The President’s Reflections: “Worldview Matters”

Below are the results from a survey,  generating responses from over 1,000 students, alumni and faculty and staff.

This was a wonderful way to collect a broad spectrum of perspectives and gain good ideas from many who care most about Belhaven.  These outcomes will be shared with the Board of Trustees.

It is our desire from the Board to find God’s clear leading and voice in this decision, and gaining insights from God’s people has been an important part of this process.

Thanks to all of you who participated. Not only did you respond to the questions, but over 500 of you left comments, and I’ve read every one of them.

Here are the significant findings of the survey

The most important finding was an overwhelming number assuming there are official criteria that qualifies a school to be a university rather than a college.  Those who said they were surprised there is not a criteria – Students 85%, Alumni 73%, All Employees 69%, Only Faculty 67%.

When asked if the name “college” or “university” would make a difference in which schools  they  were willing to consider, they responded that University made a difference among 38% of students and 52% of alumni.

When asked which name on the diploma they believe would help most in a job search, University was the preferred choice among Students 70%, Alumni 52%, All Employees 74%, Only Faculty 82%; and College was the choice for only a handful – Students 3%, Alumni 3%, All Employees 1%, Only Faculty 2%.

When asked if changing the name to University would be overall positive or negative, only a small minority said it would be negative – Students 5%, Alumni 11%, All Employees 3%, Only Faculty 3%

When asked, “If you alone made the decision, which would it be?” they responded for “college” – Students 12%, Alumni 26%, All Employees 14%, Only Faculty 10%.

 

 

 

When asked, “If the change is made, when would you prefer it happen?” those who responded immediately or January – Students 77%, All Employees 64%, Only Faculty 66%.

I’ve been receiving lots of helpful insight and ideas regarding this decision whether or not to change our name from Belhaven College to Belhaven University.

The concept has also raised a number of questions, and I thought it would be helpful to answer a few of those that came  in through the survey comments or emails:

Would renaming Belhaven a University change who we are? No, instead, it would reflect who we have already become.  There would be no change in mission, style, or priorities with a name change because we already operate as a complex multi-level Christ-centered academic institution where our standard is Christ.

Would we become a larger residential campus if we changed to University? Our traditional age student program could grow by only about another 20% or  until we run out of space (we grew about 5% this year.)  We can only house about another 100 students on campus in double rooms, and I don’t see a new residence hall on the near horizon.

Would we become larger overall if we changed to University? I sure hope so!  We would love to have more students in our adult programs on all four campuses, as well as in our graduate programs.  The most significant enrollment increase will come in our new online master degrees which begin in January.

Here is one of the things I love most about what God has given us at Belhaven

Belhaven is unique among nearly every college in the country, in that we are blessed to be able to grow dramatically without it changing at all the spirit and nature of the residential campus.  Because we have multiple campuses, we can have a small campus feel in each of our locations, while still being a large institution overall and enjoying those accompanying benefits and economy of scale.

Would becoming a University raise the tuition? The name won’t have anything to do with tuition.  That is driven by market conditions, financial needs, and overall enrollment.  This past year we had a tuition increase half the rate of a normal year because of the economy – while the majority of schools had increases higher than a normal year.  This year’s fee rate increase will be more back to normal, about 5%, depending on the program and location.

Would class sizes change if we becaome a University? No, the name change won’t change the current class structure.  Again, a name change would only reflect who we’ve already become.  So, if you like the class sizes now, you’d like them with the change of name.  If you want huge classes with 300 in a lecture hall, we can’t help you.

Would hiring standards for faculty and staff change and would they still be required to teach from a Christian worldview? Our mission, worldview focus, Christian commitment, and hiring standards would not change one ounce!  We will never budge on our standards for hiring or anything else.  “Our standard is Christ” will be our driving force even if we were called Belhaven Royal Conservatory (which was a suggestion someone sent me, and I kind of like the sound of it!)

I’m glad for the active dialog and the prayerful thought that has gone into this decision.  The survey will be open through the weekend, and if you’ve not had a chance to fill it out, I’d encourage you to join the 700 people who have already responded.

The survey regarding the question of a possible name change is BLAZING!

It started off fast with 75 alumni responding within minutes after it was posted, but now the current student survey has pushed ahead in total number of responses.

As of right now, I’ve had responses from:

269 current students

214 alumni

124 faculty and staff

In addition, I’ve had about a dozen students write me directly.

I have received 271 comments on the surveys, and I’ve read every one of them. They include some very helpful ideas and perspectives.

If you’ve not yet responded, please do so….even if you’ve shared with me your thoughts in some other setting.  It is helpful to have the reaction of all of us tabulated in these surveys.

See the links in yesterday’s blog post the survey.

I need your insights as we are considering this question:

Has Belhaven College grown in size, influence, and stature that it should be renamed Belhaven University?

This is a decision of the Board of Trustees, but we do not want to go further in the discussion until we gain insights from our current students and alumni.

There are no official criteria distinguishing a college from a university.  But some of the reasons we are considering this change include:

• We serve 2,800 students in four states plus our online program.
  

• We have six master degrees and three more under consideration.
  

• We currently have four schools plus our honors college.
  

• We are considered by many to the leading school in the scholarship of building a Christian worldview into the teaching curriculum.
  

• We have gained national distinction in the arts and in business, as well as national program accreditation for many of our departments.

• There are 77 schools that have changed from college to university in the past six years.
  

• Up to an enrollment of 5,000 students, in the south there are only 4 schools larger Belhaven that still use college and 67 smaller than Belhaven that use university.

• All schools in some states (like Texas) use university.
  

• There are 52 southern and 34 Christian universities that do not offer a doctorate.

• The majority of schools in our athletic conference are university.

• Trade schools (Antonelli, Virginia, and Magnolia) have changed their names to “college.”

• Many community colleges around the country are starting to drop “community” from their name making it confusing for prospective students.
  

• A college is considered a high school in most other countries of the world.

With this background in mind, it would helpful in this decision making process to get your response to the following questions.  Please complete the appropriate survey.

CURRENT STUDENTS click here

ALUMNI click here

Homecoming court is one of the best long-standing traditions of American Higher education campus life.

Belhaven’s 2009 King Alex Freel and Queen Madison Childs

Last week I had the opportunity to talk about my book before an audience of 5 million listeners on the Moody Broadcasting Networks popular evening drive time show, Prime Time America.

If you’d like to hear this 8 minute interview click here:  Roger Parrott Interview- Prime Time America, Moody Radio.

I was thrilled that the gracious host, Greg Wheatley,  invited me to begin by sharing about Belhaven, and I was able to give a brief message about the College to that nationwide audience.

I’m pleased to have had opportunities to talk about Belhaven during every radio interview I’ve done about the book.

Last week (when it wasn’t raining) I received this encouraging and wise email from Robin Savoy, Director of Campus Operations.

I couldn’t agree more!

We get so busy doing what we do on campus, it is easy to miss all that is happening around us – and the joy of working and serving at Belhaven.

Dr. Parrott,

My point of view…..Every staff member should get out of their office once a week (at least in my opinion) and experience the sights and sounds of Belhaven College.

This afternoon the sun was shining and the weather was perfect. Standing on top of the hill by the flagpole overlooking the Soccer Bowl the men’s soccer team could be seen and heard practicing while the Cheerleaders were working on their cheer routines in front of Heidelberg gym.

Inside the Auxiliary Gym our Volleyball team was practicing and the Women’s basketball team was practicing in Rugg Arena.

Some students were sitting out on the lawn talking on the phone or talking to friends, and some were sitting at the Pavilion enjoying the fountain.

A peaceful day on campus watching students enjoy their college days at Belhaven College.

Yes all employees should take a waltz around campus… if nothing else to clear their head from schedules, meeting, paperwork, etc. But also to experience the sights and sounds of Belhaven College.

Wow. What a great place to work.

I’ll have the opportunity to talk about my book this afternoon on the national radio show, Prime Time America, on the Moody Broadcasting Network. The show is hosted by Greg Wheatley and reaches 5 million listeners.  The 10 minute interview will be at 4:30 this afternoon.

Tomorrow morning from 8:00 to 8:30 I’ll be a guest on the Gallo Show on Supertalk Mississippi. It is heard on a number of AM and FM stations around the state.

It has been a joy to share about the book on regional radio stations over the past two weeks.  And I always get opportunities (especially in the 30 minute interviews) to talk about Belhaven.

The website for the book is www.thelongview.info

Here is the link for the creative writing story published in In Faith magazine. It was just posted online this afternoon, and since some of you may not be subscribers, this link will allow you to read this marvelous story about our creative writing program directed by Dr. Randy Smith.  LINK HERE

Yesterday we wished Mrs. Harmon a 103rd happy birthday.  Larry Mills, Assistant to the President, went to see her yesterday to wish her happy birthday from all of us. She still lives alone at 103 years old. Larry told me he went to see her after Thanksgiving last year and she was up the attic ladder getting out her Christmas decoration.  Oh, to be 102 again!

Mary Harmon taught home economics at Belhaven from 1952 until 1982.  Today she is celebrating her 103rd birthday!

She grew up in Goodman, Mississippi and graduated from “the W” in 1932 where she studied home economics.

At the request of President Gillespie she joined our faculty in 1952 “to finish out a semester for another professor”  She stayed 30 years, and of course, is a member of our Legacy of Learning Faculty honor roll.

She taught our own Ms. Bettye Quinn at Belhaven.

I know from reliable sources that Mrs. Harmon took most of her paycheck while teaching and put it right back into her classes.  She especially loved the Dr. Ford choirs, and her classes would help make the costumes each year.

Mrs. Harmon says that every morning she reminds herself that “this is the day that the Lord has made; let us rejoice in it.”  That is a great way to live to 103 and make the most of each precious day the Lord gives us on this earth.

