Harding University

Infobox University
name = Harding University


motto = "Developing Christian Servants"
established = 1924
type = Private
president = David B. Burks
city = Searcy
state = AR
country = USA
students = 6,108
faculty = 217
endowment = US$94 million
affiliations = Church of Christ
campus = Rural, 200 acres (800,000 m²)
colors = Black and Gold
nickname = Bison
website = [http://www.harding.edu/ www.harding.edu]

Harding University is located in Searcy, Arkansas, in the United States, about 50 miles north-east of Little Rock. It is a private liberal arts Christian university associated with the Churches of Christ. The university takes its name from James A. Harding.

The school was founded in 1924 as Harding College in Morrilton, Arkansas and moved a decade later to the campus of the defunct Galloway Women's College in Searcy. Today, the University contains forty-four buildings, a graduate school of religion in Memphis, and satellite campuses in North Little Rock, Bentonville, and West Helena. The student body of 6,100 students (including graduate students and all satellite campuses) represents forty-nine states and fifty-three foreign countries [http://www.harding.edu/about/facts.html] .

Harding University also operates Camp Tahkodah in Floral, Arkansas, Harding Academy in Searcy, and the Harding University Graduate School of Religion in Memphis, Tennessee.

University Presidents

* J.N. Armstrong 1924-1936
* George S. Benson 1936-1965
* Clifton L. Ganus Jr. 1965-1987
* David B. Burks 1987-present

Academics

Undergraduate Degrees

*Bachelor of Arts

*Bachelor of Business Administration

*Bachelor of Fine Arts

*Bachelor of Ministry

*Bachelor of Music Education

*Bachelor of Science

*Bachelor of Science in Medical Technology

*Bachelor of Science in Nursing

*Bachelor of Social Work

Graduate Degrees

(See also degrees offered by Harding University Graduate School of Religion.)

* [http://www.harding.edu/MBA/ Master of Business Administration]

*Master of Education

*Master of Arts major:
**Teaching

* [http://www.masterofministry.com/ Master of Ministry]

*Master of Science majors include the following:
**Counseling
**Education
**Marriage and Family Therapy
**Mental Health Counseling
**Physician Assistant Studies

*Educational Specialist majors include the following:
**Professional Counseling
**Educational Leadership

Doctoral Degree

*Doctor of Education
** [http://www.harding.edu/education/Grad.html#7 Educational Leadership P-20]

Professional Degree

* [http://www.harding.edu/Pharmacy/ Doctor of Pharmacy] :* (approved by the Higher Learning Commission, pre-candidacy status awarded by ACPE, spring 2007)

American Studies Institute

The Harding American Studies Institute is designed to supplement students' academic training and promote "a complete understanding of the institutions, values, and ideas of liberty and democracy." [http://www.harding.edu/asi/info.html] In doing so, the ASI exhibits a generally conservative political stance, focused on going "back to the fundamental values that made this country great." The roots of this program date back to 1953, when Harding formed the School of American Studies.

Currently, the ASI sponsors a number of programs aimed at promoting these values. These include entrepreneurial and leadership programs, a distinguished student honors program, the Belden Center for Private Enterprise Education, and participation in the Walton Scholars Program, which brings in qualified students from Hispanic countries to Arkansas colleges and universities.

Lecture Series

One of the most visible aspects of the American Studies Institute is the distinguished lecturer program. In keeping with Harding University's conservative political and religious leanings, the American Studies Institute invites distinguished lecturers to speak on campus on a regular basis. Typically, there are four lectures in an academic year. Speakers in the Lecture Series have included the following:

* President George H. W. Bush
* President Gerald Ford
* Prime Minister Margaret Thatcher
* Pakistani Prime Minister Benazir Bhutto
* Russian leader Mikhail Gorbachev
* Prime Minister John Major
* General & Secretary of State Colin Powell
* Poland's first post-communist leader, Lech Wałęsa
* Vice President Dan Quayle
* Tennessee politician Lamar Alexander
* Vice President Dick Cheney
* Linda Chavez
* Henry Kissinger
* Tom Peters
* Jeane Kirkpatrick
* FSU football coach Bobby Bowden
* Gene Stallings
* Zig Ziglar
* William Bennett
* [http://premierespeakers.com/1486/index.cfm Kenneth Cooper]
* Fran Tarkenton
* William F. Buckley Jr., conservative journalist
* Zell Miller, former Democratic Governor of Georgia and U.S. Senator
* Robert Bork
* José María Aznar, recent Prime Minister of Spain
* Sean Hannity, conservative journalist
* Judge Janice Rogers Brown
* Ambassador Inonge Mbikusita-Lewanika, Republic of Zambia ambassador to the United States
* Vicente Fox, president of Mexico

