After serving as a dean for adult and graduate studies, he moved into a vice president role. After his time at MidAmerica, Dr. Brower was elected to be the president and CEO of Nazarene Publishing House. Dr. Brower had no plans to leave that role when he was nominated as a presidential candidate to succeed Dr. Jim Bond at Point Loma.
“Being around college students kept us young.”
“In that process, I was invited and reluctantly came for an interview as one of the six finalists. I came simply because I couldn’t figure out a way not to come,” he recalled. “Every objection I had was overcome in the interview. Then, I remember very clearly just about halfway through, I heard in my head what was a nearly audible voice say: ‘Listen.’ At nearly the same time, one of the pastors on the search committee stood up and said out loud, ‘Listen! This is the voice of God.’ It can still give me shivers … I finished the last half of that interview and had this increasing sense of clear calling toward Point Loma.”
Just a few months later, Bob Brower was named the 14th president of Point Loma Nazarene College, which became Point Loma Nazarene University one month after his inauguration.
Leading with Character
FORWARD THINKING. One of President Brower’s strengths has been his ability to anticipate the needs and demands of the future. Under his tenure, PLNU has grown and adapted when that has not been the case for many other private universities. This is largely because Dr. Brower values forward thinking and has woven the practice into the way PLNU plans and operates.
Because of his steady and nimble leadership, it could be easy to forget that PLNU has faced numerous challenges over the past quarter century – from hitting the enrollment cap set by the city, to concerns about Y2K, the 2008 recession, and the COVID-19 pandemic.
Having a growth mindset even in good times sets the stage well for thriving even in challenging times.
“I think our transformation of building adult degree partnerships with community colleges and purposefully building adult programs and graduate programs gave us institutional experience of looking forward as we plan and design,” Dr. Brower said. “It gave us an approach of looking ahead and adapting and adjusting.”
“The COVID years brought together again wonderfully talented people that emerged with talents and skills almost nobody knew existed,” he said. “All of that grew out of a pattern over the years of Point Loma looking forward, adapting, adjusting, creating. We have a pattern of being an anticipatory organization, of seeing down the road. We try to prepare rather than respond.”
President Brower believes that a mindset of preparation has not only helped the university through challenges but also enabled many positive developments to take place.
“There have been new buildings to expand what we could do, four additional campuses to extend our reach, and movement into new modalities and degree programs,” he said. “All of those were just new ways to keep responding and keep growing forward. All of this happened because of people sharing the call and the purpose of Point Loma and bringing their talents and skills to fulfilling that call and purpose.”
CALM AND GRACIOUS. In the midst of challenges, not only has President Brower been forward-thinking, but he has also been calm. The sense of steadiness and lack of panic and agitation he demonstrates under pressure is something that has stood out to his colleagues and employees.
“He is worthy of our admiration, and he is a worthy model for what a Christian leader can be,” said Rev. Dr. Joe Watkins, retired executive vice president of external relations at PLNU and current senior pastor of Pasadena First Church of the Nazarene.
Carla Sunberg, a general superintendent in the Church of the Nazarene, shared that she has seen President Brower lead with grace even when under fire. “He didn’t run from reality,” she said. “He defined it and in a calm way would ask: how do we handle this without panic, without fear?”
Shirley Hoogstra, president of the CCCU, gave a telling example. In 2016, the California state legislature was presented with a bill, SB1146, that would have negatively affected Christian colleges and universities and limited access to Cal Grants for students at religious institutions.
“They were able to coalesce others in order to be successful.”
“What stands out in my mind was the leadership that Dr. Brower brought to the campaign to stop California SB1146 from becoming law,” Hoogstra said. “And the reason that was so monumental was that had California been successful in limiting state grants from being awardable to Christian college students that could have created a contagion effect to all other states. There was the potential that California’s law would become law across the nation. Dr. Brower and Dr. [Barry] Corey [of Biola University], and Dr. [Jon] Wallace [of Azusa Pacific University] were the leadership brain trust that, first of all, got all of the other schools involved. [They were] willing to take leadership but said ‘we are going to need everybody.’ They were able to coalesce others in order to be successful. Dr. Brower has immense capacity for authenticity, integrity, and orthodoxy. He had to represent Christians in Sacramento who had been mischaracterized. He had to have a winsome spirit of what Christian colleges actually produce. I find he is an exemplar of patience, insight, and eloquence.”
