-How Abilene Christian College Realizes Its Ideals

How Abilene Christian College Realizes Its Ideals HOW ABILENE CHRISTIAN COLLEGE REALIZES
ITS IDEALS

President Cox has very clearly set forth the ideals of Abilene Christian College. I am sure that every one here today will agree that these ideals are such as to challenge the best that is in those who are connected in any way with the institution. An ideal may be one of two types. It may be that which has been set up in fancy because it appears attractive or can be made to look attractive, but one that is impossible of attainment, with the result that little or no effort is made to reach unto it. On the other hand, an ideal may be that which determines the life of the institution, that which makes it different from other institutions, that which motivates conduct among its members with the result that that individual who comes under its influence is different because of hav­ing come in contact with it.

It is my purpose this afternoon to lead you to see that the ideals which have been brought to your atten­tion are of the second type, that they are “part and parcel” of the institution, they they permeate every activity in the life of the institution. May I say just here that it is not from the viewpoint of a faculty member alone that I approach this prob­lem. I look at it through the eyes of an ex-student who spent four years under its influence, and through the eyes of an ex-student of two other great educa­tional institutions. I tell you this that you may know I am not approaching the problem as a faculty mem­ber who does not understand the students’ reactions to the ideals that may have been established without their knowledge or assistance. In older for an institution of any kind to realize its purposes, the members who compose the institution engage in certain activities that make it possible to reach the goal set for it. Suppose that a group of merchants organize a Chamber of Commerce for the purpose of advertising their city and bettering busi­ness conditions in the city. If they sat down after they organized and did nothing more, it goes without saying that the organization would be of no value and the purpose would not be attained But they engage in certain activities that are planned and executed with a great deal of care, which activities are calcu­lated to lead step by step to the goal that has been set before them. And thus it is with Abilene Christian Collage. Cer­tain purposes, aims, goals, ideals have been formu­lated. have evolved through the years, and those who are members of the institution find it necessary to take part in various activities m order to move step by step toward the ideals that have been formulated.

We hope, therefore, in the next few minutes to take you behind the scenes, to let you see Abilene Christian College from the inside, ac work. In this way, you can see how we are striving to realize the ideals that Brother Cox has presented to you. The activities of an institution like this are of two types, curricular and extra-curricular. That is, a stu­dent’s time is spent in regular class room work and preparation for the same, or In some activity aside from instruction, such as the band, glee club, debating, athletics, and so on. A study of these will reveal what we attempt to do. The most important activity in which students engage is the work of the classroom where they have an opportunity to become acquainted with the accom­plishments of man in the many fields of endeavor, under the guidance of competent instructors. More than any other one thing, the classroom instruction and that which grows out of the same determines the type of institution it is and whether or not its purposes are being achieved. This is true for two obvious, but sometimes forgotten, reasons. In the first place, the members of the faculty of an institution exert a tre­mendous influence on students and it is in the class­room that they come in closest contact with their stu­dents. If a college has for one of its purposes the development of Christian character, and the members of the faculty are not Christian both in and out of the classroom, then the purpose cannot be realized. Or if it has for one of its purposes the development of wor­thy home-makers, and the teachers lead their students to study materials that tend to destroy instead of build, then the purpose cannot be realized. In the second place, you know as well as I that the art of writing has been developed to such an extent, and materials of instruction have been so well organized, that should we so desire, and had we the facilities, hundreds of courses might be offered in college, and dozens might be offered in any one field. This means that choice of courses must be made, and choice of materials to go into those courses must be made. The faculty of the institution determines what courses out of the thou­sands that might be offered are to be included in the program, and each faculty member in turn determines what materials are to be presented to his students in his courses. If a student takes a course under one teacher throughout the. year, he will sit at the feet of that teacher a total of 108 hours and be engaged in work directed by that teacher for another 216 hours. One teacher, therefore, directs the thinking of one stu­dent, as a direct result of classroom work, a total of 824 hours during a term of nine months.

You can see why I say that the activities that grow out of classroom instruction are the most important. The average student spends 2 2/3 hours per day in the classroom, 5 1/3 hours preparing for this classroom work, and the rest of the time largely as he has been influenced in the classroom.

Since the teacher plays such an important part in the life of the student, it is incumbent upon the leaders of an institution to provide teachers who have the abil­ity to select materials of instruction that will be best for the student, who possess that Christian character that might well be emulated by the students, and who can conduct their classes in such way as to inspire the students to effort in worthy fields of endeavor.

I realize that my position, as a member of the fac­ulty which I am picturing to you as being the most important factor determining whether the ideals of the institution are to be attained, might lead me to some conclusions based upon bias rather than fact. I give you facts, and facts only, therefore, at this time, and let you draw your own conclusions.

