The President’s Reflections: “Worldview Matters”

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. [...]

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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 [...]

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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 [...]

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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 [...]

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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.

……………………….

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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 [...]

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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 [...]

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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 [...]

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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!

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

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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 [...]

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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 [...]

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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 [...]

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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 [...]

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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 [...]

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This story from CNN caught my attention because Joel Hunter is a friend of Belhaven, serves on our Board of Reference, and was our commencement speaker for our Orlando campus a few years ago. Dan Fredericks and his family attended Joel’s church when they lived in Orlando.
Before he delivered his victory speech on Tuesday night [...]

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Thursday we will bring together the entire campus for a “day of learning” from 8:30 to noon to focus on the remarkable working of God in Korea through the past several decades.
Dr. Billy Jang Hwan Kim, President of the Far East Broadcasting Company (FEBC), will speak about God’s exciting work in South Korea, and the [...]

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We hosted a Discover Day last Friday, bringing prospective students and their families to campus for a day to “kick the tires” as they make their college choice.  We had a large group attend last week, and Suzanne Sullivan and Amanda Slaughter, along with our admissions team do a marvelous job enabling these families to [...]

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Last night I received this email from Belhaven’s friend, Canon Andrew White, the pastor of St. George’s Church in Baghdad – he lives in London, England.  He spoke for our Day of Learning two years ago.  He is a key leader in the Middle East peace process, both in Iraq and in other conflicts, including [...]

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The Federal Government launched a $700 BILLION rescue plan for the economy.  We need wise action during this challenging time to the global economy.
But no one is sure the rescue plan will work – and in light of the stock market drop today below 9,000, the lowest point since May 27, 2003 – at least [...]

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Last week I had the privilege of joining with 125 pastors from some of the nation’s most influential churches to discuss the future role and opportunities for American congregations in global missions.  This gathering was called by the Lausanne Committee for World Evangelization (I serve on the Executive Committee and as Treasurer of Lausanne).  Below [...]

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If a hurricane comes into the Gulf of Mexico, Belhaven is likely to be threatened with campuses in Orlando, Houston, and Jackson.  Gulf Coast people have to keep an optimistic spirit during hurricane season, and I received this email from Houston that puts a good spin on our region:
You know you’re from the Gulf Coast [...]

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Christine Williams, our Director of Admissions in Houston, left a message on my cell phone this afternoon saying that she was safe, but that her family, along with nearly everyone else in the city, was without power. Reports are that 2 to 4 million people have lost power and it could take over two [...]

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To help our students in Houston plan and prepare for the aftermath of Hurricane Ike, we will keep the Houston campus closed through all of next week.  Our students, faculty, and staff need to focus on their family needs during this time of challenge.
We will reopen, Monday, September 22
Our prayers are with the Belhaven family [...]

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If you’re interested in knowing more about The Mail Box Club ministry and  John Mark Eagar, our chapel speaker today- their web site is here.

More than half of the world’s population is children.
Less than 15% of the Churches’ resources go to reaching children.
Most of the people who come to Christ do so as a child.

Children [...]

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This week is “Millsaps Week” as our teams face off against our State Street friends.

Football renews the Riverside Rumble event at 7:00 pm on Newell Field
Volleyball hosts the Majors Friday night at 7:00 pm
Men’s Soccer plays at Millsaps at Noon on Saturday.
(Women’s soccer plays them on the 19th at 8pm)

All students receive complimentary admission to [...]

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I don’t write about politics on this blog – and I’m not going to start now. But, when politics gives us such a blatant example of what happens when one’s worldview is ungrounded, I can’t resist pointing it out.
The Vice Presidential choice of John McCain has caught the nation’s attention and is the talk of [...]

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Last night the National Hurricane Center did a sophisticated test dropping measuring divices from 40,000 feet all across the hurricane.  Those results can track the storm direction to within 100 miles, so the computer models this morning are much more accurate than what we’ve had thus far.
The storm appears to be headed more to Louisiana [...]

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Just when I thought I couldn’t be shocked any more by secular higher education, the news today shocked me anew.
A community college president in Iowa, Robert Paxton, was photographed on a party boat this summer pouring beer into one of his female student’s mouth.
The picture says it all (the president is in the top left [...]

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Today we have everything into place should the hurricane hit Jackson.

4,200 bottles of water
lots of food that doesn’t need refrigeration
Resident Directors are stocked with flashlights, batteries, first aid supplies, and emergency radios
each residence hall also has a walkie-talkie so they can communicate if they can’t go out, and a bull-horn if needed.
all the trees on [...]

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To me the school year “feels started” when we have the first chapel of the fall semester.  It’s always a packed house, and I’m not sure anything encourages me more than when our students come together to worship.
I really miss our weekly chapels during the summer, so glad tomorrow is almost here.
I’m speaking for the [...]

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At Belhaven College we have been extremly concerned about the high cost of textbooks nationwide. It is not unusual for student to spend $500 to $1,000 per semester for books.
To cut these costs as much as possible, our faculty are careful about not requiring a book which is not important to the class – [...]

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I received the following news item about tuition increases from the Association of Presbyterian Colleges (APCU) which includes 65 schools. Belhaven works hard to stay affordable and is consistently listed as one of America’s Best Buys for Colleges and Universities. Our costs for the coming year were up a little less than 5% [...]

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This must be the week when all the coaches around the country have their “media day” to get the press buzzing about the upcoming season because the papers are filled with football news. I love college football, and so can’t wait for fall. I’m anxious for our Blazers and other college teams to get on [...]

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The world around us is hurting, crying out, lost, and disillusioned….and often, the best we have to offer is a church sign. I’m sure all the most clever signs put together never brought one new person into a church. We must go out where the people are, not attempt to attract them with a [...]

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The Associated Press reports:
The “value of a statistical life” is $6.9 million in today’s dollars, the Environmental Protection Agency reckoned in May a drop of nearly $1 million from just five years ago. Though it may seem like a harmless bureaucratic recalculation, the devaluation has real consequences. … Consider, for example, a hypothetical regulation [...]

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China will be the focus of the world over the new two months with the Olympic Games being hosted by the largest country in the world. Today, the Pew Forum on Religion and Public Life published an interesting background piece from their research in China.
On Aug. 8, 2008 – the eighth day of the eighth [...]

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