Michael Ray Andersen - Moorhead , MN Alison Baird - Texarkana , AR Stephen A. Beliech - Pensacola , FL Mary Beth Daughety - Vincent , OH Charles Jason Dean - Rockl edge, FL Timothy Wilson Dean - Rockledge, FL Mary L. Dixon - Brookl yn, NY Randy Dodson - Longv iew, TX Jennifer Mae Eckhart - Vienna, WV Floyd Timothy Hicks - Bowling Green, KY Vicki Lynn Judd - Flint , Ml Jeffrey John Klein - Tabernacle, NJ Anna Karen Kroencke - Greenfield , IN Carol Alice Landerfelt - Roswell , GA Paul Maynard - Kasota , MN Everett Lee McCain - Searcy, AR Christy D. McGee - Sikeston, MO Lawrence Bryan Moore - Ellenton, FL Chi Keong Gary Ng - Alhambra , CA C. Nathan Okoro - Little Rock, AR Scott C. Peyton - Newberg, OR Michael Gregory Sansom - Pensacola , FL Regina Renee Shill - Searcy, AR Frank Jeffrey Sholey - Memphi s, TN Estelle Sinclair - Searcy, AR Charles Dwight Smith - Searcy, AR Terri Gayle Tuylor - Bartlesvill e, OK Cheryl Kaye White - Memphis, TN George Nathan Willis - Searcy, AR 27 0 Grnduatcs 0 Andersen At ease. Graduate student Kenny Stamatis, from Searcy, AR, leans back after a home Bible study - photo by Sharon Bowles. Coming back for round five T o students who could barely endure the four years required for a basic college degree, further voluntary study was nearly unimaginable. What prompted anyone to go on to graduate school? The answer was not always the obvious desire for a bigger salary, though that might have been some students' motivation . According to Dr. Wyatt Jones, Director of Graduate Studies, the number of students who went directly from college to grad school was about the same as those who returned to school after living in the " real world" for a while. " It used to be that there were men who came back to school after a few years ," he stated. "But with the scholarships and grants we' re making available now, more students are staying for their fifth and sixth years ." One student who did return after "life in the real world" was Howard Sennett , a graduate student in history. Having attended Harding earlier while working on a degree in health and physical education , Sennett then went out to try his skills. He coached and taught at a high school in Florida, worked as athletic director for a boy's club, and even held a position as assistant manager of a fitness center. "The primary reason for not coming directly to graduate school after receiving my bachelors degree was that I had a strong desire to start teaching school and to be sure that the teaching profession was an appropriate career for me." Sennett found that he did enjoy teaching, but decided he still wanted to learn more himself. Admitting that "graduate school will enhance my chances to obtain a superior ~nd better paying teaching position," he went on to give another reason for his desire to study. 'l\nother important reason is knowledge itself. Some things never go out of style, and a quality education is one of those things." David Rector, another graduate student , gave a similar answer. "I really enjoy learning new things. Not so much the tests and papers, but I like the learning that comes along with those." Rector's original degree in public relations proved not to be enough. "I liked my classes and everything," he said, "but when I did my internship over the summer, I realized that wasn't what I wanted as a profession. Graduate school seemed like the best solution ." So immediately after graduating in December, 1987, Rector began work in January on his masters degree. Interestingly, Rector also chose history as his new area. "I'd always wanted to know more about it , and I knew it was a flexible field . So before beginning my masters, I audited a class, and I really enjoyed it more than I thought I would . I decided I could see myself as a teacher, so I'm getting my masters in education , with an emphasis in history. I hope to someday get my doctorate - I always feel that I can never know as much as I want to know." Perhaps, then, the chief prerequisite for graduate study was the desire to learn. Whether or not salary, job satisfaction, and other factors entered into the picture, a graduate student had to have some inner motivation, some commitment to a goal that required such study. And Harding University strove to meet the needs of committed people. As Sennett noted , "A quality education concerns itself with academic excellence coupled with spiritual, physical , and social growth. I feel these are the components of Harding University ' s graduate program." - Sheila Underwood
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