HCU Ambassadors

What are they?  Who are they?  Philip Goad, Dir. of University Advancement, and I have long used students to help us in our jobs.  Often times we take current students to fund raising dinners to give the “student perspective.”  The only problem was that we didn’t always know what the students would say.  Philip and I saw the need to formalize this more.  This gave brith to the HCU Student Ambassadors.

HCU Ambassadors have been selected and have written and memorized a speech (where they were, where they are, and where they are going).  Also, there will be a dress code for dinner.  When I take Ambassadors with me to youth rallys and such the dress code will be a little more relaxed.  The benefit to the student is a $500 scholarship.

This past Thursday night we had a fundraising dinner in Birmingham, AL.  This was the first time that the Ambassadors were called into action.  I must say, that the evening was made better by having them there.  Thank you Ashley, Heather, Matt, and Wes you guys did a GREAT job!!

So here are the number for the Spring.   These number are based on prospects that we feel, with a good certainty, will be starting in January.

Undergraduate:
Campus – 4
Online – 3
DL – 6
Mix (campus/OL) – 0
TOTAL = 13

Graduate:
Campus – 1
Online – 6
Mix (campus/OL) – 3
TOTAL = 10

Please continue to pray for the Spring enrollment and HCU as a whole.  We still have at least 6 prospects that are “fence riders.”

Life at HCU…

I’m often asked, “what is the campus life like at HCU?”  My reply is usually, “it is what you put into it.”  We have a SGA and they plan regular activities.  Also, our Department of Student Affairs does thier best to plan monthly events for the students.  Our students who live on campus find many different ways to entertain themselves.  I am excited about the relationship that has been built between our campus students and the students of the UNA Christian Student Center.  They have great leadership and support and I and excited that they have opened thier doors to us and we have done the same.  I thank Garrett (he’s the pretty boy in the last pic) for taking these pictures!

I have been gathering some of the pictures from our recent campaigns.  I will add some of those in my next post.

Recruitment has been going great!  In the last week I have met with and talked to 2 new graduate students and 2 undergraduate students.  The Spring is shaping up to be another good recruitment class.  I thank Brad for all the good work he has been doing too.  While trying to balance family and work obligation he is also teaching and working on a M.A. degree in History.  I will have better numbers in my next post but right now we have about 23 commitments with a good umber of “fence riders.”

Apply online

I recently attended a youth rally and had the opportunity to speak to other admissions workers.  I learned from them that their school receives 90-95% of thier applications online.  This shocked me!  I knew that things were moving that direcion but did not realize that it had progressed that much.  HCU is already providing online education but we are lacking in this area.  Armed with this new information I spoke to our IT Director and he just smiled and said he could get it done.  Hopefully by the end of this week there will be a new link, “Apply Now”, on our website.  I will also place a link on this blog too.

This has been a good week for admissions.  I had a great lunch with a young man in Smyrna, TN who is ready to give his life direction.  He is a testament to ministry preperation.  He is leaving everything and taking a leap of faith to study with us.  This reminds me of Luke 5 when Jesus called his first desciples!

Has the newness worn off?

It has been a few months since I last updated this.  I have been asked by a few coworkers to start it back up and try my best to keep it updated.  I wil attempt to do such.

Since I last wrote the new semester started off with a bang.  80 new students were added to the student body that now totals 152.  Last week it was announced that the FTE (Full Time Equivalency) was 56.3.  This is exciting to me because it shows a growth of 30-35% in one semester!

We are about halfway through this first semester and newness seems to be wearing off with the new freshman class.  They now have term papers due, projects to complete and of course the mid-term exams to prepare for.  But I have faith in our students.  Each student comes to HCU as a rough stone and during thier studies here the edges will be smoothed out.  Their potential will have been there the whole time, but they might not have recognized it.

The Spring enrollment is shaping up to be a good one.  It is my goal that we have 20 new students to start in January.  If we strive to do His will, He will bless us and give the increase.  Just this last week I was contacted by two prosepcts who I believed would be distance learning students, but they informed me that they wished to be on campus students living in the dorms.

Middle of the summer

Here it is the middle of the summer.  Most people around the school here are heading off to camps or enjoying family vacations.  My family is counting down the weeks until our next son will be born.  My wife, Joslin, is scheduled to go in to the hospital on July 15th.

Since my last post I have visited with a few more prospects.  I have found that there is a lot of interest in our graduate studies.  I think that one day the graudate program could be our “bread and butter”…so to speak.  Many that I talk to just want another option of where to study.

Tomorrow I will be heading towards Memphis, TN.  There is two prospects out that direction.  While there I will be meeting with my counterpart at the Harding Graudate School of Religion.  I am looking forward to this meeting and sharing the good things that are going on here at HCU.

As of this morning the fall semester is looking ike this: 64 verbal commitments (22 undergrad, 18 grad, and 24 DL/online), we have received 41 applications.