Speakers for the 2007/2008 academic year
* Retired Lt. Col. Steve Russell, central player in the hunt and capture of Saddam Hussein [http://www.harding.edu/news_2007/news_asirussell.html] :
* Levy Mwanawasa, President of the Republic of Zambia [http://www.harding.edu/news_2007/news_zambia.html] :
* Steve Forbes

Speakers for the 2008/2009 academic year
* S. Truett Cathy
* Ben Stein

International programs

Harding offers several [http://www.harding.edu/international/ study abroad opportunities] . International campuses are located in Italy, Greece, England, Australia, Chile, France/Switzerland and Zambia. Almost 30% of students from graduating classes have participated in one of these programs.

Campus

The campus comprises 44 buildings located on 200 acres near the center of Searcy.

The heart of the campus includes the Benson Auditorium, which hosts daily chapel and sits facing the McInteer Bible Building. Brackett Library, the American Studies Building (Education and English departments) and the American Heritage Center (hotel and offices) frame a grassy central commons area upon which can be found several paths, a fountain, and a bell tower made out of bricks from the institution that once stood there: Galloway Women's College. Notable additions in recent years have included several dormitories. Expansions of the cafeteria, student center, art department, American Heritage Center, along with the addition of the Bible building, came with the closing of the road that once ran through that part of campus. It is now a pedestrian mall.

After years of playing in the Ganus Athletic Center, Harding's basketball teams moved back to the Rhodes Memorial Field House, an imposing round-topped airplane hangar from WWII. The "old gym" as it was once called was retrofitted to accentuate the already deafening acoustics of the facility, which has worked to the advantage of the home team. The campus also has extensive intramural sports facilities.

The campus lies roughly between Race Street and the Beebe-Capps Expressway and includes several other minor thoroughfares, the campus of Harding Academy, a retirement home, and portions of surrounding neighborhoods.

tudent life

Most students participate in local Churches of Christ, social clubs, spiritual devotionals, and intramural sports. Each weekday morning students attend chapel, a 30 to 45 minute devotional session. Chapel presentations are usually led by students or faculty, but special events and guest speakers take place on a regular basis.

ocial clubs

Currently there are 15 women's clubs and 16 men's social clubs at Harding. Social clubs are open to all academically eligible students and serve as some of the university's most visible student-led organizations. While less than half of students are social club members, the clubs are a prominent part of student life.

The social club induction process begins when clubs host "mixers" in the fall to recruit new members. Prospective members then complete a "visitation," which requires that they meet and interview every current member of the club. The membership process culminates in Club Week, when each prospective member must complete the tasks given them by the vice president of the club.

At the end of the week, potential members are scored, and if their efforts are sufficient, they are accepted into the club. Once a student is accepted into the club, they attend biweekly meetings and can participate in club-sponsored sports, service projects, and Spring Sing.

pring Sing

Spring Sing is an annual musical production held during Easter Weekend, featuring performances by the social clubs. It is widely attended by current and prospective students, alumni, and Searcy residents. Typically, over 10,000 people attend the show. Each year, an overall theme is selected, and each club develops music and dance routines for the show. Rehearsals begin as early as January.

Spring Sing also features two hosts, two hostesses, and a general song and dance ensemble, with these roles chosen by audition. The ensemble performs to music played by the University Jazz Band.

Each club act is judged, and according to their performance, each club is awarded a certain amount of money. The clubs then donate this money to charities of their choice.

Honor Societies

Harding is a member of many collegiate honor societies and is the current headquarters of the Alpha Chi Honor Society. [http://www.harding.edu/alphachi/contact.htm]

University Policies and Code of Conduct

According to Harding’s [http://www.harding.edu/PDF/Student_Handbook.pdf Student Handbook] , "Students are expected to maintain the highest standards of morality, integrity, orderliness and personal honor." In keeping with this expectation, Harding has a number of rules that were designed to foster these standards on campus.