Here are several items of interest:

1.  This afternoon the NAIA named Belhaven as a Champions of Character school.  This recognition highlights colleges and universities that: “restore character values and raise a generation of students who understand and demonstrate in everyday decisions integrity, respect, responsibility, sportsmanship and servant leadership.”

2.  Our H1N1 report shows we are having about three students each week catch this flu.  They are being cared for following our policy (posted earlier on this blog) and that seems to be helping us avoid the type of major outbreak that has come to many campus.  Keep washing hands and using those hand sanitizers all over campus.  We are hopeful of having the vaccine available soon for our students, employees, and their families.

3.  If you haven’t read it yet, you must – there is a great article in “By Faith” magazine (Fall 2009) by faculty member Dr. Randy Smith who leads our creative writing program.  It addresses the importance of Christian writers, and features Belhaven College.  “By Faith” is the official publication of the Presbyterian Church in America.

4. In his blog, Reconcilers, Chris Rice remembers a very important conference held on our campus 12 years ago this week. This meeting brought together leaders from dozens of schools to address the issues of racial reconciliation on American college campuses.  Little did we know that weekend, that when Spencer Perkins shared his ground breaking message calling for a “culture of grace,”  it would be his final time to preach and he would die the following Monday. Chris is a great friend of Belhaven, as is John Perkins, Spencer’s father.

5.  And make sure you caught this campus news story.  Congratulations to Prof. Wooten:

Ms. Kathy Wooten, Assistant Professor of Accounting at Belhaven College, won first place in the Best Teaching Practices for Accounting competition, held at the Christian Business Faculty Association (CBFA) conference. This was Ms. Wooten’s first time as a presenter at the annual conference, which made her success all the more outstanding.

Ms. Wooten’s presentation, entitled “Head, Hands and Heart in Managerial Accounting,” showed how professors can integrate traditional lecture methods, hands-on classroom experiences, and Christian principles into the classroom. She used her Managerial Accounting class as an example, where she recently had her students simulate a t-shirt factory in the classroom—making them responsible for everything from production line to quality control. This hands-on project gave the students a broader knowledge of accounting in “the real world,” and they had fun as they gained new knowledge.

6.  At Belhaven, we continue to weather well the financial storm.  The dollars are tight, but we’ve not had to cut any programs that impact the student experience, or lay off a single employee because of finance.  But the Clarion Ledger reports that more difficult days are ahead for PUBLIC higher education in Mississippi. There has been some talk of a mid-year tuition increase at these schools. 

Higher Education Commissioner Hank Bounds reports he expects budgets: already cut $32 million in September, to be cut by at least an additional 3 percent by the end of the year because of declining state revenues and estimated a nearly $109 million cut from the system’s original budget this year by the 2012 fiscal year. Those cuts range from $27 million at Mississippi State University to $4.4 million at Mississippi University for Women. “They’re some pretty scary numbers,” Bounds said. “We are in very difficult times.”

When I first proposed that Belhaven College start intercollegiate football a dozen years ago, a former NFL player pulled me aside to tell me it was impossible to be a Christian and play football.  I strongly disagree.

This past Saturday, our team played one of the most exciting games I’ve seen in a long time – although the final score was heartbreaking.  Leading 20-7 with just two minutes left in the game, Cambellsville University scored a touchdown, got the ball back with an onside kick, and scored again with just seconds remaining on a fourth down and inches play.

I happen to be on the sidelines at the goal line when they scored, and wanted to jump in and help as I saw their running back leap high over our line to extend the football so it would break over the goal line. Except for that last inch, our guys had put up an incredible goal line stand.

I don’t normally go to the sidelines during a game, but had gone down with five minutes left in the game in anticipation of congratulating our coaches on their fifth consecutive win. I only know of one other time we’ve won that many games consecutively.

Instead, I made my way through a bunch of disappointed players to give Coach Thrasher a word of encouragment, and hit a few shoulder pads to thank our guys for an incredible effort – more than one of whom had tears in their eyes following such a disappointing loss.  (I was impressed with the wise leadership of our coaches who held our team back at the end of the game for just about 30 seconds before they shook hands with the other team, in order to get the shock of the emotion out of their system.)

But as I started off the field, I saw that not only had our team gathered in the middle of the field, but so had all the Cambellsville players (a Christ-centered school like Belhaven) – and they were mixing in together.  As I began to get out of earshot, I heard Coach Thrasher congratulate Cambellsville on a great game…..and as I got to my car up the hill, I could see both teams praying together.

Can you be a football player and keep strong your Christian life?  Absolutely – and what I saw Saturday assures me you can. Be competitive, give full effort, play clean, play with emotion, and play to win.  But when it is over, it is over and we are together in the eyes of the Lord and each other.

For sometime I’ve been encouraged to take the time to write and share some of the leadership principles that have been important to me through 21 years in the college presidency. As our faculty, and others of you who write know, it takes discipline and it’s sometimes hard to stay in the chair long enough to get ideas onto paper.

But with the encouragement of our Board of Trustees (they even put it in my annual evaluation to make this a priority) this three year project is now in print and was released last week.  One of my great joys about the book is the opportunity to share the stories of how God has worked so marvelously at Belhaven through these years.

David C. Cook is the publisher.  They are working with B&B Media to help get out the word about the book, and I discovered last week that the daughter of the VP for B&B, Diane Morrow, is studying dance here at Belhaven – Amy Morrow.

With their guidance I started a round of radio interviews last week, and there are more on the schedule – Detroit, Charlotte, Des Moines, Cleveland, etc. – I’ll be sharing on the American Family Radio broadcast to several hundred stations tomorrow with Matt Friedman.

On Wednesday the 28^th at 4:30 central time, I’ll have the honor to talk about the ideas of the book on the national broadcast of Prime Time America, on Moody Radio .

I put in the campus mail today a signed copy of the book to each faculty and staff member because they make leadership easy for me at Belhaven. Thanks!!

But if you’re not on the team here at Belhaven and would like a copy, it is on all the major book websites now, and will be featured in Family Christian Stores and in LifeWay Christian Stores during the month of November.

Here is the quick link to Amazon where you can order, or share your reviews if you like (of course, if you don’t like it, just tell me instead of the whole world on Amazon!!)

Had some nice endorsements for the book including Ken Blanchard, Joni Erickson-Tada, Michael Lindsay, Ed Young, Steve Douglass, Duane Litfin, and Doug Birdsall.

There is a website for the book as well:  www.thelongview.info

Since you know me, you won’t be surprised that some concepts run against the norm of traditional leadership thinking, such as the chapter:  Planning Will Drain the Life from Your Ministry. This has been one of the hallmarks of distinction for Belhaven, and while our long-term faculty and staff lived through this dramatic shift, those who are newer may be interested to know the philosophy behind our not having a traditional long-range plan.

The core focus of the book is on pages 11 and 12, calling us to break free from the immediate results driven culture that has taken over business – and permeated the church as well.

Our theology and our ministry passion draw us to talk about longview outcomes as our heart’s desire, but we have been duped into fostering a generation of leaders, board members, employees, and constituencies who value short-term gain over longview significance. Ministry leaders believe it and act accordingly—hiring and rewarding people who can promote Band-Aid fixes as monumental solutions, creating plans that promise the moon and always come up short, raising funds from unrealistically compressed donor relationships, and touting to boards and constituencies those results that can most easily be measured and applauded.

Because this short-view corporate culture has so permeated the church today, we in ministry have loosened our grip on the biblical model for leadership. . . . The time is right for rising leaders to break free from the short-term leadership patterns of the past and set their sites on the horizon to ensure a life of leadership that will be honoring to God and bring us back to principles that will allow the church to make a transformational difference in the world.

We need to be leading for significance rather than giving into the pressure for short-term results.  This book not only calls us to this priority, but deals with the practical implications of leading for the longview.

I’d welcome your feedback and insights.  You can leave them here, or on www.thelongview.info blog.

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Many times when we see news of disasters on TV we want to help, but don’t have a way to respond with help through someone we know and trust to use the money properly.

A friend I’ve worked with in India sent me this email yesterday.  If you have a heart to help with the India flood and don’t know how to make a gift that can be used well, Sam is someone in whom you can give confidently.

Sam’s report of the flood is overwhelming – read below.

He gets more ministry out of very little money than about anyone I know (he is on such a tight budget he doesn’t even have a web site) so I’m sure he’ll be thankful for whatever you’d like to share.  His contact information is at the bottom of his email.

Dear Doctor Parrott:

Greetings to you in the name of Lord and Savior Jesus Christ.

The worst flooding in 100 years has hit the states of Karnataka and Andhra Pradesh in India. Over 300 people have died and over 10 million others are homeless. Transportation and electric power was cut off. People are suffering without food, drinking water, clothes and shelter. These floods effected over 30,000 Christian families and also many of Gospel Outreach Ministries church buildings/ shelters for the orphans and elderly widows.

Hindus have cried out to their gods for help as they saw the flood waters rush by and wondered why their gods and goddesses did not help them. Some lost their small children while trying to cross to safer places. Unable to fight against the rushing waters, elderly people died. Loosing everything in the floods, some have committed suicide and died. Dead bodies of people and animals are submerged in contaminated waters.

Many of the people who have survived the floods are suffering from fever, swelling and other waterborne sicknesses. Most of the crops were destroyed so there is no income for the poor that work the fields for a living. Cobra snakes are swimming in the waters to seek refuge in the palm tree roofs and biting people. Prices of food have escalated as crops were destroyed under water.

Currently over 100 non-believers are receiving help and shelter at Gospel Outreach Ministries campus at Repalle, Andhra Pradesh.

Our evangelists and Bible ladies are reaching out to them and ministering to them. They are showing “The Life of Jesus” movie in Telugu language with generators.

At this critical time we earnestly request your prayers and financial help. We need extra funds to help the flood survivors with food, clean water, medicines, clothes, hygiene kits, blankets and a Bible.

Please pray for Gospel Outreach Ministries Evangelists and Bible Women who are risking their lives taking this opportunity to reach out and touch the flood survivors with the love and Gospel of Jesus Christ.

