As the eighth president of Southwestern Baptist Theological Seminary, Paige Patterson carries more than four decades of experience in educating pastors and missionaries. After almost 18 years as president of the Criswell College in Dallas, Patterson served for 11 years as president of Southeastern Baptist Theological Seminary in Wake Forest, North Carolina, before coming to Southwestern. Even as a pastor he offered instruction in biblical studies and languages to his congregants. The focus of Patterson’s leadership is an intense commitment to evangelism and to the task of global missions with a foundational component of demanding research and rigorous academic preparation