.· President David Burks reflects on the Mi~~iol\ of Harding "\tVe are at our core a Christian university. The character, example and concerns of Jesus Christ are the standards that shape us and chart the course for our future. Because of this, an all encompassing love for God and a corresponding love for people are at the heart of who we are." This was the mission statement of Harding when founded in 1924. Over the decades, many things had changed, but the purpose of the university remained. President David B. Burks had guided Harding University through various changes and decisions since he first came to the position in 1987, and he believed upholding this mission was at the heart of the school's fundamental values. "I believe the mission has remained essentially the same all the way through for 88 years," Burks said. "The words change periodically; we use different words in different time frames in order to describe it." The phrase "faith, learning and living" was something Burks incorporated during his presidency. Faith and learning were the theme of Burks' inauguration and "living" was added to the statement five years later. The word was adopted to emphasize ethics and everyday decision-making, Burks said. "I think that serving others is a very important concept of how [students] live out the mission statement," Burks said. "Our purpose from the very beginning is to suggest that servant leadership, serving others or carrying out the Great Commission is something to be done by all students." A member of the Harding family for the majority of his life, Burks said that the mission had influenced him considerably because of its consistency with the Christian walk. It provided an opportunity to integrate his professional life with his ministry. · "[The mission J has provided me a way to integrate my professional life with my ministry and with my personal commitment to what God's will for my life is," Burks said. "It's helped me clarify wha't it is that I can do in the Lord's kingdom. It has given me an avenue to do that." As for the future, Burks said there were infinite possibilities. Through mission work and preaching, he believed that as students became involved, the mission would be upheld. He believed setting goals was an important task for everyone. "We're always striving to do better," Burks said. "We're striving to mature in Christ. \tVe're here to serve God; we're here to do what the word of God says. We're here to listen to the Holy Spirit. If we'll do that, if we'll be true to the mission, there are a lot of wonderful things that will be done." Hannah Robison President Burks laughs with Senior VP Floyd Daniel and his wifejuanita at the dedication of the Paul R. Carter College of Business Administration on Nov. 10. Carter loved Harding and served on the Board of Trustees from 1985 until his passing on Oct. 31, 2009.Jeff Montgomery f '18 President
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