With Jesus’

Love,

Sam Paul Gokanakonda

Gospel Outreach Ministries International

8476 Old State Route 21

Hillsboro, MO 63050

Tel: 636 948 9836

gomint@aol.com

This summary report from CNN about a major study from the Pew Foundation shows the changing religious and cultural face of the world.

(CNN) — Nearly one in four people worldwide is Muslim — and they are not necessarily where you might think, according to an extensive new study that aims to map the global Muslim population.

India, a majority-Hindu country, has more Muslims than any country except for Indonesia and Pakistan, and more than twice as many as Egypt.

China has more Muslims than Syria.

Germany has more Muslims than Lebanon.

And Russia has more Muslims than Jordan and Libya put together.

Nearly two out of three of the world’s Muslims are in Asia, stretching from Turkey to Indonesia.

The Middle East and north Africa, which together are home to about one in five of the world’s Muslims, trail a very distant second.

There are about 1.57 billion Muslims in the world, according to the report, “Mapping the Global Muslim Population,” by the Pew Forum on Religion & Public Life. That represents about 23 percent of the total global population of 6.8 billion.

There are about 2.25 billion Christians, based on projections from the 2005 World Religions Database.

Brian Grim, the senior researcher on the Pew Forum project, was slightly surprised at the number of Muslims in the world, he told CNN.

“Overall, the number is higher than I expected,” he said, noting that earlier estimates of the global Muslim population have ranged from 1 billion to 1.8 billion.

The report can — and should — have implications for United States policy, said Reza Aslan, the best-selling Iranian-American author of “No God but God.”

“Increasingly, the people of the Middle East are making up a smaller and smaller percentage of the worldwide Muslim community,” he told CNN by phone.

“When it comes to issues of outreach to the Muslim world, these numbers will indicate that outreach cannot be focused so narrowly on the Middle East,” he said.

“If the goal is to create better understanding between the United States and the Muslim world, our focus should be on south and southeast Asia, not the Middle East,” he said.

He spoke to CNN before the report was published and without having seen its contents, but was familiar with the general trends the report identified.

The team at the Pew Forum spent nearly three years analyzing “the best available data” from 232 countries and territories, Grim said.

Their aim was to get the most comprehensive snapshot ever assembled of the world’s Muslim population at a given moment in time.

So they took the data they gathered from national censuses and surveys, and projected it forward based on what they knew about population growth in each country.

They describe the resulting report as “the largest project of its kind to date.”

It’s full of details that even the researchers found surprising.

“There are these countries that we don’t think of as Muslim at all, and yet they have very sizable numbers of Muslims,” said Alan Cooperman, the associate director of research for the Pew Forum, naming India, Russia and China.

One in five of the world’s Muslims lives in a country where Muslims are a minority.

And while most people think of the Muslim population of Europe is being composed of immigrants, that’s only true in western Europe, Cooperman said.

“In the rest of Europe — Russia, Albania, Kosovo, those places — Muslims are an indigenous population,” he said. “More than half of the Muslims in Europe are indigenous.”

The researchers also were surprised to find the Muslim population of sub-Saharan Africa to be as low as they concluded, Cooperman said.

It has only about 240 million Muslims — about 15 percent of all the world’s Muslims.

Islam is thought to be growing fast in the region, with countries such as Nigeria, which has large populations of both Christians and Muslims, seeing violence between the two groups.

The Pew researchers concluded that Nigeria is just over half Muslim, making it the sixth most populous Muslim country in the world.

Roughly nine out of 10 Muslims worldwide are Sunni, and about one in 10 is Shiite, they estimated.

They warned they were less confident of those numbers than of the general population figures because sectarian data is harder to come by.

“Only one or two censuses in the world … have ever asked the sectarian question,” said Grim.

“Among Muslims it’s a very sensitive question. If asked, large numbers will say I am just a Muslim — not that they don’t know, but it is a sensitive question in many places,” he said.

One in three of the world’s Shiite Muslims lives in Iran, which is one of only four countries with a Shiite majority, he said. The others are Iraq, Azerbaijan, and Bahrain.

Huge as the project of mapping the world’s Muslim population is, it is only the first step in a Pew Forum undertaking.

Next year, the think tank intends to release a report projecting Muslim population growth into the future, and then the researchers intend to do the whole thing over again with Christians, followed by other faith groups.

“We don’t care only about Muslims,” Grim said.

They’re also digging into what people believe and practice, since the current analysis doesn’t analyze that.

“This is no way reflects the religiosity of people, only their self-identification,” Grim said. “We’re trying to get the overall picture of religion in the world.”

Top 10 Muslim countries, by population

1. Indonesia: 202,867,000 (country is 88.2 percent Muslim)
2. Pakistan: 174,082,000 (country is 96.3 percent Muslim)
3. India: 160,945,000 (country is 13.4 percent Muslim)
4. Bangaldesh: 145,312,000 (country is 89.6 percent Muslim)
5. Egypt: 78,513,000 (country is 94.6 percent Muslim)
6. Nigeria: 78,056,000 (country is 50.4 percent Muslim)
7. Iran: 73,777,000 (country is 99.4 percent Muslim)
8. Turkey: 73,619,000 (country is about 98 percent Muslim)
9. Algeria: 34,199,000 (country is 98 percent Muslim)
10. Morocco: 31,993,000 (country is about 99 percent Muslim)

On Friday we hosted on campus Mr. and Mrs. Raidy, who lead SPH International, a Foundation which is establishing 1,000 Christian schools in Indonesia.  They are wonderfully gifted people who have a firm grasp of Christ-centered education, and have a heart for reaching their country through quality education.

They also have established a UPH, a university of 16,000 students located in Jakarta.

They were here to recruit teachers for their schools.  We had over 100 of our students come for the information session. They need teachers who are certified. They would teach in English.  They will pay a good salary, travel costs, provide housing, and even some “getting settled” money.

This is a marvelous way for our graduates to have an international experience without needing to raise their own support.

If you’re interested contact Budi Raharjo Legowo, Director of Administration  (legowa@sph.ad.id) to apply.

I was so impressed with this educational system and their heart for the Gospel – and solid Reformed theology.  I’d strongly encourage our alumni to consider this unique opportunity to teach full time in Indonesia.

In addition to this opportunity, we are exploring connections on other levels:

1.   A one month educational experience for our current students in Indonesia.

2.  Their 12th grade graduates enrolling at Belhaven.

3.  Their university students studying for a year at Belhaven.

4.  Our education majors doing their student teaching in Indonesia.

God is so good to bring us together with Mr. and Mrs. Riady, and we look forward to building a significant partnership in the months and years ahead.  I’m thankful to our mutual friend, Dr. Ric Cannada, President of Reformed Theological Seminary, for introducing Belhaven to Mr. and Mrs. Riady.

Also included in the photo are Dr. Jonathan Parapak and his wife, along with Dr. Perry Yang who directs the schools, and Mr. Legowo.

I’ve periodically consoled coaches who are having a tough season in the win/loss column by saying, “losing builds character.”  Which is true.

But winning can build character too, if done right – and is lots more fun!

Belhaven men’s soccer (what the world calls football) moved into the top 20 national ranking this week, at #19.  And with a big win on Saturday, Belhaven football is on top of the western division of the MidSouth conference.

These two graphics below look mighty good!

I tend to believe higher education in America can’t do anything else to surprise me when it comes to morality issues.  But this new story about Tufts is rather amazing.

Makes you wonder who is sitting around the table making these policies, and what is their worldview that drives them to think this policy is creating a “standard for morality.”  Why make any rule, if this is the highest standard they could imagine?

I’m not naive enough to be shocked the behavior is going on at Tufts or any secular institution, but that the administrators believe such a blind-eye-to-morality-policy is teaching anything of value is absurd.

Needless to say, our standards of morality at Belhaven come from a higher authority than the Office of Residential Life and Learning.  (Got to laugh at “learning” in the title of the folks who developed this policy.)

(CNN) — A new policy at Tufts University prohibits students in dorms from having sex while their roommate is in the room, according to the university’s 2009-2010 student handbook.

A school spokeswoman says students have expressed concerns over roommate having sex in the dorms.

The Massachusetts university’s formal rule also bars so-called “sexiling” — exiling a roommate from the room so the other roommate can engage in sexual activity.

The new policy “is really about consideration and respect for others and the need for students to be mindful of their roommates’ need for privacy, study and sleep,” university spokeswoman Kim Thurler told CNN.

She said while she did not have an exact number of complaints from students about their roommates’ behavior, “over the last few years, the Office of Residential Life and Learning received approximately a dozen expressions of concern about this issue.”

Callie Morton, a freshman at Tufts, told CNN affiliate WHDH-TV, “If someone is going to go and have sex while their roommate is in the room, I mean I think that’s kind of gross. I think it’s kind of funny that they would have to make a rule about it.”

The new guidelines for students hosting overnight guests say, “You may not engage in sexual activity while your roommate is present in the room. And sexual activity within your assigned room should not ever deprive your roommate(s) of privacy, study, or sleep time.”

Other students agree that the new rule is going to be difficult to implement.

“I don’t think it’s something that can really be enforced per se,” an unidentified Tufts University student told WHDH. “I don’t understand how that’s going to work.”

Thurler explained that if a problem is identified and brought to the attention of residence officials, the university will help the affected student have a conversation with his/her roommate to address the situation.

“In some cases, we might intervene on behalf of the student,” Thurler said, “and speak with their roommate directly and explain what is expected of them while they live in the residence halls.”

Thurler wouldn’t comment on possible disciplinary action by the university if a student breaks the rules.

