LET'S GET DOWN TO By Hunnuh Perry ECON ROCKS The Paul R. Carter College of Business Administration hosted the 6th annual Faith and Business Symposium on the Friday of Homecoming weekend, Oct. 23. Thirteen COBA alumni returned to campus to speak and offer advice to current students about maintaining their Christian faith while working with the realities ofthe business world. David Kee, a first-year Harding business professor, was on a panel at the symposium. He discussed the strong link between business and Christianity and how people did not recognize the connection immediately. "I think merging the two - our spiritual lives and business or professional lives - is something a lot of people struggle with," Kee said. "It's good to have an open forum for people to talk about how they live out their faith while at the ame time getting paid to work for a company. I think that's the main purpose of this event, and I think it's great." Senior Michelle Ramsey, a health care management major, said hearing the stories of the speakers and how they incorporated their faith into their business encouraged her. "I enjoyed hearing how the speakers were called to business and how they were so strong in their faith, even when owning a small business is difficult," Ramsey said. "It was encouraging to see how you can still work in business with different kinds of people and still impact them and glorify God with the talents he's given you." Dr. Al Frazier, dean ofthe Paul R. Carter College of Business Administration, said the goal of the symposium was for students to hear how alumni have been successful in the business world while still holding on to their Christian faith. B H .\ C .\ I> EM I C S "Our goal in the college of business is to prepare Christian business professionals," Frazier said. "What we want them to hear from these folks is how they do that. Now that they've been out in the workplace, how do you be a Christian and work for a big company? How do you be a Christian and own a small business? It's the integration of a Christian worldview in the profession." Kee thought business professionals had a reputation of greediness and hoped the symposium removed the stigma and revealed the selflessness of the speakers instead. "I think people view business as being hardcore and greedy and selfish," Kee said. "For a Christian, business is not for that purpose. You look at the lives of small business owners, and you'll see they don't get a lot out of it for themselves. They do it for others, especially those who are Christians."
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