208 PRESIDENT BURKS Back to BURKS David Burks returns as president of Harding University for spring 2021. Following the 2013 inauguration of Bruce McLarty as Harding’s fifth president, David Burks, president prior to McLarty’s tenure, became the second University chancellor. Seven and a half years later, Burks assumed the role of interim president on Dec. 1, 2020. “I heard about it shortly after Dr. McLarty made the decision to resign,” Burks said. “I was asked to do it because of my great love for Harding and my experience with this job over many years.” Burks’ Harding career began in 1967 when he was hired as a faculty member in the Paul R. Carter College of Business Administration. After 20 years of leadership there, he became president of the University on Sept. 18, 1987. “In 1987, I was really excited,” Burks said. “I was fresh, and everything about it was new. I had gone through a very elaborate interview process that was drawn out over a long period of time, and there was lots of anticipation. This time, it was very different. I simply met with the executive committee of the board. They asked me to do it, and I said yes.” Under Burks’s first presidency, Harding’s enrollment and engagement underwent record growth. This was partly due to Burks’s focus on “the integration of faith, learning and living.” He said his dedication to this motto and to fostering a sense of camaraderie was succeeded nicely by McLarty’s “community of mission.” “I think ‘community of mission’ is Dr. McLarty’s specific way of talking about a vision for Harding, and I like it,” Burks said. “A community of mission is very much like enthusiastic fellowship, which is what camaraderie is. For 26 years, I used a different phrase, and it was ‘the integration of faith, learning and living.’ I’m going to guess that I’ll use both phrases because they really refer to the same thing.” As chancellor, Burks was heavily involved with fundraising efforts and special projects, including the construction and development of Legacy Park Apartments. Returning to the presidency was a change of pace, especially in the midst of a pandemic. “Nothing is the same across higher education,” Burks said. “I commend Dr. McLarty and others for putting together a plan that would keep us safe, and I was delighted that we were able to have in-person classes. I am going to do everything I can do to make the Harding experience as real and exciting as it can possibly be. I trust in our God, and I believe that he will take care of all of us.” story by Holly Tubbs
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