“We’re now at about 3.300 students overall and our graduate school is now at about 900 students.”– HBU President Robert B. Sloan, Jr.
THE PILLARS: Do you remember the genesis of the Ten Pillars vision?
DR. SLOAN: I do. I had just come to HBU in 2006 and the first thing that I was privileged to do was to meet the staff and faculty here. I had small group meetings to learn about HBU and just get a feel for the culture. I would ask people, 鈥渙kay what goes well? What do you do? What do you enjoy doing? Are there any issues or problems that we need to look at?鈥� Because there are always things that bare improvement. And in the process of learning about HBU and learning the great history and tradition we have here I could also begin to hear their aspirations. And it was really out of those meetings that I knew that I was already getting the foundation points for what later came to be the Ten Pillars.
So fast forward a year and a half later, we started a formal process of building a vision document. We had 鈥渢own hall meetings鈥� around the campus and asked them one question: What would you like
HBU to look like in the year 2020? The idea was not to put a dollar limitation on it, but to dream whatever you want about programs, buildings, culture, academic programs, athletics, etc. It was
very exciting. We are a great Christian university in a great city, and that was the beginning point of the narrative because Christian universities tend to drift from their foundation, from their moorings of commitment to Christ and commitment to a scripture-informed Christianity. We don鈥檛 want to do that. We think you can be academically excellent and still be committed to Christ and to a faith that has honesty and integrity. A faith that鈥檚 willing to ask questions.
And here on campus we actually have ten pillars that came from the Galveston County Courthouse that was devastated by the 1900 storm of the century in Galveston. Those pillars remained standing. And when the courthouse was taken down, Dr. Stewart Morris and
his wife Joella bought those pillars and brought ten of them to our campus. Ten is the number of strength in scripture, and there鈥檚 the Ten Commandments, so our vision document is called the Ten Pillars.
THE PILLARS: So much has happened under your leadership. You have to feel a sense of real destiny to the steps that you鈥檝e taken.
DR. SLOAN: I really do believe the Lord has blessed HBU throughout our history. You can鈥檛 explain a place like HBU without the hand of the Lord going back even before the University was legally incorporated in 1960.
THE PILLARS: In recent months you鈥檝e had emphasis on finishing the
Ten Pillars, give us a snap shot of what that would entail.
SLOAN: Well here it is 2016 and we have only a few years left for the Ten Pillars vision. The question was 鈥淲hat do you want HBU to look like in the year 2020?鈥� The goal here is to ask ourselves how can we finish strong in the implementation of the Ten Pillars vision. So a lot has been accomplished 鈥� our Honors College, for example. Starting an honors college and being in Division I NCAA athletics again 鈥� seeing the University grow in so many professional areas of education, nursing, business 鈥� those have just been huge growth areas for us. Seeing the University excel in the fine arts was one of the priorities of the Ten Pillars. Our School of Fine Arts is probably the finest private university School of Arts in America. I know that鈥檚 a bold statement, but I really believe that鈥檚 true. We just recently again won聽 what鈥檚 called the Rising Eyes of Texas聽 exhibition, where our art students were聽 recognized. The MFA program and our聽 Bachelor鈥檚 degree in聽 Fine Arts are gaining聽 recognition, along with聽 our Department of Music,聽 which continues to grow聽 and strengthen. It鈥檚 very聽 exciting to see under the聽 leadership that鈥檚 there.聽 We have a new program聽 in creative writing that聽 is also a part of fine arts,聽 as well as an outstanding聽 program in Cinema and聽 New Media Arts. The聽 greatest strength of HBU is in the area聽 of theology and biblical studies 鈥� and聽 now we have Apologetics and Christian聽 Philosophy. The University is very聽 strong. A lot has been accomplished and聽 we have exciting things lined up for us聽 in the future.聽 For example, on Hwy. 59 and Fondren聽 we have that 25-acre corner of the聽 campus, which we sometimes refer to聽 as the Campus Edge project. It will be聽 called The Pillars at HBU. It鈥檚 a shopping聽 center. It鈥檚 a whole development that will聽 draw great attention to the University聽 with a retail section, a parking garage,聽 an office building, a hotel and conference聽 center, and a 5,000-seat arena. Brick is聽 being put up on a beautiful retail section聽 of that development right now. Our聽 architectural look will be extended all聽 the way to the front tier by the freeway.聽 It鈥檚 very exciting.