INTEGRITY, HUMILITY, AND GENUINE CARE. When we asked people what words come to mind when they think of Bob Brower, nearly everyone said integrity. People also described both Bob and Linda as humble, generous, and sincere in their deep care for others. One place where the Browers have exemplified these qualities has been at Spring Break Build. They have been on every trip since the program began in 2011.
Each year’s Spring Break Build involves taking students, faculty, and staff across the border to Mexico to partner with local churches and Lazarian World Homes to construct needed buildings.
“What a powerful thing it is to be part of something where at the beginning, you have a slab, and at the end, you have a church or a parsonage that has legacy in the community,” said Rev. Dr. Mary Paul, vice president for student life and formation at PLNU.
Esteban Trujillo, PLNU’s chaplain, is a 2003 alum who first returned to Point Loma in 2013 as the associate director of international ministries. One of his responsibilities was overseeing Spring Break Build.
“Both Dr. Brower and Linda were really instrumental to learn that project and to do it well,” he said. “Bob is an excellent craftsman with experience roofing. He’s very committed and excited about each project. He’s always in that early morning crew that would get there at 5 a.m. He’d be the first in and last out, and he was also always making time to teach students to do some of the things he knew how to do. I gained so much from Linda because she has such a big picture mindset, and she comes from a place of care over the whole. You could find her hammering the roof, but she also sees student needs. Even little things she sees, like noticing that students’ hands might be dry from using sanitizer and mixing cement and wanting to take care of that need.”
ENCOURAGING AND UPLIFTING OTHERS. Bob and Linda are known for mentoring and believing in others.
“I’m always learning something new from Linda,” Trujillo said. “I’m grateful for the ways she offers wisdom and knowledge and is an amazing example of hospitality.”
When it comes to Dr. Brower, Trujillo appreciates his unwavering support. It especially meant a lot to him when he was still new in his role as chaplain and a challenging situation arose.
“He had confidence in my ability and leadership,” he said. “He would express that in moments where I felt that my gifts weren’t enough or had self-doubt. Those crucial moments he would give me a word of encouragement right at the right time. After that challenging moment, he said words that have echoed in my mind the rest of my tenure. He said, ‘Esteban, you have taken on the mantle of chaplain well.’ That was so meaningful. I’m not the first chaplain he had worked with. We have had different models: Reuben Welch, Michael Pitts, Gerard Reed, Dana Walling. For him to know the history and still say those words was very encouraging to me.”
Jennifer King, DNP, CNS, PHN, executive director of the PLNU Wellness Center, has experienced similar encouragement from Dr. Brower’s faith in her. King had just finished her doctorate in epidemiology and was serving as associate dean of the School of Nursing when the pandemic began in 2020. Early on, Dr. Brower asked her to join PLNU’s COVID task force.
He is an incredibly humble listener,” she said. “He trusted that we were equipped. He trusted our skillsets and our ability to discern what needed to be done. He was supportive and got behind us. He gave me confidence to believe I had the right skills to allow me to make those decisions.”
General Superintendent Carla Sunberg relates to that experience, especially thinking of her journey to becoming only the second female general superintendent in the Church of the Nazarene.
“I felt like he was always a champion for me,” she said. “It is not always easy being a woman coming up the ranks, but he had my back and believed in me. He opened doors and created pathways for people.”
Bob and Linda are known for genuinely listening to others and to deeply caring for everyone in the PLNU community. Their interest and belief in others has been an empowering force at Point Loma and beyond.
Leading with Faith
SERVICE TO THE CHURCH. Carla Sunberg has seen Dr. Brower as a mentor and role model throughout her career. “He is passionate about Christ and serving the church. He has brought every skill and ability he has [in order] to do that. He is a layman, but he is a role model of what it means to be a committed layperson. He is committed to Jesus Christ and to his church. He has given sacrificially to serve on committees and boards. He did it with integrity, and he did it well.”
John Moore (74) who served as a pastor, district superintendent, missionary, and educational coordinator for the Asia Pacific District of the Church of the Nazarene before recently retiring, also believes that Bob and Linda’s service to the church cannot be understated and is a vital part of their legacy.
