Tickets are now on sale for Hannibal-LaGrange University’s first Booster Gala, formerly known as Booster Banquet, which will feature HLGU’s new president, Dr. Robert Matz, as the keynote speaker. The Gala will be held Saturday, November 12, 2022. The Booster Gala is sponsored by HNB Bank.
Tickets may be ordered online at hlg.edu/boostergala, or by calling 573.629.3124. To purchase by mail, please send a check payable to Hannibal-LaGrange University and print Booster Gala in memo line and mail to: HLGU – IA Office, 2800 Palmyra Road, Hannibal, MO 63401.
The Hannibal-LaGrange University Board of Trustees announced the appointment of Dr. Robert J. Matz as the 18th President of Hannibal-LaGrange University at the fall meeting on October 14, 2022.
Since July 2021, Dr. Matz has served HLGU as Vice President of Academic Administration, Dean of the Faculty, and Professor of Theology and Preaching. In March 2022 Matz was named the Acting Executive Vice President as Dr. Rodney Harrison was named Transitional President.
Dr. Matz is a graduate of Vanderbilt University with a Bachelor of Engineering (2005). He earned a Master’s of Divinity with a concentration in systematic theology from Southwestern Baptist Theological Seminary (2009) and a Ph.D. in theology and apologetics from Liberty University (2015). Dr. Matz is a member of and regular presenter at the Evangelical Theological Society. He was appointed to and served on the Southern Baptist Convention’s special task force on evangelism in 2017-2018.
Alongside his academic efforts, Dr. Matz is a committed Southern Baptist churchman. He has pastored churches in Texas, Virginia, and Missouri and led in the revitalization of Blue Hills Baptist Church in Independence, MO, the oldest Baptist church in the Kansas City metro area. Prior to coming to HLGU, Dr. Matz served at Midwestern Baptist Theological Seminary for 10 years both in administration and as a faculty member.
Dr. Matz is married to Jessica and they have three children, Andrew, Katie, and Jonathan. They are active members of Immanuel Baptist Church in Hannibal.
At this year’s Booster Gala, attendees will enjoy fellowship, heavy appetizers, and a meet and greet with Dr. Matz in the Roland Fine Arts Center lobby starting at 5:30 p.m. At 7 p.m., they will move into the Parker Theatre for the 2022 alumni award winner’s announcement, hear a campus update from Hannibal-LaGrange University administration, and enjoy a keynote from the new HLGU president.
Tickets are $30 each through Monday, October 31. Tickets increase to $35 on Tuesday, November 1.
For more information, please contact Lauren Youse ’05 M ‘16, director of alumni services and development, at 573.629.3126, or via email at lauren.youse@hlg.edu.
Hannibal-LaGrange University is a four-year Christian university fully accredited by the Higher Learning Commission. The institution prides itself in its traditional and nontraditional educational experience in a distinctively Christian environment.