If faculty members are to be able to determine the courses that should be offered in an intelligent man­ner, and if each member is to be able to select mate­rials that will be best for the students, they must have come in contact with the offerings of other institu­tions and must be thoroughly prepared in their own fields. If they are to conduct their classes in such a way as to inspire students to worthy effort, they must have had special training for their work; and if they are to be examples in Christian living, they must be Christians in every walk of life. Do the teachers in Abilene Christian College measure up to these crite­ria? You may be the judge. On the college faculty, we have 32 men and women. From the standpoint of training, they are catalogued as follows:

Members of the faculty have been to a total of 86 of the outstanding universities of the United States. Three of these members have their Ph. D. degrees, the highest academic degree offered in any university in the United States; one is a Doctor of Medicine; 17 have the M. A. degree, and at least four of these have met most of the requirements for the Ph. D. degree; and ten have the A. B. degree or its equivalent; one will get his degree this summer. All of the fine arts teachers have had special training under teachers of national reputation. As to academic training of fac­ulty, we have reached the place where we not only meet the minimum requirements of such a college as this, but have surpassed those standards. As to experience, our teachers have taught from one to thirty-three years. As to ability to conduct the classroom work in such a way as to inspire students, it is very difficult to meas­ure this directly. Sufficient is it to state that our graduates who have gone to other institutions have made records of which we are justly proud, and that reports come to us every day about the splendid rec­ords that our ex-students in various walks of life are making. I realize that when 32 teachers are assembled in one faculty, some of those teachers are not going to be outstanding in ability to conduct classroom work. You, no doubt, hear some criticism of some of our teachers, and some of may be just. That is to be expected. But where a teachei is criticized for one weakness, if you will but investigate, I believe you will find that this weaimess is more than compensated for by some strong characteristic. As to Christian living, may I say that every member of the faculty is a member of the New Testament church and, I believe, is living what he teaches in the classroom.

You may wonder why I speak at such length about the faculty. A study was made some years ago by an outstanding educator in the field of character edu­cation, from which the conclusion was drawn that the teacher’s example is the most potent influence in the moral life of the pupil. If this be true, and we believe that it is, you can see why it is so important that the teachers in a college, be Christian men and women, and how it would be impossible for the ideals to be realized if even one should, either by teaching or exam­ple, oppose them in any way. The student-tea cher relationship in a cohege is a most vital factor in the life of the institution.

Since the activities that grow out of the classroom are the most important in which the student engages, you should knowT something about the offering with which he comes in contact. All freshmen in Abilene Christian College are required to study Bible and Eng­lish, and to take part in physical training of some kind. We believe that “All scripture is given by inspiration of God, and is profitable for doctrine, for reproof, for correction, for instruction in righteousness.” We believe, therefore, that we are justified in requiring all students in Abilene Christian College to study the Bible. Since a knowledge of the mother tongue and the literature in the same is essential to successful living, we require every freshman to study English. In addition, students have an opportunity to pursue courses in the following fields: Bible, and related fields, such as Greek and religious education; education, for prospective teachers, economics and business adminis­tration, for prospective business men and women; Eng­lish and public speaking; foreign languages; physical education; home economics; library science; mathe­matics ; chemistry, physics, and biology; history, geog­raphy and sociology; and piano, voice, violin, speech and art in the Fine Arts Department. By pursuing courses in these fields under the direc­tion of the faculty, graduates of the college may enter any institution in the United States and receive credit for work done here without loss of any. If at any time a student loses credit it is not because we do not offer the necessary courses but because the student has not elected to pursue the courses that are required in the graduate division in his field. What I am saying is that Abilene Christian College is recognized as do­ing efficient work by the best accrediting agencies in the United States.

While it is true that we do not offer the specialized type of training that some of our friends believe we should offer, we believe that we offer under competent instruction the courses that function in realizing the ideals that President Cox has set before you.

I mentioned a few moments ago that each student spends, or is supposed to spend, on an average, 5 1/3 hours per day in preparing the assignments that are made in the classroom. That which is most impor­tant in this respect is that there must be readily access­ible to him reference materials in the library, prop­erly arranged and supervised. We have in our library about 11,000 volumes, covering all of the important fields of knowledge, and receive 83 periodicals each month. Here our studens may spend part of each day in study or in recreational reading.

