Parent Relations Newsletter 11/20

These nudges have convinced me that what our world needs now more than ever is a place like Biola University, where our distinctives run deep in our bones. Pragmatic, financial, external policy and competitive pressures abound and will intensify, nudging us to loosen our moorings. We can’t and we won’t, for history has shown that those who only pan the horizons and drift wherever winds of trend blow will fall into missional vertigo. We must be more vigorous than ever to lead courageously from a posture of resolute biblical faithfulness integrated into all we do. For this reason, the first directive of our University Plan is:

We will be a university distinguished for upholding an integrated biblical worldview through our leadership, our teaching, our curriculum and our voice.

Our biblical fidelity is only as strong as our living Christianly. As a vibrant spiritual community where the Holy Spirit’s work is welcomed in the life of each member, we still take seriously the command of Christ to love him more. A Biola education is nothing if it is merely a self-gratifying intellectual exercise or preparation for a job. We are about students developing in character to be more like Christ, desiring that they conform their lives to the will of God. From this posture of loving Christ, we want our students to go into the world and be faithful where God has called them. More than anything, our desire is that our students would take on challenges to impact the world for good. For this reason, the second directive of our University Plan is:

We will be a university respected for its high standards of academic quality, professional preparation and community vitality.

Again this year we have seen the strengthening of our academic programs and the vitality of life at Biola University. Our accomplished faculty members continue to give themselves to our students both in and out of the classroom. We continue to ask the question, “How can we provide Biola students the highest quality of education and the most meaningful experience in a community that embraces the arts and athletics, deep and abiding friendships and the skills for leadership?” Without foregoing our distinctives we are striving to be a place where innovation and fresh ideas are nurtured and implemented. For this reason, the third directive of our University Plan is:

We will be a university intentional about Jesus’ command to love the Lord our God and to love our neighbor by serving the needs of our world.

Stewarding our resources wisely is a biblical value we take seriously. These include our financial, human, physical and investment resources. The future strength of Biola University as a leading educational enterprise will depend on the way we manage and raise money, prepare and honor our staff, address the issue of student affordability, hold each other accountable to our common goals and maintain and develop the facilities commensurate with our high standards of educational quality. For this reason, the fourth directive of our University Plan is:

We will be a university noted for sound and solvent financial management and will advance the educational enterprise through addressing head-on affordability and a comprehensive fundraising campaign to build out the master plan and resource the University Plan.

In the context of this big picture, it is a pleasure for me to review outcomes of how we ended our last academic year as well as share news of this fall semester. There’s much to be thankful for as we “closed the books” for the 2008-2009 year and welcomed another new incoming class for Fall 2009.

Biola University’s enrollment increased for the 15th consecutive year, dating back to 1994 when enrollment was 2,961. This fall we enrolled 5,948 students, an increase of 49 students over last year. Of that total number, 2,012 are graduate students, which is 115 more than last year. At the undergraduate level, we were down 20 students. This was not a surprise but it was a disappointment as we had a record number of applicants this year. We are grateful to the Lord for enabling new students to attend Biola University and for providing the resources for returning students as well. At the same time, most students who were accepted and did not come made that decision because of the high cost of private higher education. We are not going to ignore this challenge before us to do all we can to strive to make a Biola education affordable.

This year has been busy but promising as the Lord works through the Biola community. Our theme for this year calls us to God’s promise from John 15:7–“If you abide in Me, and My words abide in you, ask whatever you wish, and it shall be done for you.” The abiding is in Christ as our vine. In the Word of God we aspire by having a vision for what we can do from that posture of abiding. We can only aspire to begin Biola’s new century of strength with big plans for our future if we are serious about abiding– remaining in Christ and allowing His words to remain in us.

We are pursuing bold new aspirations while remaining firmly rooted in our founding mission to impact the world for Christ through our biblical faithfulness. New programs such as Urban Studies, Early Childhood Development and Environmental Studies began this fall, while others that directly respond to the needs of the culture and society are in the planning phase. In a few weeks, you will be able to download the revised University Plan I referenced in the four directives above. The initiatives that were launched in 08-09 are well underway at this time and you can review these initiatives by going to University Planning.

Each of these initiatives is being unpacked and is steadily gaining momentum. One that I am particularly excited about is the Center for Christian Thought. I encourage you to hear directly from Professor Dr. Mike Wilkins on the vision of this initiative.

I know you’ll be inspired as I was to see how Biola might lead in the effort to be a resource center for so many people and organizations around the world.

