Dr.joe Brumfield begins his HSBS class with an amusing story. BrumJield was one oj several members oj the College of Bible and Religion faculty who also taught in the School ofBiblical Studies. Photo by Kristi Burns. Martin leafJes job inMichigan behind, bringsfamily toj-IeSCfJeS One and a half yea rs ago, Tad Martin of Howell , Mich., quit his job in industrial insulation where he had worked for 12 yea rs, sold his recently built house and moved with his wife and five children to Searcy so he could attend the Ha rding School of Biblical Studies (HSBS). Martin had been looking for a school that offered a degree in mi nistry. He sa id he decided on Harding primaril y because of its time frame for receiving a degree. "I have to feed my family and help run the house," he said. "1 couldn 't afford college if it would take four yea rs." HSBS's degree prog ram takes two and a ha lf years instead of the typica l fou r yea rs at most schools. Students must complete 103 hours of Bible and ministry-related courses and 25 hours of general education courses, which Martin completed at another co llege, enabli ng him to receive his degree in two yea rs. Martin also said he was drawn by the liberal arts focus of the Univers ity. "A libe ral arts education is a wellrounded education and, therefore, a better overall education," he said . Steve Kell , director ofdevelopment and student services for HSBS, met Martin two years ago at the Tulsa Soul-WinningWorkshop where HSBS had a display booth. "He told me he had been looking and praying for an opportunity to receive his degree in ministry," Ke ll said. "He went to all15 booths and came back to ours and said , 'Harding seems [Q have a genuine interest in me and my family. '" Be ca use hi s famil y is very important to him, Martin said he found balancing study time and time with his wife and child ren a big challenge. "1know my family had to sacrifice by leaving their home, friends and family, but 1feel this has been a wonderful investment for our family, " he sa id. Martin's wife, Leanna , admitted that she o riginally thought it would be hard to move away from family, but she said that God took care of that and made it easy. "There has been some adjusting, but overall it has been wonde rful. It was the best thing that ever could have happened to us. " Marti n sa id that professors like JimmyAllen who care about students' school ing and personal li ves have meant much to his family. According to Kell , two-thirds of the HSBS students are marri ed and have children. Like Martin, most have left jobs to join this accelerated program. HSBSrequires that students be atleast 21 yea rs old. "This program assumes a sense of maturi ty and life experience that comes by living a few yea rs," Kell said. "Tad is a prototype , the stereotypical student that the HSBS program is looking for. He is the typical , nontraditional student w ith a high degree of motivation to study but not a lot of time to do so. He is very focused on his work and brings a lot of life experiences with him," Kell said. Martin said, "This program would be very stressful for a person not totally committed to it . I'm 30 years old , and I'm very serious about being here and be ing in school. Because of financial burdens, I don 't have the option of an extra semester. " After he graduates in August,Martin hopes to get a job as a minister and to pursue a master's degree. "I've certainly changed over the past two yea rs. Our famil y has grown much closer to God since we've been here," Martin sa id. - April Mouser Academics 83 @
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