A New Adventure

DR. BEN LION | Missouri Baptist University’s Vice President for Student Development, Dr. Benjamin Lion, joined MBU in the summer of 2019. He holds a B.A. in Business Administration from Calvin University, a Master of Education in College Student Affairs from Azusa Pacific University and a Doctorate in Higher Education Administration from the University of Alabama.

FAMILY MAN | The charm of Queeny Park provides the perfect setting for weekend family walks. Dr. Lion and his wife, Lori, love to go for strolls with their children, Isabella, William, and Eleanor, as well as the newest addition to the family, their Labradoodle, Sadie.

ZOO | Since moving to Saint Louis from Orlando, the Saint Louis Zoo has become Dr. Lion’s family’s favorite STL attraction. He compares this attraction to Disney’s Animal Kingdom, minus the roller coasters.

DISNEY AFICIONADO | Dr. Lion and his family are quite the Disney fans. So much so, that they have visited Disney World well over 200 times. On any given workday, you can catch Dr. Lion sipping some tea from his Epcot mug.

5 IN 10 | For Dr. Lion, the past decade has been eventful with a thing for the number five. He lived in five cities — St. Louis, Orlando, Jacksonville, Nashville and Azusa — he worked at five universities, and his family grew from two to five. He also received his fifth diploma, his doctorate degree. The first four were his master of arts, bachelor of arts, high school and, of course, his kindergarten diploma.

I AM DR. BENJAMIN LION, AND YOU ARE NOT INVITED TO MY TED TALK | Don’t worry; it’s nothing you’ve done. Although Dr. Lion is a big fan of TED Talks, presenting one is not one of his goals. The idea of creating a space where ideas and research are freely shared is what drew his attention to TED Talks. To date, Dr. Lion estimates he has watched hundreds of them.

FULLY BOOKED WEEKEND | One of Dr. Lion’s favorite pastimes is books. Some of his top choices are Dare to Lead by Brene Brown, Start With Why by Simon Sinek, and for fun, the classic Dune by Frank Herbert.

HIGHER ED’S #1 FAN | Dr. Lion’s many positive experiences as an undergraduate student sparked an interest in higher education, especially student affairs. Dr. Lion sees his position as an opportunity to invest in the lives of students and help them become who God intended them to be.