Chancellor Clifton Ganus reflected on Harding University’s presidential succession over the years and the struggles each Harding president has had to face along the way.
Ganus – who has had the privilege of knowing each Harding president to some degree – reflected on his years spent at Harding under the administrations of former Harding presidents John Armstrong and George Benson as a period of time that played a major role in preparing him for when he became the next president in 1965, although he recalled feeling inadequate for the job at the time. But in wrestling with this feeling, he held to what he felt had been the No. 1 goal of the previous two presidents during their administrations at Harding: “to keep (the Harding community) faithful to the word of God.”
In his inauguration speech, President David Burks revealed the same sentiments of inadequacy as Ganus upon becoming the next president of Harding, though ready to do his best. During his time, Burks has succeeded in preserving the mission and No. 1 goal of Harding, though there has been some disparity of opinion over how he governed Harding. While standing in full support of Burks, Ganus admitted to not always agreeing with his decisions. “But I haven’t always agreed with my wife either,” Ganus added with a smile.
Keeping Harding faithful to the word of God has involved not just holding to the doctrine on which Harding stands, but exemplifying those Christian ethics in the midst of various challenges: for Armstrong, running a debt-ridden college during a national depression; for Benson, responding to the Civil Rights Movement; and for Ganus (as well as for Burks), dealing with the local media on a couple of occasions.
Ganus said two challenge McClarty may face in his presidency include keeping the word of God uppermost and foremost in the hearts of the students and teachers in an increasingly secular world; and putting up with government regulations that might require Harding to pay for contraceptive drugs for students and faculty.
In affirmation of the Harding Board of Directors’ decision to select McLarty as the next president, Ganus recounted McLarty’s history of service to Harding as vice president for spiritual life for seven years and to the Searcy community as a preacher and then elder at College Church of Christ for 14 years. No man is perfect, Ganus said, but he believes McLarty is well equipped for the job.