Known as the master wordsmith, William Safire died last week.  He was a former speech writer for Richard Nixon, and author of the New York Times column, “On Language”

Some of his clever “rules for writers” included:

1. If any word is improper at the end of sentence, a linking verb is.
2. Verbs have to agree with their subjects.
3. And don’t start a sentence with a conjunction.
4. Proof read carefully to see if you words out.
5. Remember to never split an infinitive.
6. Do not put statements in the negative form.
7. If you reread your work, you can find on rereading a great deal of repetition can be avoided by rereading and editing.
8. The passive voice should never be used.
9. Place pronouns as close as possible, especially in long sentences, as of 10 or more words, to their antecedents.
10. Writing carefully, dangling participles must be avoided.
11. Take the bull by the hand and avoid mixing metaphors.
12. Last but not least, avoid cliches like the plague.

After two years of evaluation, work, and preparation, Belhaven College is changing to a new athletic conference within the NAIA – the Southern States Athletic Conference which offers 14 conference supported sports for our athletes.

Our long-term conference, the Gulf Coast Athletic Conference, includes schools who offer a limited number of sports – it is primarily a basketball focused conference.

Our membership in the GCAC has left  many of Belhaven’s team competing in the independent category in the quest to compete for a berth to the national tournament for their sport, and without the opportunity to compete for a conference championship. Further, a number of schools in the GCAC are public institutions who do not share our same academic entrance requirements or financial framework.

In contrast the Southern States Athletic Conference (SSAC) members are primarily private schools who offer a wide array of sports.  This will give Belhaven an opportunity for all our teams to compete for conference championships and win bids to national tournaments.  Being a 16 member conference, the SSAC receives two automatic bids to most national championships.

Four other schools from the GCAC will be moving to SSAC with us:  Loyola University (New Orleans), William Carey University (Hattiesburg), Spring Hill College and University of Mobile (both in Mobile).  We will be joining with two current SSAC members, Auburn University Montgomery and Faulkner University (both in Montgomery), to make up the west division of the SSAC.

The schools in the east division include: Berry College, Brenau University, Brewton-Parker College, Columbia College, Emmanuel College, Lee University, Shorter College, Southern Polytechnic University and Southern Wesleyan University.

The SSAC will serve all our sports except football – we will remain in the Mid-South Conference for football only.

The link to the full press release from the conference can be found here:  SSAC Approves Major Expansion to 16 Institutions

Scott Little, our Vice President for Student Affairs and Athletics has done a marvelous job of leading us through this process and working with both the current and new conference, as well as the other schools’ ADs.  I’ve been keeping in close touch with the other presidents and found wonderful harmony as all believe the SSAC is a strong move for our athletic programs – making the SSAC one of the premier conferences in the NAIA.  We are also convinced that GCAC will continue to remain strong as they now have room to add schools who offer basketball and only a few other sports.

We will complete the current academic year in the GCAC, and begin in the SSAC next fall.

Here is a map of all the schools in the conference:

This was such a busy summer, I didn’t get a chance to get out of town the entire time.  So a week ago, I did break away for four days of fishing in Yellowstone National Park.

It is one of my favorite places in the world, and although the fish didn’t cooperate all that much, I had a marvelous time being in the wilderness.

Ken Burn’s series on the National Parks is on PBS right now, and is not to be missed.  These park are truly the unspoiled artistry of God, as the Lord designed the world to be.

Below is a picture from my trip.  I was fishing where a large herd of buffalo came up behind me (no, those are not cows).  Since so many people stopped to take picture of the buffalo, I had them get one for me too.  This was on the Firehole River, where the water is  warm from the geysers all along the river’s edge.  It is a great river for fishing late in the day because the water is 20 degrees warmer than the other rivers.

Isn’t it great how God works without being slowed down by the limits of distance, culture, and language we assume to hold us back?  And we get to see more of God’s reach because of the technology tools of today.

In Korea we have a sister Christian College who is seeking to do the same type things as Belhaven, but reaching a population we could never reach because of the language barrier and the distance.  They are serious about building a biblical foundation in every curriculum, and preparing graduates to serve the world in the name of Christ – just like Belhaven.

And God is blessing them, just as He is blessing us.

If you attended the events at the start of school for our faculty and staff, you know that our special guest was the president of Sungkyul University in Korea. Dr. Jeong came to initiate our sister school partnership with them following up on my visit to their campus in June.

Last week Sungkyul celebrated their 47th anniversary and asked us to send a video.

One of the Korean students in our graduate program, Kookie Kim, was my translator, as I was able to share a greeting with them. And then we had a number of our students say “congratulations” in Korean.  (Kookie taught them how.)

At the end of the video, Kookie and I came back on, and I said “congratulations” in Korean, and then she said it in English.

Here is a picture our Korean friends just sent from that event when they showed our video.

The final line of Elizabeth Barrett Browning’s Rhyme of the Duchess:

And I smiled to think God’s greatness flowed around our incompleteness,
Round our restlessness His rest.

……………………….

One of our most famous graduates is author Elizabeth Spencer, class of 1942.  She has written numerous novels and articles, and has been recognized widely for her work.

We are proud of her distinguished career, and also proud that Belhaven College is the only Christian College offering a bachelors degree of fine arts in creative writing.  That growing program is led by Dr. Randy Smith.

This week we had Mississippi Public Broadcasting on campus shooting a piece about Elizabeth for their writers series

Follow the three links above to find out more.

I had some interesting statistics come my way recently.  So often we forget how many, and how deeply, people need to understand and live in the grace of Jesus.

OneHope found 91% of youths in Costa Rica say they do not believe they will go to heaven despite claiming to have accepted Jesus Christ. In Spain, 74% say they do not want to be a virgin when they marry, and in Russia, 42% report having tried to commit suicide. (Christian Post 7/29/09)

American teens who say they definitely believe in God or a higher power declined from 54% to 37% between ‘84 and ‘08, while the percentage of atheists rose from 6% to 16%. The percentage of teens uncertain about God remained stable at 31%. (The National Post 4/7/09)

While more Americans describe themselves as “non-religious” today, the percentage who believe in God remains stable at 93%. Researchers believe the group that is growing is what they call “unchurched believers.” If you think of organized religion as having two parts – the organized part and the religious part – the church-leavers quarrel is with the organized part. (Pastor’s Weekly Briefing 8/14/09)

Josh McDowell claims only 9% of young Christians in America say there is absolute truth, only 3% higher than the general youth population. (Christian Post 7/13/09)

About 1 out of every 3 scientists in the U.S. professed believing in God in a recent Pew Research survey, in comparison to 83% of the general American public. (Christian Post 7/16/09)

It was reported yesterday that 55% of colleges campuses have reported H1N1 flu cases, with many campuses reporting outbreaks that range from a handful to hundreds of cases on a single campus.  The attack rate in Mississippi is 43 in 10,000 students among colleges and universities..

We have developed a campus wide plan to respond to this flu. The details of the plan are below.

The significant policy shift included in the plan is that we have adjusted the attendance requirement for those who catch the flu…

STUDENTS with the flu will be given excused absences for class, which will not count toward their accumulated absences.

EMPLOYEES with the flu will not count their missed work days against their annual sick days.

The bottom line is that if you are sick with this flu it is important that you are not around others on campus – we love you, but we don’t want you to give it to others, so resident students need to be isolated, commuting students need to stay home, and employees should not come to work.

Belhaven College Pandemic Influenza H1N1 Plan
 

Goal:

• To preserve the health of the campus community and the safety of the campus environment in the event of a pandemic.

Objectives:

• To prevent the emergence of an infectious cluster on our campus
• To control the spread of an infection on campus if it emerges at Belhaven College.

Prevention:

1. Create a Culture of Cleanliness

• Signs: Signs promoting cleanliness have been placed in residence halls and around campus.
• Brochures: Every resident student, faculty, and staff member has received a brochure that promotes fighting the flu and specifically the H1N1.  Extra copies are available in the health center and the office of student life.
• Resident Directors & Resident Assistants will hold mandatory hall meetings to teach H1N1 prevention.
• Hand Sanitizer Stations: We have added hand sanitizer units at several locations on campus, including all high traffic areas.
  

2.  Promote Seasonal Flu Vaccine

• The seasonal flu vaccine will be available at a discounted price for all students, employees, and employee families.
• On September 17th  – 18th (Thursday & Friday) from 1 – 4p and September 24th and 25th 1 – 4p (Thursday & Friday) students, employee and families will be able to receive a flu shot at a discounted rate of $10.  Extra staff from UMC will be available during these two days to assist with administering the shots.
• Flu Shots will be available at any other time that the health center is open (M, Tu, Th, F: 1 – 4p) at the normal price of $15.
• This flu shot is for “the regular flu” and not H1N1 since a vaccine for it has not yet been released.
• The H1N1 vaccine that is expected to come out in late October and will be made available  to the campus as soon as possible.
  

Control:

1.  Testing

• If student exhibits flu like symptoms the health center staff can administer a flu test at a cost of $15.  The health center staff will monitor who needs tests (symptoms: 100.5 temperature, nausea, body aching, etc).
• The test results will be able to detect whether a patient has the flu virus.  If the test is positive the health center will notify the office of student life and the student will be required to go into isolation.
  

2.  Isolation

• Students that live locally or their parents/legal guardian are able to pick up will be required to go home.
• If students are not able to go home Belhaven will provide housing on campus and the director of food services will arrange meals to be delivered with the assistance of student life staff.   Females: Isolated Gillespie wing.   Males: Alumni House
• Students must stay in isolation until 24 hours past fever breaking and must have written note from doctor stating that they are no longer contagious before they come back on campus.
• Excused Absences:  Students will have excused absences with doctor or Belhaven health clinic confirmation of H1N1 virus.
  

Faculty & Staff:

1.  Prevention

• Faculty and staff are strongly encouraged to not only live out the “culture of cleanliness” but encourage our students to do the same.
• Faculty and staff, as well as their families are strongly encouraged to take advantage of the flu shot promotion times at the discounted rate of $10 on the special days, or $15 at other times.
  

2. Testing and Isolation

• If faculty or staff member exhibits flu like symptoms the health center staff can administer a flu test at a cost of $15.
• If faculty or staff test positive for the flu they will be required to stay at home but that absence will not be counted as part of their annual sick days.
  

