Report of- the President Harding's most precious commodity and greatest uniqueness is the 'student body and the complete thrust of the entire institution lies in commitment to them. There is a detennined direction toward developing the student as a whole person physicallY, academically, socially and spiritually. This year's excellent student body is no exception to the rule. The number of students continues to climb. A record 2,601 enrolled on the Searcy campus this fall. At Harding Graduate School of Memphis another 242 registered. There are 401 at Harding Academy of Searcy and 2,925 at Harding Academy of Memphis for a total of 6,169 in the Harding family. With the addition of numbers comes the addition of opportunities. However, with greater numbers it is increasingly more difficult to maintain the degree of closeness possible with a much smaller number . Yet the administration, faculty and staff attest to the fact that ext r a effort exerted toward this valuable goal is worth it. Service-oriented professions continue to top the list in chosen careers of the students. Each year half of the graduates prepare for teaching careers. This year majors with the most numbers are business 421, education 256, Bible and missions 219, preprofessional fields 158, nursing 140, physical education 128 and home ec 119. Extracurricular activities also reflect the desire for Christian service. About sao students and faculty were involved in evangelistic campaigning throughout the United States and in foreign countries during the year. In Maya group of about 200 campaigners worked at 10 congregations in Little Rock to canvass the city to offer Bible courses and invitations to preaching services. Many missionaries regularly visit the campus and a strong emphasis on world missions is evident among the students and faculty alike. A world Evangelism forum on the campus last fall attracted hundreds of students from colleges throughout the nation. The Christian Communications Program of preacher training, a concentrated two-year study with SO men currently involved, is in its second year. The Alpha Class will be graduated next summer and a second campaign to Jamaica will be held . Overwhelming response continues to be shown for various service projects. Students, through organizations and individually, daily serve in visits to nursing homes and hospitals, work with the Sunshine School for the mentally retarded and the Buddy Program for fatherless boys. On weekends students often assist in youth retreats . The annual toy and doll drive provides gifts which are sent to children's homes throughout the country. Admission to a recent Halloween party was a can of food , the collection of which was distributed to the needy. The Red Cross blood draws on the campus are highly successful with students waiting in line to make a donation. Quotas are generally exceeded and competition for particIpation in social clubs is highly competitive. Visits are often made to nearby children's homes and a recent request for specific items for a home had tremendous results as students brought cleaning supplies. Spiritual growth and development among the student body is a continuous challenge by all mediums of activity, whether. in athletics, social club activities or informal student groups. Achievements begin with the opening of the semester and continue through the year. The PetitJean yearbook won a 16th consecutive All-American rating. The Bison was named a First Class publication. Music groups continue to make outstanding contributions. The Belles and Beaux completed an eight-week entertainment tour of the Far East, the A Cappella Chorus and Chorale were invited to sing with the Arkansas Symphony Orchestra for a concert in Little Rock and the Symphony also came to Searcy for a campus perfonnance with the groups. The Band attracted the largest number of members in history. The Time of Day group, a musical trio, travels throughout the year to perform for youth groups and in recruiting. A weekly "Hymns from Harding" radio program is heard on stations across the nation. Already this fall the varsity debate squad won sweepstakes in the Louisiana Tech Forensic Tournament over 25 other colleges and universities from Louisiana, Mississippi, Texas and Alabama. The Harding squad won over University of Arkansas and University of Southwest Louisiana to take first place. Two science students placed first and second in the Arkansas Academy of Science college section with research papers they had conducted. Harding students consistently win honors in the science field. In athletics, Harding reached a high . mark with the college recording a close second place finish in the All-Sports competition in the conference. The Bisons won a fourth National As~ociation of Intercollegiate Athletics bowling championship and conference and district championships in both bowling and cross country. Swimming and tennis teams were runnersup in the conference and basebailers were runnersup in district playoffs. Individually, three Bison athletes gained NAIA All-American honors and
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