A time of transition

By David B. Burks , president

Since being asked by the board of trustees to assume the responsibility of president in November, I have been overwhelmed by your emails, phone calls and texts. Thank you for your support, your prayers and your love for Harding.

I would like to express thanks to Dr. Bruce McLarty for his many years of service to the Harding family. He has a great love and passion for this work, and I am confident he will continue to be a blessing to many in the future. I wish him well in the years to come.

For the first time in almost a year, because of COVID-19, in-person chapel was initiated on a two-day a week basis in both Benson Auditorium and Rhodes-Reaves Field House. As you might expect, I used “camaraderie” as the opening line for all of these chapel experiences. Harding is about high-spirited fellowship, which requires meaningful connections, meaningful relationships — the cornerstone of the Harding experience — that go beyond the time it takes a student to earn a degree.

It was my pleasure to announce recently our plans to honor seven African American individuals who played a distinctive role in Harding’s history — Elijah Anthony, Howard Wright, Lewis Brown, Walter Cunningham, David Johnson, Thelma Smith and Curtis Sykes. These individuals will be honored at Homecoming this October.

We also will pay tribute to Botham Jean, whose tragic death on Sept. 6, 2018, shook the entire campus and world. We really miss Botham, and his life and story are going to be remembered and honored on our campus in September , on the occasion of his 30th birthday.

I am also pleased to announce several new leadership appointments, including Candice Moore and Steve Lake , which you can read more about here . I am really looking forward to their leadership and to the establishment of new initiatives in their respective areas.

As we speak to the future, I am very pleased that the board of trustees has announced a presidential search committee. They have selected an executive search firm, CarterBaldwin of Atlanta, to advise them through this process.

This is indeed a time of transition for Harding, but I am confident we have a very bright future. I have never been more excited about the opportunities for us to attract new students, maintain the mission of Harding, and share the good news of Jesus Christ with an even wider audience. Please continue to pray for us during this time of transition for God’s continued guidance.