Later this week I will release the details of our campus plan to help us prepare for the H1N1 flu that is already hitting many schools and colleges. Thanks to many of you who shared insights to be considered as we’ve built this plan.

With a widespread pandemic possible, the experts agree that the best things you can do are simple:

1. Wash your hands and/or use sanitizer often

2. Cover your mouth when you cough.

3. Isolate those who catch this flu until at least 24 hours after the fever breaks.

They strongly recommend a flu shot when the vaccine is available. We have already ordered them for the college.

The local CBS news featured a seminar hosted by our biology department Friday night dealing with the virus. The seminar was: “H1N1 Influenza virus (swine flu): Present state, Prevention, Prognosis” presented by Dr. Paul Byers, Medical Director, Mississippi State Board of Health

The link to that video clip can be found here.

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I always feel the peace of God when I walk through the center of our campus.  What a marvelous place the Lord has given us to enjoy every day.  It is our “Haven” in spirit and in our physical surroundings.

This new photograph  by Bryant Butler, with help from Ricky White and Kevin Taylor who loaned him the maintenance lift they were using to repair our lights, catches a unique perspective of our campus.  And thanks to Scott Mayo for keeping the fountain looking good . . . like the new bluer water?

I had the joy of preaching for the first chapel of the year on Tuesday this week.  As I’ve done every year,  I used the text from our year’s theme verse: He led me to a place of safety; He rescued me because He delights in me. Psalm 18:19

A few of the ideas of emphasis from that message:

Don’t be overwhelmed, but be thankful that you’re preparing for life during the worst economic crisis in nearly 100 years.  The Lord has given your generation an opportunity to change the self-reliant pattern of Christians who came out of the boom economic years – and thought they would make it through life on their own, with a little prayer for God to bless it.  Instead, because of the economic battering from the events of the past year, you can use this as a springboard to develop a lifelong pattern of living totally dependent on God.

Too many Christians have never come to grips with the enormity of God’s power. And too many  Christians who DO understand the power of God, forget who God is when they come under attack.

1.  God is more powerful than our minds could ever comprehend – but we don’t live like He is.

2. We will always be attacked at the point of our greatest weakness – but we are convinced it will never happen.

3. God promises to lead us to a place of safety – but it won’t be because we earned it.

Whatever your weakest point is, you can take two absolutes from this scripture:

• You will be attacked at that point – the question is not IF, but only WHEN
• God is more powerful than your greatest weakness if you’ll put it into His hands.

Those things that keep us awake at night are not roadblocks to God’s reach into our lives, but the starting points of our trusting in His power, rather than our own.

I’ve just received the fall enrollment numbers and they look wonderful, with a total enrollment reaching nearly 3,000 students.

Few private colleges have gained in enrollment this year, and we are up 15% overall, and have increased nearly 5% among our traditional age students on the Jackson campus.

Our adult programs in Jackson, Memphis, Orlando, and Houston are up 15% to 19% on each of those campuses. And we have seen a dramatic jump in our graduate programs and our online program.

I know that God has hand picked every student He wants to be at Belhaven this year, and we thank the Lord for entrusting these students to us.

Here are the specific numbers by campus and program with a comparison to last year’s enrollment:

I ran into one of our alumni, Joseph Gordy (’05 Biblical Studies major and Business minor) who is the service manager of Car Care Clinic on I-55 Frontage Road, just north of Meadowbrook Drive.  He runs a complex organization and told me about the significant ministry he has of share Christ with so many employees and customers.

Joseph is not only a strong leader for the company but he knows cars inside and out, and you can trust him to make sure his team fixes your car right, and at a fair price. They do it all from oil changes to major repairs.

If you go in, ask for Joseph, and be sure to tell him of your Belhaven College connection.  He will take good care of you.

And here is where you can get a discount coupon too

We are developing  a plan to take proper precautions against the spread of H1N1.  As you know, schools and even colleges are especially vulnerable to the spread of this flu.  We want to be cautious, but not alarmist in protecting ourselves should some among us get this flu.

We were one of the first to order a batch of flu shots, and we’ll have those available for students, as well as employees and their families as soon as the vaccine is released.  It is strongly recommended that you get a flu shot this year.  But the experts are predicting the flu will hit before the vaccine is released.

What do you suggest we be sure to add into our plan?  You can leave your comments on the blog (to this, and any post)

Here is an article from this morning’s Inside Higher Education that will gives 10 specific recommendations.  It would be very helpful to have your insights as well to assure we have the best plan available.

H1N1 Scenarios

WASHINGTON — The U.S. Departments of Education and Health and Human Services on Thursday released their most detailed guidance yet on how colleges should prevent H1N1 outbreaks and what options should be considered if they take place despite such efforts. Given that the severity and size of outbreaks could vary widely, the guidance is more of a menu of options than a rulebook — and the ideas cover everything from washing doorknobs to ending the requirements that students submit medical notes for absences to when to consider suspending operations.

Arne Duncan, secretary of education, stressed that the goal is to avoid colleges having to suspend operations. “The goal is to keep universities open as much as we can …. to keep students learning,” he said. Duncan said that the guidance was designed to be “balanced” and “measured,” reflecting “the best science.” But he also said that officials can’t be sure what they will face this fall.

Kathleen Sebelius, secretary of health and human services, noted that “college-age students are particularly vulnerable to this virus,” and that the close quarters in which students on many traditional campuses live and learn may make prevention and treatment challenging.

Both Duncan and Sebelius stressed that they were not saying any one college should adopt all of these recommendations, but that these reflect the kinds of actions colleges may want to take. Some are preventive, while others focus on what to do when an outbreak occurs.

• Promote the “self isolation” of students who have H1N1 or symptoms, encouraging them to stay away from classes and other activities and to stay in their rooms or, if they have family members in the area, to travel there (not using public transportation).

• Create “flu buddy” systems in which healthy students may get food, assignments and medicine for ill students.

• Create systems so staff members can check on students in “self isolation.”

• Modify absenteeism policies so both students, faculty members and others who are ill have no incentive to return to campus activities earlier than they should.

• End rules that require doctor’s notes to excuse absences from class or work.

• Expand or create distance learning programs for those who need to be isolated.

• Encourage more cleanliness on campus both by adding cleaning schedules that may be performed by employees (bathrooms, doorknobs, shared keyboards, etc.), and by students in their rooms.

• Increase “social distances” between students by moving desks further apart (6 feet most of the time), and considering suspending or changing large events such as sporting events or commencement ceremonies.

• Plan vaccination programs when the vaccines are available and encourage students to get vaccinated. (With vaccines not expected in needed numbers until October, and with two vaccines required, officials said that it could be well into November before vaccine protection could be hoped for.)

• Develop special programs for groups on campus with special needs, such as students who are younger than traditional college but who may be attending “early college” or enrichment programs.

Sebelius, citing her personal experience as the mother of two men now in their 20s, said that she realized that getting college students to follow advice on such matters may not be easy. Many college students do not see medical professionals regularly, and many may not even have had all the vaccinations (or recent versions) that they should have, even before the arrival of H1N1. But she said it was essential for colleges to try to reach students, and recommended the use of Facebook, Twitter and other social media to do so.

One of the more sensitive issues facing colleges is whether to suspend operations in the event of an outbreak. When H1N1 first broke out on campuses in the spring, the University of Delaware had one of the larger outbreaks and controlled it without ever suspending operations — while other campuses shut down for several days with only one or two suspected cases. The University of Alabama at Tuscaloosa is currently facing an outbreak with at least 21 students showing symptoms, and it has not shut down.

The guidance from the agencies appears to be striking a middle ground on suspending operations, urging colleges to “balance the risks of flu in their community with the disruption that suspending classes will cause in both education and the wider community.” The government appears to be suggesting that if outbreaks do not surpass the levels experienced in the spring, suspending operations may not be needed. The guidance notes that the government “may recommend preemptive class suspension if the flu starts to cause severe decrease in a significantly larger population” than was seen earlier in the year.

In cases where classes are called off “preemptively,” the guidance says that large gatherings such as sporting events, dances and commencement ceremonies should also be canceled or postponed.

The guidance also suggests that suspending operations can be quite complicated. Residential colleges are unlikely to see all students leave, and so would need to continue to provide services to students. Non-residential colleges would need to “consider whether they can allow faculty and staff to continue use of their facilities while classes are not being held. This may allow faculty to develop lessons and materials and engage in other essential activities.”

How long to stay shut? “The length of time classes should be suspended will vary depending on the goal of class suspension as well as the severity and extent of illness,” the guidance states. Colleges “that suspend classes should do so for at least five to seven calendar days. Before the end of this period, the [college], in collaboration with public health officials, should reassess the epidemiology of the disease and the benefits and consequences of continuing the suspension or resuming classes.”

Anita Barkin, director of student health services at Carnegie Mellon University and chair of the American College Health Association’s Coalition for Emerging Public Health Risks and Emergency Response Planning, said that the guidance was “very much on target,” adding that it “outlines the key issues and the rationale while recognizing that implementation will have to be based on local circumstances and resources.”

I heard that our football team all went together to the Sunday morning service at Pinelake Church this past week.

They took up 15 rows!

Each fall the humanities department of Beloit College attempts to help academics understand the incoming first year students with its “Mindset List” which reflects what the class of freshmen will have experienced, or don’t know.

It is always interesting and sobering to read this list – and makes lots of us feel older than we wish we were.  Here is their introduction, and a portion of this year’s list:

If the entering college class of 2013 had been more alert back in 1991 when most of them were born, they would now be experiencing a severe case of déjà vu. The headlines that year railed about government interventions, bailouts, bad loans, unemployment and greater regulation of the finance industry. The Tonight Show changed hosts for the first time in decades, and the nation asked “was Iraq worth a war?”