Chapel and Bible class attendance are mandatory for students who are taking at least 8 hours for credit in a given semester. Additionally, students must complete at least 8 hours of Bible courses in order to complete the Liberal Arts curriculum. "First Time In College" (FTIC) students must take a survey course in New Testament during the fall of their first year, followed by a survey of the Old Testament in the spring.

Students who live on campus (a majority of students) are required to be in their dorms by midnight during the week and 1 a.m. on weekends. Except in certain circumstances, men and women are not allowed to visit one another's dorm rooms.

Harding has a no-smoking policy on campus. Disciplinary action may be taken against students who smoke off campus, and illegal drugs are prohibited both on and off campus. The consumption of alcohol is also prohibited for students and faculty both on and off campus. Exceptions to this rule have been made for missionaries participating in communion services in countries where "partaking of the cup" includes wine. (Searcy is in White County, which is a dry county.)

Harding requires students and faculty to dress professionally when attending class, chapel, lyceum and American Studies programs.

Students and faculty may not participate in any sexual activity outside of traditional marriage, including homosexual behavior. The use or display of pornography is prohibited.

Athletics

Harding competes in intercollegiate athletics at the NCAA Division-II level in the Gulf South Conference (GSC) and offers numerous intramural athletic opportunities.

Men's Sports

*Baseball
*Basketball
*Cross Country
*Football
*Golf
*Soccer
*Tennis
*Track and Field

Women's Sports

*Basketball
*Cheerleading
*Cross Country
*Golf
*Soccer
*Tennis
*Track and Field
*Volleyball

Facilities

*First Security Stadium (football, capacity 6,500)
*Ganus Athletic Center (training)
*Jerry Moore Field (baseball)
*Rhodes Field House (basketball/volleyball, capacity 4,000)

Recent Accomplishments

Harding has competed in the GSC since 2000 and in the NCAA since 1997. The track and field and cross country teams have enjoyed consistent success in recent years under head coach Steve Guymon, earning multiple GSC and Division-II South Region championships during his tenure. The volleyball program has also been strong, winning five consecutive GSC West championships.

The men's basketball program, led by coach Jeff Morgan, has been successful since moving to the NCAA, reaching the Division II Tournament twice during his tenure: for the first time in school history in 2003, and more recently in 2008. Backed by the "Rhodes Rowdies," HU has averaged over 2,000 in home attendance since joining the NCAA, a figure which would typically be greater than that of one-third of Division-I teams [http://www.ncaa.org/stats/m_basketball/attendance/index.html] . Entering the 2007-08 season, Harding owned seven of the top ten single-game attendance records in GSC basketball history and had led the conference in average home attendance in each season since joining the GSC.

Notable alumni

* [http://www.jimmyallen.org/ Jimmy Allen] : evangelist, author, and professor

*LaMar Baker: businessman, former Republican U.S. representative from Tennessee

*George S. Benson: subsequently president of the college, conservative activist

*Stephen Mark Brown: opera star

*David Campbell: producer of cartoon features, including "Doug"

*Torrance Daniels: only Harding alumnus to play in a game in the National Football League or to win a Super Bowl Ring.

*Ed Madden: poet, activist, and professor

*Jerry Mitchell, Jr.: investigative reporter with the Jackson, Miss. Clarion-Ledger, Pulitzer Prize finalist for Beat Reporting in 2006, and 2005 winner of the [http://www.kellysalerno.com/johnchancelloraward/message.php?sample=1/ John Chancellor Award for Excellence in Journalism]

*Sarah Hudson-Pierce: author of inspirational books, book publisher, journalist, television host

*Elwin "Preacher" Roe: former Major League Baseball pitcher
*Granville Sewell: mathematician

*Roxanne Beck: singer and actor formerly known as Ann Ulrey. See http://roxannebeck.com.

*Rubel Shelly: author, preacher, professor, lecturer

*David Slater: Country music singer and Star Search champion

*Kenneth Starr: lawyer, professor, former Office of the Independent Counsel, dean of the Pepperdine University law school. (Starr did not graduate from Harding; he received his degrees from George Washington University, Brown University, and Duke University)

External links

* [http://www.harding.edu/ Harding University website]
* [http://www.harding.edu/thebison/ "The Bison"] - student newspaper
* [http://www.hardingsports.com/ Harding Sports] official site
* [http://www.campusdish.com/en-us/cssw/harding/ Harding Cafeteria]
* [http://searcy.com/?q=node/900 Profile of Harding on the city online Lifestyle Guide]