At Biola’s Fall Faculty Conference we welcomed 15 new faculty members in a variety of disciplines, as well as two new deans: Dr. Clark Campbell, Dean of Rosemead School of Psychology, and Dr. Cassandra Van Zandt, Dean of Humanities and Social Sciences.

Biola’s exceptional faculty continue to earn recognition for their academic and philanthropic work. Susan Elliott, director and professor for the Department of Nursing, was awarded an honorable mention for the Inspirations in Women’s Health Awards on Oct. 8. Dr. Elliott was recognized for inspiring her colleagues through her work in the women’s health field.

George Giacumakis, Chair of Biola’s Department of History, Government, and Social Science founded the Museum of Biblical and Sacred Writings in Orange County. A special display of the rare replica of the Great Isaiah Scroll was recently unveiled and featured in a story in the Orange County Register.

Over the summer many of our faculty traveled around the world on ministry and education projects. Mike Wilkins shared his personal story of war and Jesus’ healing to Talbot School of Theology students, on the radio with Rich Buhler and recently on Veterans Day to undergraduate students in a special chapel service.

Biola Professor Dean Yamada and his film students traveled across the world to create the foreign language film Jitensha, translated Bicycle. The film won the Vision Award for Best Short Film and received one of the Crystal Heart awards at the Heartland Film Festival in Indianapolis this past October. Jack Hafer, Chair of the Department of Cinema and Media Arts, produced a film, Lines that Divide, exploring stem cell research. A special screening was held at Biola in early November with a panel discussion following the film.

Many faculty have recently published works in their respective fields, including Paul Buchanan’s novel The Last Place I Want to Be and Gregg TenElshof’s book I Told Me So. Professor Paul Spears, from Torrey Honors Institute, co-authored the recently released book on educational philosophy, Education for Human Flourishing. School of Education’s Dean, June Hetzel, was featured in the The Delta Kappa Gamma Bulletin International Journal for Professional Educators for her work on a tutoring initiative with La Mirada High School. And lastly, the Cook School of Intercultural Studies just released its first academic journal, The Great Commission Research Journal.

What a great year this has been so far for our students! Many have been active in leadership, resulting in their winning various awards of commendation for their respected work in academic programs and community service. To get to know some of our new incoming students, be sure to read “The Journey” stories on Biola’s website. You can view these and many other inspiring student stories by visiting www.biola.edu.

We also just completed the 74th Annual Torrey Bible Conference in late October. This year’s speakers included Tremper Longman, Kay Warren, Adrian De Visser and Francis Chan who addressed, through biblically grounded messages, the theme of personal suffering and God’s presence. Chan, founder of Eternity Bible College, pastor of Cornerstone Church in Simi Valley, and author of the highly regarded book, Crazy Love, closed the conference challenging students to find God and live for Him by spending time in His presence.

“I hope you guys have not lost the art of being alone with God, being unplugged from everything,” said Chan, who challenged students to turn their phones and laptops off, to sit alone and spend time with God. “There is something so beautiful when you just are alone with Him.”

One way I have seen God at work in our students is the remarkable response to our Sunday night Singspiration service. This student organized and led worship service has outgrown two facilities (Calvary Chapel and Sutherland Auditorium) and has been moved to the Chase Gymnasium. Imagine a student body eager to come together to worship! I am so thankful the spirit of God is alive on this campus and in the hearts of our students. Something special is happening at Biola University, and I have to believe it is God responding to students whose hearts are fixed on Him.

Biola’s athletic teams have also experienced our best ever start of the fall season. Notably, the men’s soccer team has had a victorious season and recently advanced to the National Association of Intercollegiate Athletics (NAIA) Men’s Soccer Tournament for the first time since 1987. Women’s volleyball has advanced to the NAIA tournament and has received a first-round bye. The women’s cross country team rose to the top of the NAIA’s top ten teams, ranking fourth, and is returning to the national championships for the third consecutive year. The golf and swim teams have had impressive outcomes and continue to perform with great competitive talent. Basketball and baseball just started their seasons so be sure to keep in touch with the daily updates on athletic teams by bookmarking http://athletics.biola.edu
on your computer. I encourage you to support our teams and attend the sporting events to cheer for Biola’s Eagles.

Throughout last year you heard me speak of budget constraints and cautionary practices. As a result of this past year’s collective good stewardship, as well as a rebounding stock market, Biola finished the 08-09 fiscal year with a positive operating balance. Good budget management and prudence made this possible, and I’m grateful to work alongside a team of outstanding faculty and staff who are committed to work diligently for Biola University so it can continue to thrive each year.

