Range Rider, Spring/Summer 2002 Page: Front Inside
40 p. : ill., ports. ; 27 cm.View a full description of this periodical.
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Note to the leader: In future issues of Range Rider, Dr. Turner will answer questions posed by alumni and friends of
HSU. Please send your questions to: Range Rider, President's Perspective, Box 16102, Abilene, TX 79698 o1
alumnews@hsutx.edu.A high school student at my church is now
looking at colleges. How can I help inter-
est her in attending HSU?
A number of alumni and friends are already
great recruiters for Hardin-Simmons, so this is a
most important question. First, tell her about
your positive experience at HSU and how you
would recommend it to anyone looking for a
quality education in a caring Christian environ-
ment-An Education Enlightened by Faith. Second,
send her name and address via phone, e-mail
(enroll@ hsutx.edu), or U.S. mail to HSU Enroll-
ment Services (915) 670-1206/(800) 568-2692 or
to HSU Alumni Relations (915) 670-1317/(800)
460-3908. Third, invite her to alumni functions
in your area-Enrollment Services counselors are
available at most of these, and Alumni Relations
is always represented.
Alumni and friends alert us to scores of
potential students every year, many of whom
attend HSU. I hope that all our
alumni will become recruiters
for the university. Anyone who
wishes to obtain recruiting materials to
pass on to potential students can contact
Enrollment Services or Alumni Relations.
How is HSU responding in tight eco-
nomic times?
Economic difficulties have been
widespread this year, and everyone
involved with the university has been
most understanding and cooperative. Our
faculty and staff have been so helpful in trimming
budgets that the Board of Trustees passed a
resolution commending them at their February
Board meeting. Specifically, we have cut opera-
tions budgets in almost all areas-many of which
were already down to the bone. Also, we have
instituted a hiring freeze-all positions vacated
must be reevaluated and re-approved before they
can be filled.
Fortunately, we had already begun several
steps aimed at cutting costs: after an extensive
energy study, we began last summer retrofitting
our lighting fixtures and heating and cooling
plants to improve their energy efficiency. We also
joined the other two local universities in negotiat-ing lower electricity ,
costs under the new
deregulation code.
On the negative
side, our revenues have decreased significantly
this year-with a slight decline in enrollmerft,
large decreases in oil and gas prices and the stock
market, and a significant decline in funding from
the Baptist General Convention of Texas, we have
struggled to make ends meet. On the positive side,
the number of donors for our Annual Fund has
increased (although total dollars are down), and
we have successfully completed the challenge gift
for the Mabee Foundation.
All in all, we have not suffered as badly as
some of our fellow institutions, and we are most
thankful for that. We ask for continued prayers,
and we hope that our alumni will continue to
help us recruit students and find new sources for
gifts and grants, in addition to making their own
financial contributions whenever possible. Such
difficult financial times remind us of the need to
grow our endowment as a safeguard against
economic downturns and recessions.
What is an "honors program" such as you
described in your vision for HSU?
While honors programs differ greatly in
details, they share the purpose of presenting
opportunities for the best academic students to
extend themselves intellectually beyond their
normal programs of study. Honors curricula
typically involve seminars and colloquia, as well
some type of honors thesis or extensive research
project completed in the senior year. Students
completing the Honors Program receive special
recognition at commencement and special
designations on their diplomas.
Currently, we have a faculty committee
studying honors programs at other institutions.
Their task will be to take the best of those and
tailor an honors program to meet the needs of our
students which fits the mission of HSU. At a time
when recruiting exceptional students has become
highly competitive, a quality Honors Program,
complete with competitive scholarships, is a
necessity for maintaining and raising our reputa-
tion for academic excellence.
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Hardin-Simmons University. Range Rider, Spring/Summer 2002, periodical, 2002; Abilene, Texas. (https://texashistory.unt.edu/ark:/67531/metapth117114/m1/2/: accessed July 17, 2024), University of North Texas Libraries, The Portal to Texas History, https://texashistory.unt.edu; crediting Hardin-Simmons University Library.