Gentlemen (and ladies) start your engines!!!

I have taken a few weeks off from “hard core” recruiting.  I need sometime to process applications, follow up on emails, and just take it easy for a while.  Not a whole lot has been goign on since I last wrote.  The first summer session ended and the second began.  Next week, the third session will take place.  Before you now it the Fall will be here.

Like I said I have been taking it easy, but this week I have steped it up again.  I met with a man on Monday that reminded me a lot of Moses.  He felt as thought God was pushing him into ministry but he felt unprepared.  I will be traveling to Cookeville, TN tomorrow to meet with two men interested in taking classes via the on-line option.  then on Friday I will be heading to Chapel Hill, TN (I’m not real sure where this is, but have been lead to believe it is near Columbia) to met with a prospective graduate student.

I brag on our faculity often and the level of scholarship they bring to their classes here.  For the second time in a week I have been approached by an individual who has an advanced degree (one is set to complete a D.Min.) but yet wants to work our graduate program.  When aksed why both have replied that they need the Bible knowledge and HCU has it.

As for the numbers this week, I have not been watching them as I should but I can say that we have close to, if not over, 60 verbal commitments.  We have recevied over half of these applications.  I thank Shay and Mechelle for there help in this.  We still have two months lets find more!!

Things are heating up…

While it is not technically summertime it certainly feels like it outside.  Along with the temp outside things are heating up here at HCU.  The first of four summer sessions has begun.  The first is a class on the Restoration Movement by Wayne Kilpatrick.  For those that do not know of Brother Kilpatrick he is a man with a passion for history of the church.  His class is full of authentic photos and court documents that, coupled with his lectures, weave an interesting history of the church in the south.

The school has another golf tournament planned for this Friday.  It will be at the local Trent Jones golf club.  It is the hope of the advancement department that this tournament will bring in lots of money to fund scholarships and such.  Also, its not a bad way to spend a Friday morning

We have a board meeting planned for this Saturday.  Enrollment Services gets to give a “state of the enrollment services” type of address to them.  I am excited about the report that we will be giving them.  For the fall we currently have 55 (18 undergraduate, 16 graduate, and 21 online/DL) verbal commitments.  Out of these we have received 35 application.  We are expecting 13 more applications any day now.  If these come through, as they should, we should have 48 applicants!!

Standing at the crossroads

Eric Clapton made famous an old blues song by Robert Johnson “Crossroad Blues.”  As blues folklore goes Mr. Johnson went to the crossroads and made a deal with the devil.  He allegedly sold his soul in exchange for the ability to play slide guitar.

Last week I met with a young man who was standing at a crossroads of sorts.  He has a promising career ahead in the medical field.  A hospital has even offered him a scholarship to earn his B.S. in Nursing.  However, he was approached by a board member of our school about earning a degree in Bible here at Heritage Christian University.  You see this young man is already doing the work of an evangelist.  At one point during our conversation he said to me, “nursing is good, but I’d like to do this more!” As he stands at the “crossroads of life” I pray that he makes the decisions to prepare himself for a life of service for the Lord.

I will be going to Amory, MS tomorrow where one of our board members is hosting a golf tournament.  I have a few more meetings this week with prospective students too.  The numbers this week look like this 49 verbal commitments (15 undergrad, 17 grad, and 17 online/DL).  Out of these 49 commitments we have received 28 application!!  This week wehope to receive 4-5 more applications for the Fall semester.

Answered prayers…

God has answered the prayers of many here at Heritage Christian University.  At the end of last week we have 41 students committed for the Fall.  A few of our previous commitments have had to put school on hold for a semester or two.  With family and work obligations we fully understand.

This week I have decided to follow up on some of the commitments and try to get applications and such sent in. Out of the 41 commitments we have recieved a little over half of the applications.  Also, there is a benefit dinner this Thursday in Mt. Juliet, TN.  The dinner last week in Gallatin presented us with about four prospect and I hope this will do the same!

As I mentioned in my last post I was asked to speak at a youth rally in South Carolina.  Two of the young men that traveled with me decided to obey the gospel…more answered prayers.  I had the priveledge of baptizing one and the other was baptized by his grandfather.

The beat goes on!

The Admissions Office continues to enjoy the momentum that began in January of this year.  At the end of last week 36 students have committed to studying with us in the Fall.  Give God the glory for the increase.

Tomorrow I will be driving 2 hours south of Florence to Tuscaloosa, AL.  I will be meeting with a young man who is mission minded and is looking to do “peace corp” type work for the Lord’s church.  On Wed. I’m having lunch with one of our professors and another prospect.  Thur. I’m driving to Smyrna, TN to meet with a few prospects who plan on taking advantage of the classes offered in Nashville, TN.

I have been asked to speak at a youth rally this weekend in South Carolina.  I am excited about the opportunity and am glad that a few of the guys from my youth group wil be able to join me.  I hope that this weekend will also be a recruiting effort.