Dr. Tom Milligan of Sidney, former Moderator of the Presbytery of the Miami Valley and Ruling Elder at First Presbyterian Church in Sidney, Ohio, was elected Board President of the Reformed University (Corporación Universitaria Reformada) in Barranquilla, Colombia, in October 2022. The Reformed University is a private Protestant institution of higher learning formed by the Presbyterian Church of Colombia and its three presbyteries: Urabá, Central, and the North Coast. The Presbytery of the Miami Valley has a long-standing relationship through its Columbian Partnership Network with the Presbytery of the North Coast that spans nearly 30 years.
The Reformed University was founded in 2002 with just four academic programs and fewer than 200 students. The University now has 18 academic programs and an enrollment of just over 2,900. During the week of Milligan’s election as board president, the University took center stage in this country of 55 million people as it was chosen by the newly-elected government of Colombia as the site to hold regional dialogs on future government initiatives. These were followed by an address at the University by Colombian President Gustavo Petro to a crowd of over 10,000.
Tom’s history with the Global Mission partnership in Colombia dates back to its beginnings when he, his wife Mardie (Ruling Elder at Sidney: First), Fred Richards (now deceased former Ruling Elder at Springboro: Covenant) and Rev. Jerry Swaim (Honorably Retired) went on the inaugural Presbytery partnership visit in 1995. Since that time Tom has been active with the partnership, having travelled to Colombia numerous times and having served both in leadership of Miami Valley Presbytery’s Global Mission Committee and later Global Mission Network, and as Moderator of the PC(USA)’s Colombia Network. In 1998 he travelled with Presbyterian Hunger Program personnel to the Urabá region of Colombia when violence against human rights defenders, including those in the Church, was rampant. He served as Overture Advocate for the PC(USA)’s first-ever Overture on Colombia at that time as well. In 2008, Tom and his wife made a significant financial contribution to the Reformed University, helping the institution ramp up from four academic programs to 12.
Tom was first elected to the University’s Board of Trustees in 2017 as an at-large trustee, the first and only non-Colombian to hold a board position there. About his recent election as Board President, Tom said: “It is a distinct honor, particularly as a non-citizen, to have gained the trust of my Colombian peers to lead the Reformed University Board at this exciting time in the institution’s trajectory.” University Rector Helis Barraza applauded the Board’s decision, saying, “Dr. Milligan’s election as Board President offers the institution international visibility at a critical time in its growth.” Tom has a history of higher education leadership, having served on the Board of Trustees of Edison State Community College in Piqua, OH, for over 24 years, including two terms as Board Chair.
“I’ve had a love for Colombia and the Colombian people since I first went to Colombia as a college student over 43 years ago, “ he said, “I have been blessed to be able to fulfill God’s calling in this ministry.”
