The Optimist (Abilene, Tex.), Vol. 98, No. 27, Ed. 1 Wednesday, December 2, 2009 Page: 5 of 8
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Focus
December 2,2009
Photo courtesy of THE ABILENE REPORTER-NEWS
Homeward
FOUND
Presidential vocation evolves
from lifelong collegiate calling
Staff Report
"W” n the fall of 1960, a tall, lanky
freshman walked onto the Abilene
Christian College campus as the
JL first member of his family to at-
tend college. Already, he knew his calling:
He planned to preach.
Royce Money graduated from ACC
prepared to lead a church, and more
than 30 years later, he returned to
lead a university.
The ACC Experience
During Money’s high school years, his
preacher and youth minister guided him
toward preaching, and he decided to
seek formal training. Drawn to ACC by
its contagious Christian environment, he
expected to learn the fundamentals that
would carry him through his career as
a preacher. What he did not expect was
how deeply the college would root itself
in his life.
He made lifelong friends. He immersed
himself in campus life, joining the Knights
men’s social club and serving as vice pres-
ident of the Students’ Association his se-
nior year. He worked as an assistant to the
dean of students from 1964-66. He even
met his future wife, Pam. The two married
in 1965, with Dr. Tony Ash, professor of
Bible, officiating.
“Once I got here, I was hooked,” Money
says. “I was hooked for life.”
Senior Vice President Emeritus Bob
Hunter knew Money as a student and
came out of retirement for the third time
to work for ACU at Money’s request. He
says Money impressed others as a leader
on campus and was keenly interested in
the university’s foundational mission and
principles even as a student.
“I just remember him always being
involved with the student life of the cam-
pus and, therefore, earned the respect
of his fellow students in his leadership
roles in a quiet way, an unassuming
way,” Hunter says.
Something to Prove
Money graduated from ACC in 1964 with
a bachelor of arts and in 1967 with a mas-
ter of divinity. He left with something to
prove, to himself if no one else.
“I always intended to preach,” he
says. “I had to find out if I could do
that or not.”
He could.
Money preached at numerous churches
from Maryland to Dallas. He helped shep-
herd churches through the tumultuous
civil rights movement and the horrors of
the Vietnam War, consoling parents when
children returned from war physically
and mentally mangled or dead. -
He even met President Lyndon Johnson
in Washington, D.C., in the fall of 1967.
About 20 Church of Christ "preachers
were invited to the White House to pres-
ent the president with a Bible in honor of
National Bible Week. After waiting more
than three hours in the Oval Office for the
president’s appearance, Dr. Don H. Mor-
ris, then president of ACC, and Dr. John
C. Stevens, ACC’s then upcoming presi-
dent, approached Money, asked whether
he’d given any thought to returning to his
alma mater.
In fact, he had, and after that conversa-
tion, he began applying for jobs at ACC.
But he received rejection letter after rejec-
tion letter.
“Those doors were absolutely shut,”
Money says.
Discouraged but not defeated, Money
decided to create his own opportunities.
During the next 14 years, Money earned
his Ph.D in religion at Baylor University7,
worked as a part-time minister, and
wrote for the Christian Chronicle. He and
Pam became certified as members of the
American Association of Marriage and
Family Therapy. They counseled and en-
couraged church groups, addressing di-
vorce recovery and adult aging issues and
conducting marriage seminars.
No Place Like Home
Still, Money yearned to return to
Abilene. He remembers crying out to
the Lord in surrender.
“Lord, I did everything I could to go
back to ACU. If you want me there, you
better do it. I quit.”
He reordered his life, eliminating
ACU as an option. Three months lat-
er, he received a phone call about an
ACU job offer.
Even though working for ACU was a
lifelong dream, moving to Abilene meant
sacrifice. Money’s two daughters left be-
hind friends, Pam had to give up tenure
teaching at a public elementary school,
and the move cut their income in half. But
the family agreed he should take the job,
and Money says it was the best decision
they ever made.
When the family relocated to Abilene,'’
Money began teaching as a professor
and serving as a minister at the High-
land Church of Christ. Eventually, he
became provost, the uniyersity’s chief
academic officer.