While the activities in which our students engage in the classroom and as an outgrowth of the classroom are most important, and without them the college could not exist, if we stopped there something vital in college life would be omitted. I refer to the various extra­curricular activities of the institution where the stu­dents have an opportunity to receive that all-around development which we believe to be necessary to whole­some. living. In the Bible classes the students study the word of the Lord that they may increase in understanding, that they may become familiar with the precepts of sal­vation and of the Christian life. But they learn from this study that they must use their knowledge in doing more for the Master. They learn, too that to be of greatest usefulness, they must take an active part in work of the church. This requires practical training. This they get by taking part in such activities as prayer meeting on Wednesday night, and young men’s meet­ing on Monday night, at which time 24 young men take an active part in the service. Here they learn how to take the lead in the work of the church—that which our churches over the country so badly need. In addition to this, we have the mission study class meeting on Wednesday night to study needs in this and other lands and how best to meet these needs. As a direct result of this effort, many of our students have taken an active part in missionary work here in Abi­lene. Through the efforts of these students, assisted by faculty members, since the work began, thirty prison­ers at the county jail have been baptized, an active con­gregation of Mexicans has been established, and a small group of negroes has begun to meet regularly. The evangelistic forum, composed of preacher students of the college, meets once each week where an inspira­tional talk is made by a faculty member or visiting preacher. The critic class, composed of young preach­ers, meets once each week for the purpose of making a critical study of a sermon presented by a member or an outline presented by a visiting preacher. The spiritual side is that in which we are most in­terested, but we realize that the wholesome personality includes a development in other fields. We realize, too, that individuals differ so greatly ill interests and abili­ties that activities other than religious must be made available. There are some who are interested in devel­oping their abilities in public speaking. For these, we have intercollege debating, oratory, and extempo­rary speaking, in addition to the work in these fields in the classrom. Just two weeks ago, Abilene Chris­tian College was host to 16 colleges and universities of Texas and Oklahoma for the second annual speech tour­nament in which we had four men and four women entered, two of whom won first in oratory and extem­porary speaking. Abilene Christian College has won national reputation in the forensic fields. In addition to these activities, we have a dramatic club in which students have an opportunity to study and interpret on the stage some of the outstanding plays.

Other students are interested in applying in a prac­tical way the things they learn in tne English course in writing. This opportunity is given them in the Optimist, the college newspaper, the materials for which are written by the students of the college, and in the Prickley Pear, the college yearbook, the copy of which is prepared entirely by the students. Practical business training is secured by those who handle the business end of these publications. These activities not only provide excellent opportunities for those who actively prepare them, but they contribute to the engen­dering of college spirit and serve as a medium for the expression of student opinion.

We have each year a large number of students who are interested in developing musical talent. For these, we not only provide private and group instruction under competent teachers in voice, piano, violin, and wind instruments, but we have the various musical organizations, such as the college band, orchestra, glee and choral clubs, and the A Capella chorus. The last named, the A Capella chorus, is composed of seventy young men and women who make a study of the best church hymns and learn how to sing them as they should be sung. You can readily see the value of this in the work of the church.

We believe that to be fully equipped for a life of service -to one’s fellowmen in the name of the Master, an individual should enjoy the best health possible. We not only require ah students to take physical training of some kind during their first two years, but we make available to them an opportunity to participate in inter­collegiate golf, tennis, baskeball, football, and track. One of the greatest services we render is sending out young men of high ideals to direct boys and girls in high school in these activities. A Christian man or woman, working with adolescent boys and girls on the playing field, has not only a great responsibility but an excellent opportunity to influence their lives for the best. We believe that coaches who go out from Abi­lene Christian College, as a general rule, feel their responsibility in this particular.

Students take part not only in these activities enu­merated, but they also have an opportunity to develop the social side of life by taking part in social activi­ties. We do not believe that we should prohibit stu­dents taking part in social life, neither do we believe that social activities should take such a prominent place as to cause students to neglect other activities. Clubs and organizations on the campus are permitted to have one social function each term, and from time to time, entertainments of various kinds are sponsored by the college administration for all students. Young men are permitted to accompany the young ladies to public assemblies in the auditorium and may visit with them in the dormitory during “social” hour. In this way, we feel that students are forming friendships that in many cases, at least, will mean the building of Christian homes. It may be of interest to you to know that of the hundreds of marriages that have resulted from friendships formed as students in Abilene Christian College, so far as we know, not one has resulted in such failure as to be dissolved by separation or divorce. This is no small matter. From this portrayal of the activities of Abilene Christian College, you can see that we do not believe in neglecting any phase of one’s personality. In the classroom, the student comes in contact with those materials that better lit him for meeting the problems of life; m the religious activities, the musical organiza- iotns, the forensic clubs, and the writing organizations he receives that practical training that better prepares him to meet the responsibilities of the future; and in the social activities he receives that development and contact that every young man and woman should have. No one student can take part in all activities, but any one student can take part in those in which he is most interested.

It is impossible for me to picture in words the life of Abilene Christian College. To appreciate it, you must be a part of it for a while, and even then you do not fully appreciate it until you have gotten away from it and out into life. While our students appre­ciate their opportunities and take advantage of them, our ex-students are the ones who fully appreciate the value of Christian education and know that the ideals of the institution are being approached in the lives of those who come under its influence.

We invite you to visit with us as much as you can that you may see the institution at work, and in this way, come to know that the ideals presented by Brother Cox are not in fancy, but possible of realization in the lives of the boys and girls who become students in Abilene Christian College.