THE PILLARS: You have now entered聽 into the digital domain through聽 robertbsloan.com and The Story聽 of the Bible through partnership聽 with LifeWay and its outreach on聽 WORDsearch to nearly 400,000聽 churches, a precursor of a very direct聽 and digital outreach of HBU. Can you聽 encapsulate that?聽
SLOAN: I鈥檒l try to. Dr. Johnston, you have been very instrumental in leading us in that area, but yes, the University聽 now has a very exciting partnership聽 with LifeWay. We have got Philippians,聽 which is an online, certificate program,聽 and I know Dr. Jeremiah聽 Johnston, your son, has聽 also done some wonderful聽 things in this partnership聽 with LifeWay and we鈥檒l聽 be seeing faculty getting聽 involved with them also.聽 This LifeWay opportunity聽 will create certificates and聽 non-credit certificates and聽 other opportunities that聽 can lead to credit hours聽 for individuals who sign聽 up. This will expand the聽 visibility of the University聽 and give our faculty members a platform聽 to teach online.聽 All that I鈥檝e mentioned are answers to聽 The Ten Pillars鈥� challenge for growth.聽 We have grown where many private聽 universities have not. We鈥檙e now at about聽 3,300 students overall and our graduate聽 school is now at about 900 students.聽 One of the next phases of our growth will聽 be with the traditional undergraduate聽 and graduate student, through the聽 online experience. For example, we聽 currently have a partnership with聽 Educate, which is an online program聽 for nurses. We now have an online聽 competency-based program that聽 will allow a registered nurse to get a聽 bachelor鈥檚 degree in Nursing, a Bachelor聽 of Science in Nursing. So the RN to BSN聽 that鈥檚 exclusively online.聽 The College of Business and our College聽 of Education are very dynamic in this聽 area. Even in art, classes are can be聽 taught online. The College of Education聽 and Behavioral Sciences is going to start聽 a whole emphasis on mental health聽 and Christian psychology, which we聽 think is going to explode because of聽 the excellence of the people that we聽 have involved. Of course we won鈥檛聽 abandon our traditional campus. We聽 are very strong in the philosophy area,聽 biblical languages, and in the classical聽 languages, and now we also have a聽 whole new area that we call the Center聽 for Law and Liberty where we will teach聽 the founding principles of American聽 democracy and the American practices聽 of government. Things like freedom and聽 free markets, these are very important.聽 We think human freedom is a gift of God聽 and it ought to have the opportunity to聽 flourish.
THE PILLARS: We look forward to聽 your Story of the Bible and just one聽 final question, did you ever think you聽 could step into an HBU studio and聽 teach the Bible, the Book of Philippians聽 and it be marketed digitally to 400,000聽 pastors?
SLOAN: It鈥檚 amazing. No, but right here on campus we have this gorgeous聽 studio with cutting-edge technology and聽 cameras. We have the ability to shoot and聽 produce our professors鈥� content every聽 day and capture this content and make聽 it available to 400,000 church members,聽 pastors, and staff members who can聽 study the Book of Philippians or the聽 Story of the Bible. It is wonderful. We鈥檙e聽 glad to have the opportunity to harness聽 the things that God gives us to be able to聽 expand our mission, to share the gospel,聽 to teach and to allow the expertise.聽 I want people to see the growth that鈥檚聽 going take place at HBU through the聽 online opportunities for for-credit and聽 not-for-credit growth, very exciting.