Moving on Bp
Ultimately, Money found himself consid-
ered for the position of president of his
alma mater, along with Dr. Gary McCaleb,
vice president of the university, and an
outside candidate. Though some consid-
ered Money a dark horse candidate, the
Board of Trustees selected him in 1991
as the tenth president of ACU, succeeding
Dr. William J. Teague.
The board gave Money three goals: bal-
■
EMILY JORGENSON File Photo
Above: Dr. Royce Money, president of the university, speaks at the dedication of the
JMC Network Student Media News Lab in September 2008. •
Left Above: Pam Money adjusts her husband’s graduation cap at their graduation
from Abilene Christian College in 1967. The two were married in 1965.
ance the budget, increase enrollment and
improve ACU’s public image. Money gave
himself three years.
“If I can’t do it in three years, then I’m
the wrong mah for the job,” he says.
Since taking office, Money has con-
ferred 15,643 degrees and contributed
to an increase in the endowment to S236
million from S55 million. During his term,
ACU has been ranked No. 1 for “innova-
tive leadership” in U.S. News and World
Report’s list of “America’s Best Colleges.”
ACU also remains on the national list of
“.America’s 100 Best College Buys'”
Jim Holmans, executive assistant to
the president, has worked with Money for
12 years, and says his dedication to the
job never wavers. He says Money always
represents ACU, whether in the office or
on vacation. He never leaves the ACU mis-
sion behind.
“He goes early in the mornings until
late at night, and it’s not just three, four
or five days a week - it’s seven days a
week,” Holmans says. “I can’t say this
too much: he lives and breathes ACU.
It doesn’t make any difference where
he is; he’s making contacts for ACU. He
bleeds purple.”
Hunter says Money empowers faculty,
staff and students to work together to
further the university’s goals.
“It is a very difficult role that a presi-
dent has, and he has filled that role with
great energy, with long hours and with an
unswerving devotion to the task of edu-
cating young people for Christian service
around the world,” Hunter says.
McCaleb has known Money since
their college days and says their two
families kept up with each other
through the years, even before Money
rejoined McCaleb at ACU. McCaleb says
Money has always been able to strike
a balance between his public and pri-
vate lives, keeping up with a highly de-
manding job while still making family
a priority. Most importantly, McCaleb
says, Money has maintained a strong
relationship with God.
“I think he has always had a clear
sense of what is important,” McCaleb
says. “Those qualities are a nice fit for a
place like ACU.”
A New Chapter
Money told the Board of Trustees on May
16 he plans to retire as ACU president at
the end of this year. After considering re
tirement for several years, Money decided
to transition to the position of ACU chan-
cellor after 19 years as president.
“I see this as a relay race,” Money says.
“I took the baton from Dr. Teague and
others. I’m handing it to someone else. I
think I handled my race, pretty w7ell.”
While Money says he does not want to
be involved in the search for his succes-
sor, he promises to support the board’s
choice and hopes the next president finds
as much fulfillment in the position as he
and Pam have.
“My goal is to make as smooth a transi-
tion as w7e possibly can to the next presi-
dent,” Money says. “I hope this president
has built a platform of stability for the
next president. I do believe that the best
days of ACU are still ahead.”
In May 2010, Money will oversee his
last ACU graduation as president, and a
new university president will transition
into office. The move will be a significant
change for Money and the university, but
Hunter said he is confident Money’s con-
tribution to ACU will be a lasting one.
“People will remember Dr. Money as
one who understands the role of a Chris-
tian institution in higher education with a
resolve to do the very best that we can do
to serve the needs of students in a very
important way,” Hunter says, “in a way in
which it truly matters - eternally.”
Writer Christina Johnson contributed to
this report.
contact Staff at
optimist@jmcnetwork.com
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The Optimist (Abilene, Tex.), Vol. 98, No. 27, Ed. 1 Wednesday, December 2, 2009, newspaper, December 2, 2009; Abilene, Texas. (https://texashistory.unt.edu/ark:/67531/metapth903839/m1/5/: accessed April 23, 2024), University of North Texas Libraries, The Portal to Texas History, https://texashistory.unt.edu; crediting Abilene Christian University Library.