Written by Helen Strickland \/\/ Graphic by Makayla McDonald <\/p>\n\n\n\n
In August, Harding University announced that Harding School of Theology (HST) will move from Memphis, Tennessee, to Harding\u2019s main campus in Searcy, Arkansas, in the fall of 2024. HST is the last free-standing school of theology within the Churches of Christ. Upon its move to Searcy, tuition costs for HST will decrease from $740 per credit hour to $100. This decision was made to promote growth for HST, University Vice President Dr. Jean-Noel Thompson said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cThe broader vision was expansion, and we feel we can do that best on main campus,\u201d Thompson said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
HST alumni have reflected on the loss felt by this announcement. President of the HST Alumni Council Garrett Best said that attending HST in the context of Memphis transformed his life due to its academic rigor and diverse community. White Station Church of Christ preacher Bob Turner said that HST \u201chas been so instrumental in Memphis both for theology and ministry.\u201d Both Best and Turner said that they consider this move a loss for Memphis.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cIf faculty move away from Memphis, that will be a loss for the Memphis churches, but I think the bigger loss is the ownership that the churches had for the mission of the school,\u201d HST professor Lance Hawley said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Best recently conducted a survey for HST alumni to share their thoughts on the move. In an article on the Miracle of Study website relaying the results of this survey, Best wrote, \u201cMany alumni expressed sadness and disappointment but saw this coming using descriptions like \u2018resigned understanding\u2019 and \u2018inevitable.\u2019\u201d Out of 110 survey responses, 9 felt \u201coverall positive\u201d about the decision.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Dean of Harding\u2019s College of Bible and Ministry Monte Cox is chair of the HST academic transition team. Cox said he also shared in the loss felt by this move.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cAfter 66 years in Memphis, relocating here [to Searcy], there is a sense of loss for people who are there [in Memphis] now and people who studied there,\u201d Cox said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Cox attended HST as well and praised it for its \u201cacademic rigor, depth and breadth\u201d of material. Hawley echoed his praise for the school. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cHST has a legacy of faithfulness and seeking first the kingdom of God,\u201d Hawley said. \u201cIt is a blessing to be a part of the lives of students who have committed themselves to serving God in ministries all over the world.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Cox also made statements regarding Harding\u2019s efforts to move HST. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cWe are doing our best to make decisions and then get the word out about what those decisions are,\u201d Cox said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Thompson reflected these ideas. He said that the university plans to communicate updates via face-to-face interactions, campus emails and social media as they arise.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cThis is so important to us,\u201d Thompson said. \u201cWe will constantly and continuously communicate what\u2019s happening with our School of Theology.\u201d <\/p>\n\n\n\n
HST in Memphis is home to an extensive theological library. Turner worked as a librarian there for 11 years, and though he is no longer employed there, he said he uses it weekly. Best said the library is representative of Memphis\u2019 Church of Christ community as it encourages a spirit of unity.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Cox said Harding plans to preserve HST\u2019s library in its entirety. He connected the library\u2019s value to the academic rigor of the school, which he said will be preserved as well when HST moves to Searcy.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cWe love that library,\u201d Cox said. \u201cWe don\u2019t want to lose any of it, and there\u2019s no intention to lose anything from that library.\u201d <\/p>\n\n\n\n
Details surrounding the library transition have not been released. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cThere are too many very qualified people that need to speak together,\u201d Thompson said regarding why the library plans are not yet public. \u201cWe want to get the best people around the table together to create the best plan.\u201d <\/p>\n\n\n\n
Cox also voiced that many guidelines will have to be followed as this process begins. \u201cThere are so many puzzle pieces and so many entities to satisfy,\u201d Cox said of the move.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Cox responded to the criticism Harding has received involving a lack of communication<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cWe\u2019re going to always defer to HST faculty and staff before we broadcast anything,\u201d Cox said. \u201cIt\u2019s not any attempt to hide anything\u2026[Harding faculty] know how much our alumni love that place.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Hawley expressed hope for HST in the future.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cI trust that God will do good work through HST in the future,\u201d Hawley said. \u201cThe school will inevitably change and need to adapt to a new context in Searcy, but I am hopeful that the mission will stay the same.\u201d <\/p>\n\n\n\n
Harding plans to continue to connect with Memphis. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cWe\u2019re spending time with current ministers and others there [in Memphis] to continue to work through how we can continue partnership and doing things in Memphis,\u201d Thompson said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
As new developments are announced, Best said he is praying for the Harding administration and trusting that the end goal will glorify God.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
There will be an HST Lunch on Wednesday, Sept. 27th in Searcy during Harding\u2019s lectureship where Harding President Dr. Mike Williams will be discussing the transition.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
Written by Helen Strickland \/\/ Graphic by Makayla McDonald In August, Harding University announced that Harding School of Theology (HST) will move from Memphis, Tennessee, to Harding\u2019s main campus in…<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":15068,"featured_media":18804,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":true,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[22],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-18803","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-news"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/thelink.harding.edu\/the-bison\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/18803","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/thelink.harding.edu\/the-bison\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/thelink.harding.edu\/the-bison\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/thelink.harding.edu\/the-bison\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/15068"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/thelink.harding.edu\/the-bison\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=18803"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/thelink.harding.edu\/the-bison\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/18803\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":18805,"href":"https:\/\/thelink.harding.edu\/the-bison\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/18803\/revisions\/18805"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/thelink.harding.edu\/the-bison\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/18804"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/thelink.harding.edu\/the-bison\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=18803"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/thelink.harding.edu\/the-bison\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=18803"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/thelink.harding.edu\/the-bison\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=18803"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}