• They have never used a card catalog to find a book.
• Dan Rostenkowski and Mike Tyson have always been felons.
• The Green Giant has always been Shrek, not the big guy picking vegetables.
• Salsa has always outsold ketchup.
• Rap music has always been mainstream.
• Chocolate chip cookie dough ice cream has always been a flavor choice.
• The KGB has never officially existed.
• Babies have always had a Social Security Number.
• Bungee jumping has always been socially acceptable.
• The European Union has always existed.
• There has always been a Cartoon Network.
• They have always been able to read books on an electronic screen.
• Women have always outnumbered men in college.
• There have always been flat screen televisions.
• Britney Spears has always been heard on classic rock stations.
• Someone has always been asking: “Was Iraq worth a war?”
• Most communities have always had a mega-church.
• There has always been a computer in the Oval Office.
• Avon has always been “calling” in a catalog.
• Official racial classifications in South Africa have always been outlawed.

Here is a preview of the fall chapel calendar.  We will distribute it during the first chapel on Tuesday next week:

Y.E. Yang impressively won the PGA Championship on Sunday.  It wasn’t that Tiger Woods lost the tournament, but clearly the Korean player beat him with a remarkable eagle on #14, and an incredibly difficult approach shot on 18 to secure the win. (Mr. Yang’s second round started with 4 bogies on the first 5 holes, but clearly he was focused enough to get back on track.)

Golf is HUGE in Korea.  I had the opportunity to play there this summer with my host, Dr. Billy Kim, president of Far East Broadcasting.  The course was demanding in the magnificent mountains about two hours outside of Seoul, the players were strong, and even the caddies were intimidating

I have never seen anything like these caddies. They managed five golfers and take care of everything for you – even bring green tea ice cream as in the picture below.  The carts run on a guidance system so they can move them forward remotely, and have communication systems to the group in front to assure you don’t need to wait to play the next hole.  It was quite a production.

 Seoul, with it’s 10 million people, doesn’t have much room for golf, so they build driving ranges throughout the city – often over parking lots.  A couple pictures from my trip are below:

This afternoon I had the joy to share with all our new students and their parents. Several asked for the outline of the challenge to them, and so here it is:

DEVELOP A PATTERN OF PERSISTENCE

Plan a purpose not a path for your life

1.  God called you here, and God never calls us to failure

2.  You are capable or we wouldn’t have let you into Belhaven

3.  Persistence in college will require a new level of discipline

4.  Reach out for help when you need support

5.  LEARN to Persevere

Romans 5:3-4 ‘We can rejoice when we run into problems and trials, for we know that they are good for us – they help us learn to endure. And endurance develops strength of character in us, and character strengthens our confident expectation of salvation.’

• Rejoice in the problems and trials  -  because
• Problems and trials are good for us  -  because
• We must learn endurance  -  because
• Endurance develops strength of character   -  because
• Character strengthens confidence

Each challenge in life is God’s way of preparing our character to give us confidence to handle something greater yet to come.

Only in Christ can we have a consistent character to live in confidence.

This afternoon at 3:30 we will welcome about 225 new students to our first year class.  They start today, but the goal of their coming to Belhaven is not to just start, but to finish.

So the date that is most important is not today, but their graduation date:

May 11, 2013

Let’s all be praying, working, helping, and even sometimes carrying them to assure they reach that goal and become the person God designed them to be.

This week we signed a “sister school” partnership with Sungkyul University in Seoul Korea. President Jeong was with us for our opening service of dedication for the school year, and he will shared more about Sungkyul with our faculty and staff at our Campus Celebration.

This relationship opens the door for us to exchange students and faculty. They are a Christ-centered institution that share ideals with Belhaven, and we pray that God will bless our new partnership.

Although the videos are in Korean, if you’d like to see the campus and a bit of the spirit of Sungkyul University, here is a short presentation:

Les Paul died yesterday at the age of 94. He was one of the most remarkable innovators in music, as well as an incredible guitarist.

He was the first to develop the electric guitar, although others take credit as well. Today a “Les Paul” made by Gibson is the cream of the crop in guitars.

More importantly, he and his wife Mary Ford were the first to develop multi-track recording. Using a regular tape recorder, they would record a song, and then play it back, recording over it again….until they achieved the full sound of multi-track recording which is standard today.

Their recording of “How High the Moon” is a classic…..and is played often on my iPod.

Something I didn’t know about him that I found today in a report:

In January 1948, Paul was injured in a near-fatal automobile accident in Oklahoma, which shattered his right arm and elbow. Doctors told Paul that there was no way for them to rebuild his elbow in a way that would let him regain movement, and that his arm would remain permanently in whatever position they placed it in. Paul then instructed the surgeons to set his arm at an angle that would allow him to cradle and pick the guitar. It took him a year and a half to recover.

As one who tends to stay up far too late sending emails, I’ve been interested in the number of stories I’ve seen about sleep issues during the past few weeks.

Here are some facts to consider — sleep on them and see what you think.

People who suffer from insomnia take sick days twice as often as those who do not, according to a report by The Center for Medicine in the Public Interest. The study found that over a six-month period, the condition cost employers an average of 4.4 days of wages for each untreated sufferer, plus indirect costs due to lower productivity and mistakes made because of lack of sleep.

Harvard Business review reports:

34% of American adults take a nap on a typical day. Napping is most common at the lower end of the pay scale — 42% of those with annual incomes below $30,000 told the Pew Research Center they had napped in the previous 24 hours — and it declines as income rises. 21% of those with yearly pay between $75,000 and $99,000 reported napping, the lowest of any income group. The urge (or the time) to nap returns among those who make more than $100,000: 33% had napped in the past day..

USA Today reports in today’s paper:

6 hours of sleep? It’s not enough

SAN FRANCISCO — Scientists have good and bad news for hard-driving people who boast they need only six hours of sleep a night.

The good news is a few may be right: Researchers at the University of California-San Francisco have identified a family with a genetic mutation that causes members to require only six hours sleep a night. The bad news? The gene is vanishingly rare in humans, found in less than 3% of people.

So almost everyone who says he needs only six hours’ sleep is kidding himself. And the consequences of chronic sleep deprivation are serious, says Clete Kushida, president of the American Academy of Sleep Medicine and director of Stanford University’s Sleep Medicine Center. Sleep deprivation has been linked to an increase in motor vehicle accidents, deficiencies in short-term memory, focus and attention. It’s also tied to depressed mood and a decrease in the ability to control appetite.

The family members — a mother and daughter with the gene mutation — were discovered by researchers at UCSF studying circadian rhythms, the waxing and waning biochemical cycles that govern sleep, hunger and activity. Neither woman needed more than six to 6½ hours of sleep a night, and yet both were well-rested, healthy and energetic.

“One of them is over 70, always traveling internationally and extremely active. She dances three or four nights a week,” says Ying-Hui Fu, a professor of neurology at UCSF.

When scientists examined the pair’s DNA, they found a mutation in a gene called DEC2, which governs cell production and circadian rhythm.

The mutation seems to result in people who need much less than the normal eight to 8½ hours that most humans require for well-rested functioning, according to the paper, which is published in today’s edition of the journal Science. The research by Fu and her colleagues determined that humans and mice that carry the mutation get more intense sleep, as measured by slow-wave electrical activity in the brain, and so they need less of it.

But Fu estimates that only about 3% of the population is likely to have this gene and cautions that most people who habitually get less than eight hours sleep a night are only building up a large, and dangerous, sleep debt.

Fu says her lab is investigating whether it might be possible to mimic the effects of the gene with therapeutic compounds, but she cautions the research is only at the very beginning. For now, the only real answer to true productivity is to sleep as much as your body needs, she says.

I hosted our 35 Resident Assistants (students) Resident Directors (staff) who provide leadership for our residence halls.  This is one of my favorite events every year, and this morning was no different.  What a great group.

I had the chance to share with them some plans for the new year.  And most importantly thanked them for the critical ministry work they do among our students who live on campus.

I enjoyed praying for them . . . and they wanted to take time to pray for me.  Doesn’t get much better than that as a way to start the morning.

The loss of billions of dollars in Harvard’s endowment has sent the University into the type of stewardship that we in the real world of higher education have to cope with all the time.

I read the other day that just in their  school of Arts and Sciences they need to cut $220 million from the operating budget.

One of the solutions was to run the shuttle buses to the parking lot on 20 minute intervals rather than 10 minutes.  It’s going to take a lot of shuttle bus runs to make up that type money.

Today, the higher ed news came out with this new addition from Harvard.  Too many in higher education have never had to be careful about spending in the past, so it is becoming almost comical to see them grasping at straws to avoid cutting their bloated budgets.

Harvard Licenses Line of Preppy Clothing
Harvard University has licensed its name for use by a designer clothing company that will soon be selling a “Harvard Yard” line, Bloomberg reported. While financial terms were not revealed, the clothing line may relate more to the university’s desire to replenish its endowment. While Harvard has made a point in recent years of stressing that it is open to students of all economic means, the same may not be said of the clothing. Trousers will start at $195 and shirts at $160, and the look will be preppy.

I received this email a few minutes ago from one of my friends at Elam. I trust you’ll join me in supporting these two women with  prayer for God’s strength in this battle to stand for their faith in Christ.

Dear friends,

In a dramatic session before the revolutionary court yesterday (Sunday August 9) in Tehran, Maryam Rustampoor (27) and Marzieh Amirizadeh (30) were told to recant their faith in Christ. Though great pressure was put on them, both women declared that they would not deny their faith. Maryam and Marzieh were originally arrested on March 5, 2009 and have suffered greatly while in prison, suffering ill health, solitary confinement and interrogations for many hours while blindfolded.

On Saturday August 8, Maryam and Marzieh were summoned to appear in court on Sunday August 9 in order to hear a verdict on their case.  The chief interrogator had recommended a verdict of ‘apostasy.’  However, when they arrived, no verdict was actually given.  Instead, the court session focussed on the deputy prosecutor, Mr Haddad, questioning Maryam and Marzieh about their faith and telling them that they had to recant in both verbal and written form. This made it clear that in the eyes of the court, Maryam and Marzieh’s only crime is that they have converted to Christianity.

