First and foremost, Elaine Griffin is a servant of God. Prior to coming to Harding, Griffin was a health care consultant in a hospital and she was on an executive team. She "traveled around the country educating physicians and health care employees," she said. Although her three children attended Harding, Griffin had no other affi li ation with the school. She truly believes that "God intervened and brought [herJ to Harding. Actually, I was tootiing around one day and I got a call from the dean of the School of Business and he asked me to come and teach," Griffin said, and so she did. Griffin and her husband moved from Cinncinati .The move allowed them to be closer to their three children, two of whom live in Arkansas, but it was a difficult transition. "Any time you move from a large city to a small town, you have a period of adjustment, " Griffin said. Luckily for Griffin, she could sti ll enjoy some ofher favorite hobbies in Searcy."My husband and I both like to golf and fish," Griffin said. "We like music and fresh air." Another thing that helped ease the transition was that Griffin 's impression of Harding was quite positive. To her, Harding is different from the rest of the world. "The students have a polite behavior and that was the first thing that I observed that I was not accustomed to in the other world. The way they looked and behaved and the language they used was so much different and so much better. "They are really outstanding students. New faculty member, Elaine Griffin, enjoys lunch with business students Federico Porras, . Gretta Brenes, Tania Rojas andAlineLazo at theSchoolof Business relreal. Faculty and students met at Camp Wyldewoodfor the annual retreat to listen to guest speakers, have lunch and play some games. • 158 ACADEMICS They are of a different caliber than others I've been in contact with. My husband and I both agree on that," Griffin said. Not only were the students exceptional, but her fellow teachers were also an asset to Harding. "I enjoy working with the other faculty members; they are certainly very supportive of new people. They are nice and very easy to work with." Griffin enjoyed being a teacher. Her courses included Human Resources, Collective Bargaining and Health Care Management, and she was also involved in the MBA program. Griffin had some big goals for the health care management degree, which is her area of expertise. "I want to prepare students for this explosive dynamic environment they wi ll find themselves in," she said. "I want to help them make the most of opportunites available to them here." Griffin 's husband, Dennis, also works for Harding in the School of Education and, although he travels a lot, "It is fun working for the same school," she said. Griffin is always trying to serve God and her fellow man. "For the past 12 years, we have been going on medical mission trips," she said. "Sometimes we go to the jungles of Panama. Sometimes we go to Honduras. Sometimes we go to Arkansas and sometimes we go to Ohio." As for the future for Griffin and her husband, they know not what lies in store for them. Their lives define optimism and faith in God. "We just go wherever God sends us. " - Diane Grubbs
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