“Bob Brower probably holds the record for the number of boards, committees, and chairs of anybody in the Church of the Nazarene,” he said. “He has served not just in the educational arena but in the missional, conceptual discussion of the church. I have learned a lot from him.”
Moore shared that even while Dr. Brower brings tremendous clout to wherever he serves, he always remains “so disarming, gracious, and humble.” “When you think of a servant, that epitomized his leadership,” Moore said.
Moore also shared several stories that show how the Browers have gone above and beyond to serve the church around the world.
“In Asia Pacific, we had 15 schools across that region. We brought all the presidents of those schools together and invited Dr. Brower and Dr. Kerry Fulcher to spend a week with the presidents and academic deans. Dr. Brower talked about the mission of the schools and how it was different from the church. They have different functions and roles within God’s kingdom … He also met with our leaders in South Africa. I was trying to help our school move toward decentralized and online options. Point Loma had done that. I asked Dr. Brower if he would speak to our leaders gathering in South Africa, and he did that for us.”
Moore added: “I want to say to the Board of Trustees: Thank you for being so generous with him … By blessing his activities globally, you have blessed the church and global education system.”
SPIRITUAL LIFE AND LEADERSHIP. In addition to serving the global church, Dr. Brower and Linda also help nurture the spiritual life of the PLNU community. They pray for and with students, faculty, and staff. They model lives of faith, listening and encouraging.
“Another aspect is that Dr. Brower gets to speak in chapel,” said Trujillo. “It is always beautiful to have him speak into our chapel theme every year. He is serious about his study of the scriptures. His devotional life spoke into how he would prepare. He would thoughtfully and prayerfully prepare very Spirit-led, heartfelt messages. He would often include the words: ‘My prayer for you PLNU is …’ and would speak out of that.”
In difficult times, the Browers have leaned on faith and prayer and have always remained subservient to God’s will.
“[Dr. Brower] sees himself as a humble servant in this larger story that God is creating for this institution,” said Kris Koudelka, Ph.D., professor of biology, who worked closely with President Brower during the COVID-19 pandemic to keep the students, staff, and faculty as safe as possible on campus.
“We did the best job in San Diego because of a lot of the decisions he made,” Koudelka said. “We had the most face-to-face hours, the most students on campus. Our infectivity was half the rate of the surrounding community. A lot of that was because he made humble, thoughtful, prayerful decisions. We spent a lot of time in prayer.”
A Lasting Legacy
As the Browers prepare to retire this summer and as PLNU welcomes its 15th president, Bob and Linda’s legacy of values, character, and faith will live on. So will their relationships.
“For both of us what is rewarding is all the people,” Bob said. “Students, faculty, staff, community, church – it’s all of the people we have been able to work with and encounter here. The memories are rich with faces and events and relationships. Every relationship we have had over the last 27 years is connected with this place. All of our family has been deeply influenced by the reality that we came. That’s what gives us life and purpose. It’s in the context of people that all the work gets done.”
So many people the Viewpoint spoke to also deeply value their relationship with Bob and Linda – not only professionally but as friends. As much as Bob’s mentorship and his and Linda’s service to the church have meant to Sunberg, for example, she said, “At the end of the day, I am grateful that Bob and Linda are my friends.”
Watkins feels the same way. He also pointed out that Dr. Brower will leave a legacy of “patient tenacity” in terms of moving the university forward and not giving up on ideas even when the first time pursuing them wasn’t successful. Watkins also named “innovation and hiring well” as important legacies of President Brower’s. Finally, “another legacy more profound than people even know is the financial condition of the university,” Watkins said. “Along with his Cabinet and others, he is leaving the university in a very strong financial position.”
Watkins also noted the same thing Dr. Brower has always kept in mind – although he has been a tremendous leader for PLNU, it is God who is truly at the helm and in control.
“For both of us what is rewarding is all the people.”
– Dr. Bob Brower
“It’s going to be okay,” Watkins said. “We have lived at Point Loma with a sense of God’s provision. Bob’s departure doesn’t change that. In fact, Bob’s departure is a reminder of that. We can expect really good things next because the foundation has been laid.”
Hoogstra of the CCCU echoed that sentiment. She said: “The necessary change based on all the circumstances will be guided and undergirded by a God who does not make mistakes and has loved us dearly.”