Mr. Haddad, asked the two women if they were Christians. “We love Jesus,” they replied.  He repeated his question and they said, “Yes, we are Christians.”

Mr. Haddad then said, “You were Muslims and now you have become Christians.”

“We were born in Muslim families, but we were not Muslims,” was their reply.

Mr. Haddad’s questioning continued and he asked them if they regretted becoming Christians, to which they replied, “We have no regrets.”

Then he stated emphatically, “You should renounce your faith verbally and in written form.”  They stood firm and replied, “We will not deny our faith.”

During one tense moment in the questioning, Maryam and Marzieh made reference to their belief that God had convicted them through the Holy Spirit.  Mr. Haddad told them, “It is impossible for God to speak with humans.”

Marzieh asked him in return, “Are you questioning whether God is Almighty?”

Mr. Haddad then replied, “You are not worthy for God to speak to you.”

Marzieh said, “It is God, and not you, who determines if I am worthy.”

Mr. Haddad told the women to return to prison and think about the options they were given and come back to him when they are ready (to comply). Maryam and Marzieh said, “We have already done our thinking.”

At the end of the session, Mr. Haddad told them that a judge will give them his verdict, though it is not clear who will be the judge in their case now.  He also allowed Maryam and Marzieh to have a lawyer represent them in the case for the first time since their arrest.

Both women are back in Evin prison tonight.  During their five-month ordeal, both have been unwell and have lost much weight. Marzieh is in pain due to an on-going problem with her spine, as well as an infected tooth and intense headaches. She desperately needs medical attention. Two months ago the prison officials told her the prison had proper medical equipment and that they will attend to her, but so far no proper treatment has been given.

Despite the concentrated effort of officials to pressure them into recanting their faith, Maryam and Marzieh love Jesus and they are determined to stand firm to the very end no matter whatever happens.  They have demonstrated their love for Jesus and would offer their lives for Him if they were called to do so.  After today’s court session they said, “If we come out of prison we want to do so with honor.”

Maryam and Marzieh’s case is a clear and harsh violation of human rights and religious liberty by Iran’s authorities. They deserve the support of all those who respect human rights and to be released without charges so they can pursue a life of freedom.

Thank you for praying.
The Elam team

Where did the summer go?

Seems like yesterday that I was standing on the commencement platform singing the alma mater and thinking about the great summer ahead – books to read, golf to play, trout to catch, projects to complete.

That didn’t work out so well, as every day all summer seemed to fly by.

Two rounds of golf later (and not a single dry fly casted to a trout), it is time for the academic year to get started. But I can’t wait, becuase that’s lots more fun than anything else I could be doing.

Next week is jammed with lots of activity.

• The athletes begin to come in on Monday.
• Our Administrative Team has a half day meeting on Monday to get coordinated for the start of the semester.
• Student Affairs training begins early in the week – and I always look forward to my annual breakfast with the RAs on Tuesday morning.
• Wednesday evening is our Service of Dedication for all faculty, staff, and spouses at 7:00 in the Concert Hall.
• Thursday morning is our Campus Celebration for all employees from 8:30 to 11:00 am in the Concert Hall.
• Thursday and Friday are the Faculty Workshop – five new faculty joining us this year.
• Saturday the new students arrive for Orientation – the entering class looks very strong.

I’m glad the summer is over and the campus will be jammed full of activity again.  That’s as good as it gets.

These statistics from USA Today show how heavily college students are burdened down with credit card debt while still in college.

If every college student wouldn’t buy on a card what they couldn’t pay off in full by the end of the month, then the challenge of paying school loans after they graduate would be manageable because: (1) they are not strapped with high interest rates from credit cards, and (2) they have learned to manage their money and live within their means.

We try to keep the credit card offers to students off our campus. It is the fastest way for the promising educational future to become derailed financially.

Do you know which schools in America are the most sports crazy?  No, not Ole Miss, Alabama, or Florida.

MIT and Harvard field the most intercollegiate teams – 41 and 39 respectively.  One of the little known facts of higher ed.

Belhaven has one of the broader NAIA school athletic programs with 14 teams.

MIT will no longer be the leader with their announcement last week that they are eliminating eight sports because of budget cuts.

MIT plays at the Division III level (no scholarships) while Harvard plays Division I in all their sports.

NEW YORK TIMES

To Save Money, M.I.T. Drops 8 Sports Teams

High school students with dreams of competing in alpine skiing at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, beware: when this academic year ends, the institute will no longer have a varsity team.

That squad and seven others — competitive pistol, golf, wrestling, and men and women’s ice hockey and gymnastics — were eliminated on Thursday by M.I.T.’s athletics department, citing the need to trim $1.5 million from its budget.

The announcement ended several weeks of meetings and student hand-wringing over which of M.I.T.’s 41 Division III varsity teams would be cut. Being an innovative lot, M.I.T. students looked for ways to save programs, including fund-raising and protests. Some disgruntled students even kidnapped Tim the Beaver, the institute’s mascot, demanding that all 41 teams be kept. (The student playing Tim was released unharmed, although the costume’s head eventually ended up on the John Harvard statue in Harvard Yard.)

“These programs contribute to our ever-precious admissions yield, which in turn contributes to our esteemed public perception and high national ranking,” Ethan Solomon, a second-year student, wrote in an opinion article for The Tech, M.I.T.’s student newspaper. “Indirectly, these factors may influence alumni donation rates, which further influence our national ranking.”

The institute said, however, that even in flush times, the 41 teams weighed heavily on the department, and that the cuts were intended to strengthen the remaining 33 squads.

Some of the eliminated programs, like the pistol team, may become club sports, said Will Hart, the pistol coach.

“We’ve been a varsity club since 1937, so this is something entirely new for us,” Mr. Hart said of the pistol program, one of the top-ranked in the country and one of the institute’s most popular physical education classes.

“M.I.T. has a certain culture,” he added. “The students need release. I hope they find something else that was as close to enjoyable as their sport was.”

The Huffington Post
APRIL 24, 2009
Georgianne Nienaber
Investigative journalist and author

Posted April 24, 2009 | 07:33 AM (EST)

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/georgianne-nienaber/mary-chapin-carpenter-ret_b_189042.html

Mary Chapin Carpenter Returns to the Stage and Talks about Eudora Welty, Inspiration, and Bonding

Five-time Grammy winner Mary Chapin Carpenter is still raving about the experience she had performing with Kate Campbell, Claire Holley and Caroline Herring at the Eudora Welty Centennial Concert in Jackson, Mississippi last week. Mary Chapin spoke to us from her farm–a sanctuary that she shares with her husband, six dogs, six cats, and a “menagerie” of other animals, all nestled securely up against the Blue Ridge mountains in south central Virginia.

“It is pretty hard to leave home, but it was certainly worth it for the experience I had this last week in Jackson,” she said.

To hear her tell it, the act of leaving her beloved home and animals is testimony to the regard in which she holds the literary giant Welty–who is not exactly a household word. Although critically acclaimed for their respective bodies of work, Mississippi daughters Herring, Campbell and Holley are not exactly household words either, but one might argue that they, along with Welty, should be. Mary Chapin Carpenter certainly thinks so. She was more than excited to meet the other performers. She was “anticipating” doing so.

They are all so amazing. I have loved their music before I met them, I have felt a kinship with their music, and I have known Kate’s music for years. To finally meet after so long, well it was just wonderful. I was trying to tell a friend of mine about how extraordinary it was to be there with them. Every single one of them. Claire has such an angelic and interesting way of writing, and Kate’s writing is so masterful, and Caroline’s is so literary. It was like my cup positively overflowed. Their material was extraordinary.

Something beautifully compelling happened onstage at the Belhaven College Center for the Arts. Carpenter provided the star power for the benefit performance, but more than that, she quietly and graciously deferred to the other women, learning their material, requesting their songs, and harmonizing in lovely support of the Welty tribute.

This is the definition of grace. Campbell, Herring and Holley remarked in subsequent conversations that Carpenter went out of her way to make each of them feel comfortable. The admiration was returned onstage when Carpenter said that she had not known what exactly to expect but that she felt she had “made three new friends.”

Had she lived to reach her one-hundredth birthday, Eudora Welty would have certainly enjoyed this gathering of new friends on a sweet-scented southern spring evening. There was a hint of ozone in the air, a harbinger of thunderstorms that would roll through Jackson later in the evening. Welty often wrote about the weather and its ability to set mood and tone. In one of her best loved books, One Writer’s Beginnings, Welty described her father’s “country boy’s accurate knowledge of the weather and its skies.” Her art was firmly rooted in family and her fascination with the grownup world of storytelling that was part and parcel of southern family living.

So I developed a strong meteorological sensibility. In years ahead when I wrote stories, atmosphere took its influential role from the start. Commotion in the weather and the inner feelings aroused by such a hovering disturbance emerged connected in dramatic form.

No shy and retiring southern belle, Welty said she tried a tornado first.

Some said they felt Welty’s presence at Belhaven last week, and it is not out of the realm of possibility.

The 800-seat Belhaven Theater is a former Methodist Church, and there is something about a church that invites a visitation from the muse or a ghost. The stage was bathed in the glow of blue Fresnels that enhanced the sense of mystery and romance. Throw in the incredible artistry of four women who have the dirt, sweetness, and sweat of the south in their bones, along with songwriting abilities that summon aching memories of the pain, triumph and anguish of the South, and the profound becomes tangible–the impossible, possible.

In many ways, the Eudora Welty Centennial event was a perfect marriage of the arts of songwriting and Welty’s literary storytelling.

Although Welty received the National Medal of Literature, the Presidential Medal of Freedom, the Pulitzer Prize for Literature, and was the first living author to have her stories and essays compiled by the Library of America, these accolades did not define her existence. Welty looked to friendship and curiosity about the particulars of life. ” In writing, as in life,” she wrote, “the connections of all sorts of relationships and kinds lie in wait of discovery, and give out their signals to the Geiger counter of the charged imagination….”

