FUN FANT FACTS
NGU’s eighth president reveals his favorite movie, cereal, quote to live by, and more.
HOW WOULD YOU INTRODUCE YOURSELF TO SOMEONE ON AN ELEVATOR? “Hi. I’m the luckiest man alive.” My name “Gene” comes from the Latin “Eugene,” which means “lucky” or “well born.” And “Fant” means “a dude” in Finnish. I’m literally the luckiest dude ever. And I tell people that all the time; I’ve been able to do crazy things in my life.
LIKE WHAT? So, we had a church member when I was 14 who called one Saturday and said, “Hey, you want to work on a tugboat?” and I got to work on a tugboat for one day, and we launched the aircraft carrier “Eisenhower.” And I’ve stumbled into crazy jobs before where I was just . . . right place at the right time. I think it’s providence, actually.
HOBBIES? I love to read, watch movies, and go for walks and hikes.
FAVORITE MOVIE? “2001: A Space Odyssey.” My favorite movie used to be “Star Wars.” I actually bought the novel before the movie was made. It was an accident. I picked it up at a drugstore and was reading it on a family trip. So when the movie first came out, I saw it 27 times the first year.
CURRENTLY READING? I usually read about four books at a time. I try to read a biography, so currently I’m working through the biographies of the Founding Fathers and the U.S. presidents in order. I usually have a novel or a book of poetry going. Right now, I’m reading the book “Silence” by Shusaku Endo. I also usually read a theology book, so I just finished John Piper’s new book “A Peculiar Glory.” And then usually the fourth one is just fun. I just finished a book on the history of Tetris.
WHAT ARE YOU SECRETLY GOOD AT? Tetris.
FAVORITE CEREAL? I eat more cereal than you could imagine. I’m basically a giant 8-year-old. So Frosted Flakes, Cap’n Crunch Peanut Butter . . .
WILL YOU KEEP UP FRIED CHICKEN WEDNESDAY AT NGU? I would love to continue the tradition. I’m a Southern boy, and, you know, I’m all about the chicken.
SPIRIT ANIMAL? Golden retriever.
FARTHEST YOU’VE TRAVELLED? I went on a nine-day mission trip and got to teach faculty development at four different universities in eastern Ukraine.
QUOTE TO LIVE BY? I John 4:19: “We love because He first loved us.” My second favorite: “The best revenge is a life well lived.”
“He said, ‘Oh, it’s a great school. They do a won- derful job of educating students and helping them to grow in Jesus,’” Gene recalls. “I thought, ‘Well, that’s a pretty good answer.’”
Several of Gene’s friends encouraged him to apply for the position of president at NGU, which he did at the end of the summer. Gene says he and Lisa use a principle they learned from Henry Blackaby to make decisions together. They always ask two questions about an open opportunity: “Is God’s Spirit at work here?” and “Can I join in that effort?” Both felt that the answers were “yes” at NGU.
Gene could tell the Presidential Search Committee had a unity he hadn’t seen before; this was one way he knew God was working. That same unity was evident when the Board of Trustees met on Feb. 23, 2017, and, in a unanimous vote, elected Gene to become NGU’s eighth president.
At the official announcement press conference, Gene revealed that one of the most influential leadership books he’s read is “Renovate Before You Innovate” by Sergio Zyman. He foresees a period of great growth at NGU and plans to “fix any fissures or cracks in the foundation” before building on it.
He’s very clear that he would like to fortify NGU’s programs to ensure the university sends out “transformational leaders” who are able not only to share the gospel, but also to use specific trades, such as economics and medicine, to minister.
“If we produce hundreds of students each year who are engaged in the community and the local church, then we’ll have an opportunity to really im- pact the larger culture — not just in South Carolina and not just in the U.S., but around the world,” he says.
As Gene and his wife move to the Greenville area from their home in Jupiter, Fla., their twins will fin- ish a gap year with Impact 360 Institute in Atlanta, Ga., a worldview and leadership education founda- tion Gene has worked with since 2004.
His term as president at NGU officially begins on June 1, 2017 — just in time for a special celebration of the institution’s 125th anniversary throughout the 2017-18 academic year.
“NGU family should be excited just because God’s doing something. As humans, we don’t get to know what all of that is. Sometimes we don’t even get to know what that is in our lifetimes,” says Gene. “But when we know we’re about God’s busi- ness, when we know we’re doing something as a shared community, when we know we’re meeting the needs of others and changing the way they think about themselves and even about God, that’s a pretty exciting time to be in.”
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