From a kindergarten student in Fliermans Hall to his own office in Miller Business Center, Dr. Doug Perry ’68/’79/’95 D.Litt. has experienced Olivet in ways few people have. He will conclude his Olivet career at the end of 2018 as vice president for finance and chief financial officer.
“Olivet has been my whole life,” Dr. Perry says. “Growing up on the campus, attending and graduating, and now a career of over four decades with the University. What a privilege to invest one’s life in an institution with such a great mission and purpose. I will always be grateful to Olivet for the wonderful opportunity I have had to serve in work that has great eternal significance.”
Dr. Perry began his full-time career with Olivet in 1975, working in various capacities in the business office, including budget director and assistant to the chief financial officer. He accepted his current positions as chief financial officer in 1985 and the vice president for finance position in 1998.
Olivet Nazarene University is deeply embedded in the life of Dr. Perry. His connection to the University spans four generations. His grandfather, A.L. Parrott, was one of Olivet’s presidents and was responsible for relocating the school from its old location at Olivet, Illinois, to its present location on the campus in Bourbonnais. His father, Ralph Perry, was an alumnus of Olivet and a member of Olivet’s faculty from the late 1940s to the mid-1970s. Ralph was instrumental in starting the graduate program in religion for the University.
In 2012, the Douglas E. Perry Student Life and Recreation Center opened on Olivet’s campus to serve students, faculty and staff with an outstanding facility for fitness and fun plus classroom and meeting spaces.
A member of College Church of the Nazarene in Bourbonnais for approximately 60 years, Dr. Perry also served the Chicago Central District for 20 years as both a district advisory board member and district treasurer.
Dr. Perry met and married his wife, Sheila (Oswalt) ’70/’77 M.A.E., while they were students at Olivet. Their family now includes: one son, John ’01/’02 M.B.A./’15 Ed.D., and his wife, Monique (Cartier) ’03; one daughter, Lauren (Perry) McClymonds ’02/’04 M.A.T., and her husband, Ryan ’04/’07 M.B.A., and their children, Roe and Ryn.
To current and future Olivet students, Dr. Perry says, “Keep an open mind to what God might want you to do. Be open to His will and leading.”
Published: 11/29/2018