Mary Chapin Carpenter is a northerner and New Jersey born, but became fascinated with southerner Eudora Wetly and the power of her imagination when she stumbled upon One Writer’s Beginnings through a comment from a friend.

The book is a bible, a talisman of sorts. It has meant so much to me. I was living in a scummy little apartment trying to be scrappy and eke out a living, when a very dear friend of mine quoted the very last line of the book. Our conversation was about struggle, and after I heard the quote I ran out and got it. I basically devoured it and found myself returning to it over and over again through the years. To this day I recommend it to any person I meet who is trying to establish a creative life within the requirements of making a living. It reaffirms what I am trying to accomplish for myself. Sometimes you are not sure of what you are trying to do; you are just trying to be happy.

Before our conversation thread ended, I looked up the last line in One Writer’s Beginnings and read it to Mary Chapin over the phone.

“As you have seen, I am a writer who came of a sheltered life. A sheltered life can be a daring life as well. For all serious daring starts from within,” Welty wrote.

When asked why she opened the “guitar pull” in the round with the iconic Stones in the Road, Mary Chapin had the somewhat surprising answer that the song is an old friend and that the Welty tribute was her return to performing after two years.

This was my first show in two years and I had taken extensive time off because I had a pulmonary embolism. We were all talking about how nervous we were and it was especially true for me because this was my return to performing. ‘Stones’ is about a lot of things, about struggle, certainly, and it is my calling card as well.

The experience of having the embolism was terrifying. I had been having a lot of pain in my chest and luckily I got to the emergency room in time. It has taken me a long time to get back to my job. That is another thing that made it so meaningful to me–the fact that I was with such kind and considerate and lovely people in Jackson.

The Welty connection “of all sorts of relationships” was made.

The audience reacted as if it were greeting an old friend as Mary Chapin sang the opening lines of Halley Came to Jackson in a voice ringing strong and true with heart-felt emotion. The song and companion children’s book, illustrated by Dan Andreasen, is based upon Welty’s description of her father holding her in his arms as Halley’s comet appeared over the skies of Jackson in 1910.

Another connection–a connection to the past–made through a combination of great songwriting and powerful vocal harmonies, just about brought down the house when Kate Campbell walked over to the grand piano to play Look Away. Mary Chapin said that she and Campbell locked eyes as the song began. It is one of Carpenter’s favorites. Campbell is a respected presence on the folk music circuit as well as National Public Radio, and her work has been compared to that of Welty and William Faulkner. Campbell introduced the song from her album Rosaryville with a vivid personal memory.

I remember seeing Eudora on public television one night and there was a photograph of the mansion in Windsor, Mississippi behind her. I remember her talking about the New South and the Old South and along the way she said, ‘You know, not everything was bad and it doesn’t really matter where you are from, there is good and there is bad.’ She was talking about the Old South and she said ‘it really wasn’t all about hate.’ I, too, cannot believe that the history of the south is all about hate.

You could hear weeping in the audience as the four part harmony on Campbell’s song took hold:

It’s a long and slow surrender retreating from the past. It’s important to remember to fly the flag half-mast, and look away. I was taught by elders wiser, love your neighbor, love your god. Never saw a cross on fire, never saw an angry mob. I saw sweet magnolia blossoms. I chased lightning bugs at night. Never dreaming others saw our way of life in black and white. Part of me hears voices crying, part of me can feel their weight. Part of me believes that mansion stood for something more than hate.

The moment was positively transcendent, and the audience became one family in the telling, all sons and daughters of the south.

Carpenter, Holley, Herring and Campbell bravely shouldered this heavy sentiment in their songwriting and storytelling about the southland–each using compassion as a moral compass–each using the inspiration of Eudora Welty as a guidepost.

A beloved Canton native, Caroline Herring is quite simply a treasure waiting to be discovered by mainstream America. Ten years ago, Herring established a strong following in the Austin music scene. Herring, like Campbell, does not shy away from the responsibility to tell the story of the south and shine the light of truth into the darker corners of southern history.

With wit and grace that elicited laughter and warm applause from the audience, Herring also paid tribute to Welty.

I do feel that Eudora Welty, like God, is looking down on me and saying, ‘Why have you not read everything that I have written?’ One thing I am struck with is the fact that she gives her characters such dignity through her honest portrayals of southern life in the twentieth century. Well, we are blessed to have had her in our midst.

Claire Holley is a Jackson native, but now resides in Los Angeles where her music is often featured in television. Holley and Campbell conducted a songwriting workshop the morning after the concert. Holley’s advice? Read Welty’s One Writer’s Beginnings. “A lot of your best songs feel like gifts.”

Music, friendship, and inspiration were front and center during the Welty Centennial Concert.

“The chemistry was really there,” Kate Campbell said after the performance.

The audience was with us and everyone was there to honor Eudora. This was one of the best ways to give tribute to Eudora– to have women singer/songwriters share their music and inspiration. Through music and storytelling, we can have a conversation, a dialogue. As performers it inspired us to be up there with three other women who shared the same passion.
Carpenter agrees.

I asked her what she hoped to read in this article. She laughed.

No journalist has ever asked me that question. When I got home from the weekend and we were all home again and when I parted from my manager and guitar technician and guitarist we remarked that it would be so hard to explain unless you had been there. It was an amazing experience. Describe how MAGICAL it was. I am so happy a (Huffington Post) writer has taken the time and interest in this.

We ended the interview talking about Mary Chapin’s one and only meeting with Eudora Welty, some 20 years ago.

I had tea with Eudora 20 years ago in her home. I was so nervous I could hardly talk. The way the house is now, it is like she just stepped out for a while. Books on couches; books everywhere. Her reading glasses on the table. I remember she gave me a book about Cajun music. I found that really interesting and surprising. It was one of the most memorable events of my life. She was just so gracious and kind.

Welty passed in 2001 at 92, accomplished and beloved throughout the world.

Perhaps for Mary Chapin, her daring came in her ability to triumphantly take the stage again after a very serious health threat. Eudora Welty found strength, solace and comfort in the company of friends, and so did Mary Chapin Carpenter.

Four strong, talented women gathered in tribute to a woman who was a powerhouse of literary ability. In the gathering, they found friendship and reaffirmed their own abilities to use inspiration as the wellspring of creativity, courage, and terrific songwriting.

Magic.

………………..

Mary Chapin Carpenter’s 2007 CD, The Calling, was nominated for a Grammy for the Best Contemporary Folk/Americana Album. Her latest recording, released in 2008, is Come Darkness, Come Light: Twelve Songs of Christmas. Mary Chapin Carpenter serves on the Eudora Welty Foundation board. She is the only artist to have won four consecutive Grammy Awards for Best Female Country Vocal Performance. (1992-1995) She is currently working on writing and recording anew album and will be touring in support of it next year. Mary Chapin has recorded 11 albums, sold more than 13 million records, and scored 12 top 10 singles.

The Eudora Welty Foundation aids in the cataloging of her manuscripts, correspondence, and photographs. The National Foundation for the Arts announced that the foundation has been awarded a $10,000 NEA grant that will support creative writing in 500 high schools.

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We just posted on the web a new video I recorded to address the question of cost of a Belhaven education.

If you’re interested in the five reasons I shared why we are affordable, you might enjoy watching this five minute video:

http://www.belhaven.edu/financial_aid/why-college-is-affordable.htm

1.  Low costs: Belhaven College has been named a “Best Buy” college for 9 consecutive years.

2.  Scholarships and Aid: 95% of Belhaven students receive financial aid.

3.  Students will complete their degree on time.

4.  Savings add up in the “hidden costs.”

5.  Value: the most important financial investment of your life.

. . . and then we wonder what is happening to our country, when colleges not only allow binge drinking, but enable it, i.e. the 100 college presidents who signed a call to lower the drinking age to 18.

God’s heart must break over for an entire generation of American college students who have their priorities so out out of skew…..I know mine does.

College freshmen study booze more than books
Mary Beth Marklein, USA TODAY

Nearly half of college freshmen who drink alcohol spend more time drinking each week than they do studying, suggests a survey involving more than 30,000 first-year students on 76 campuses who took an online alcohol education course last fall.

Students who said they had at least one drink in the past 14 days spent an average 10.2 hours a week drinking, and averaged about 8.4 hours a week studying, according to findings being presented today at a conference in Seattle for campus student affairs officials. Nearly 70% of respondents (20,801 students) said they drank. Of those, 49.4% spent more time drinking than studying.

Gwendolyn Jordan Dungy, executive direct or of NASPA — Student Affairs Administrators in Higher Education, says the findings surprised her because most literature describes the millennial generation as responsible, close to parents, focused on their careers and dedicated to service.

“Our hope is that this new finding will motivate (campus and community leaders) to join us as we redouble our efforts to de-emphasize the role of alcohol in college life,” she says.

Her group is developing a training program with the study’s sponsor, Outside The Classroom, a Boston-based company that offers alcohol-prevention programs to colleges nationwide. Findings are based on responses to the company’s online alcohol education program, and on calculations to estimate the average length of a drinking episode.

In most cases, all incoming students are encouraged to take the online course. Students were not selected randomly, but “given that we have a good cross section of colleges and given the large number of students involved, I’m confident these numbers give a pretty accurate picture,” says lead researcher William DeJong, a professor at Boston University School of Public Health.

Precise numbers are not available, or easy to calculate. The National Survey of Student Engagement asked a question about studying last spring, and found that its 18,000 respondents spent an average of 13.2 hours “preparing for class.”

But the findings presented today are consistent with estimates based on an annual spring survey of first-year students conducted by the Higher Education Research Institute at UCLA, which surveys students at the end of their first year of college.

What’s more important is the big picture, says John Pryor, managing director of the institute.

“The main point is that students spend a lot of time drinking compared to other things you would want them to be doing in college.”