David B. Burks President Clifton L. Ganus J r. Chancellor Burks Dedicated to the Mission of Harding University President Explains History Behind Commitment For almost 40 years, David Burks has been a fi xture on the Harding Uni ve rsity campus, first as a student, then as a professor and dean of the school of business and , for the past 13 years, as U niversity President. However, the path he followed was not one he pl anned . Burks said he neve r envisioned he would one day helm one of the larges t p rivate C hrist ian universities in the country. "I never imagined it," he said. "It was never pare of my dream. " When Burks arrived on campus in the fall of 196 1 as a freshman from T ru th or Consequences, N .M. , he had little inten ti on ofstaying past his fi rst semester. During his senior year in high schoo l, the preacher from his home congregation suggested Burks attend Harding. Burks decided he would take a few Bible classes and rerum home armed with knowledge co hel p his small church. "I believe very strongly in Harding and the mission of Harding, " Burks said. "The number one reason 1'm here is co mainrain the miss ion of the University." His pres idency has been marked by a period of tremendous growth at the school. In the 13 years since Burks became presidenr, enrollment has increased each year. H arding now countS among its student body represen tat ives from all 50 states and 47 foreign counrries. "It 'S a blessing to see the diversity represented ," Burkssaid. "H arding has for many years had a wide distribut ion of srudenrs." Under his leadership , the campus has expanded to incl ude new buildings- mOSt recently, the construction of the Donald W. Reynolds Center fo r Music and Communication and renovat ion of the Ganus Building and Rhodes Field H ouse. Howevet , one semester lapsed into four years and in 1965 Burks graduared from Harding and accepted a teaching assistantship at the University ofTexas, where he earned his master'·s degree . "It was my first experience teaching and I loved it," he said. "1 believeverystrongly in Harding and the mission of Harding. The number one reason I'm In addition , a new entryway to the campus from the Beebe Capps Expressway was completed last spring and new men's and women's dorms will open next year. For Burks. rhe highlighr of all rhe expansion was rhe construction of the Jim Bill Mclnteer Bible and World M issions Cenrer in 1994 . H e worked b riefly with Exxon Co. in Texas before receiving a call asking him to rerum co hi s alma mater to fill a teaching position in the business department. here is to maimain the mission of the Univer- "Because of rhe purpose of Harding, rhar [building] is special to me, " Burks sa id. siry. " "It was an easy decision to make because I love H arding Un ive rsity," Burks said. -Dr. David Burks He frequently utilizes his role as president to emphasize the purpose of H arding to students, facul ty and guests. He returned to Searcy with his wife, Leah , and two young sons, Bryan and Stephen, and began working in the business depanmenr in 1967. Since rerurning co reach in 1967, Burks lett briefl y from 197 1-72 co receive his Ph.D in administrati on of higher education at Florida State Uni versity. When Dr. Clifton Ganus announced his retirement as pres ident, a search committee approached Burks to consider filling the posit ion. In 1986. Burks became (he fo urth pres ident of the university. Throughout his (enure, Burks has remained committed to the Chri stian miss ion of Harding University. "Students won ' t hear me talk about the rules, but they will hear me talk about the spirit of C hrist," Burks said. 'Til ralk abour what·s inside your hean and wanring CO serve because it 's in your heart." H e po ints to the University's invo lvement in a number of serv iceoriented activiti es. such as the annual Inner City Carnival, helping in tornado relief and working in campaigns around the world. This "commitment to honoring C hrist" is a value Burks hopes srudenrs will take away when they leave the university. "Christ is what is importanr," Burks said. "I hope that 's what people see." - Sa rah Terry President, Chancellor 49
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