We were able to report a discretionary surplus of $2.5 million resulting largely from the market rebound in June. We lost less than we expected and far less than many other institutions. Other positive components adding to the surplus included net tuition in excess of budget, cost containment savings, net revenue from Summer Session and other Special Programs. Fiscal restraint, along with God’s continued blessing, allowed Biola to end the fiscal year in a very strong position, despite the enormous external economic challenges. We remain confident in our mix of investments, and like other colleges and universities, Biola is carefully watching the market and is well positioned should the market continue its slow recovery.

In the midst of this economy, we experienced one of the highest giving years in our history. More than 700 new donors joined Biola, most of whom are alumni. In addition, more than $26 million in total gifts, pledges and deferred commitments were secured for Biola during the 08-09 fiscal year. This was $1 million more than the institutional goal and $5 million more than what was raised the previous year. We are grateful for those alumni and friends who generously give to Biola.

In response to the on-going national economic uncertainty, we have extended the prudent business practices into this new fiscal year that began July 1, including the current pause on hiring for new positions that was implemented last fiscal year. Given a stronger beginning to the year through solid enrollment, we must remain open to exceptions so that our services are not diluted nor our staff strained. Though we have refrained from general salary increases this year, the University leadership is working to provide a salary increase in the 10-11 budget. Implementing conservative practices and investing in innovative initiatives will keep the University on a secure base as we plan for strong, productive years ahead.

As we navigate Biola through these economic challenges, it is helpful to review what is taking place at colleges and universities around us. The “economic recession and demographic shifts” was the theme of the annual meeting with I attended with the state’s private college and university presidents in late October. A panel of local and regional economic experts in higher education reflected candidly on how the economy and demographic trends will be affecting our state’s institutions of higher learning. Here are some of the observations made and opinions given, which I thought may be of interest to you as members of our community:

• We should expect a modest increase from the recession in the coming months, but not as dramatic a recovery as previous recessions.

• California is still in a difficult financial crisis (where 3 percent of California’s population funds 50 percent of the state’s budget). As a result, the Cal Grant’s viability continues to be a matter of concern for higher education institutions. We must continue to lobby legislators to maintain funding for the Cal Grant.

• U.S. demographics show that from 2009-2018 there will be a dip in the number of high school graduates in the west coast, followed by a slow increase, with rates picking back up mostly among Latino students.

This information is very valuable to us as we continue to plan for Biola’s future amidst economic challenges and changing demographics of students. We will be sensitive to our surrounding environments and responsive to the needs of future students who seek Christian higher education. I so appreciate the Board of Trustees, the President’s Administrative Council, the senior administrators and deans, the faculty and the staff for their ongoing help in planning for the years to come.

Journal of Psychology & Theology (JPT)
Published by Rosemead School of Psychology, JPT is a forum for scholarly thinking on the interrelationships of psychological and theological concepts.
Editor: Dr. Todd W. Hall
Mails four times a year: spring, summer, fall & winter
www.biola.edu/jpt - New/renewal subscriptions, back issues, pdfs of individual articles, and cd-rom of past 37 years available for purchase. Student subscription is $35 and there is a special offer of $35 for the cd-rom with any new subscription order.

Christian Education Journal (CEJ)
Published by Talbot School of Theology, CEJ is dedicated to strengthening the conception and practice of Christian education in church and parachurch settings.
Editor: Dr. Kevin E. Lawson
Mails twice a year: spring and fall
www.biola.edu/cej - PDFs of articles, back issues, new/renewal subscriptions and cd-rom are available for purchase. Student subscription is $20.

Journal of Spiritual Formation and Soul Care (SFJ)
Published by the Institute for Spiritual Formation of Talbot School of Theology, SFJ is an evangelical forum for the theory and practice of Christian spirituality.
Editors: Dr. John Coe and Dr. Steve Porter
Mails twice a year: spring and fall
www.biola.edu/gcr - New/renewal subscriptions, back issues, pdfs of individual articles are available for purchase. Student subscription is $20.

Great Commission Research Journal (GCR) New!
Published under Cook School of Intercultural Studies, GCR is devoted to research and scholarly thinking related to effective church growth and evangelism.
Editor: Dr. Alan McMahan
Mails twice a year: summer and winter beginning August 2009
www.biola.edu/gcr - Student subscription rate is $20.