“Polluters will have to answer to God, not just government,” are the provocative words of Richard Cizik, Vice President of Governmental Affairs for the National Association of Evangelicals (NAE), headquartered in Washington, D.C. The conservative leader is on a mission to convert millions of Americans to the cause of conservation, spreading the doctrine of “creation care” to evangelical Christians. Cizik will speak at the 18 Sep HSU Chapel beginning at 11:55.

Richard Cizik

Cizik doesn’t liken his efforts to other environmental groups because his “creation care” is rooted in scripture and not politics or ideology. He has so far rejected collaboration with established environmental groups because he fears many in the evangelical community associate the environmental movement with population control, big-government solutions, New Age religion, and apocalyptic scenarios.

Cizik prefers to frame his doctrine as a pro-life issue. He also recognizes that there is work to be done among those in the evangelical community who remain distrustful of science, “There is a mistrust of science in general and a mistrust of science on climate in particular. There is a basic formula that goes: science supports evolution, evangelicals oppose evolution, ergo there’s a conflict between science and evangelicals. Happily, there are a growing number of evangelical scientists who are helping us overcome this barrier.”

Cizik’s effort’s have not gone unchallenged by the evangelical community. In March , Focus on the Family founder, James C. Dobson, called for Cizik’s removal for pursuing an issue that is “dividing and demoralizing evangelicals.” A number of evangelical leaders and educators have gone so far as to denounce the validity of global warming by signing letters claiming that measures put forward to address environmental concerns raised by global warming will have a detrimental effect on the poor in the short term.

Cizik sees a gradual change in attitude as movements such as the Evangelical Climate Initiative gains momentum. The initiative, supported by individuals and foundations including the Pew Charitable Trusts, the Hewlett Foundation and the Rockefeller Brothers foundation is one indication of a growing urgency about climate change among religious groups. Interfaith climate campaigns in 15 states are pressing for regional standards to reduce greenhouse gasses. Jewish, Roman Catholic, and Eastern Orthodox leaders also have campaigns under way.

Cizik is responsible for directing NAE’s Washington Insight Briefing and Christian Student Leadership Conferences, setting its policy direction on issues before Congress, the White House, and Supreme Court, as well as serving as a national spokesman on issues of concern to evangelicals. He received his BA in Political Science from Whitworth College, an MA in Public Affairs from George Washington University, and a Master of Divinity from Denver Seminary. In addition to his duties with the NAE, he sits on advisory boards of the Pew Forum on Religion and Public Life and the Institute on Religion and Public Policy. The Abilene public is cordially invited to this and all HSU Chapel events.

Posted by Dave Coffield · August 31, 2007 2:35 PM · Comments (0)

Hardin-Simmons University administration officials weren’t crowing about the recent rise in the University’s U.S. News and World Report rankings. They had already decided to disengage from the ranking system because they do not consider the rankings to be an accurate measure of value for an institution of higher learning. Dr. Craig Turner, President of Hardin-Simmons University had previously noted, “U.S.News does not interview any of our current students or alumni regarding their experiences. No attention is paid to the value-added during the college experience, but the focus is largely on input measures such as entrance scores, high school class rank, etc. Peer evaluations are done by educators from Texas west and north to Washington State, but our accreditation and major relationships are with institutions from Texas east and north to Virginia. West coast institutions are asked to evaluate schools in Texas with whom they have no regular dealings and vice versa.”

Dr. Turner and Leland Harden, vice president of Institutional Advancement, will travel to the August 21 Education Conservancy conference hosted by Yale University to explore more effective ways of communicating a university’s value to a prospective student and family. The forum, “Beyond Ranking: Responding to a Call for Useful Information” will bring together a number of education leaders, technology experts, researchers, and administrators, all committed to exploring how colleges and universities could collaborate to help students and parents compare institutions in educationally meaningful ways.

Many institutions across the nation have become increasingly dissatisfied with the U.S.News ranking criteria. Over 60 universities and colleges have disengaged from the U.S. News and World Report’s rankings. In a news release from the Education Conservancy, a non-profit organization whose stated goal is to work with leaders in higher education to make the college admission system more appropriate for students, families, schools and colleges, Yale’s Dean of Undergraduate Admissions, Jeff Brenzel, said, “We know that ranking systems produced by commercial publications can be misleading or irrelevant to the college search process. So we are supporting efforts the Education Conservancy is making to determine whether there are feasible alternatives.”

The conference will begin with an orientation of mutual concerns, descriptions of developing comparative templates, and the Education Conservancy’s findings in their research project, “College Admissions: What are Students Learning.” Attendees will discuss the most important and educationally relevant decision factors (what students want/need to hear), what a web-based system might look, and the pitfalls of such a collaborative enterprise. Lloyd Thacker, director of the Education Conservancy, says, “These steps will prepare us for a second meeting, at which we hope to refine the criteria and determine the technological feasibility, funding requirements, and sponsorship for a national assessment and selection system.”
The agenda is ambitious Thacker admits, “No one questions the many challenges entailed in enlisting the active support and participation of a critical mass of colleges and universities representing the astonishing diversity of American higher education. However, the value to American families and students of a robust and collaborative effort would be extraordinary. We are committed to making the effort to present relevant information in order to restore educational values to the college admissions process.”

Posted by Dave Coffield · August 31, 2007 2:11 PM · Comments (0)

Over 460 of Hardin-Simmons University’s newest students make the transition to university life in a fun and informative way as HSU’s New Student Orientation activities kicked off the start of the fall semester Aug 21 – 26. This year’s theme recalled television shows and cultural institutions from the 1990’s as “The Little Yellow School Bus” gave freshmen an introduction to the Forty Acres.

New students, worried about being away from home, making new friends, and whether they have what it takes to be successful, began the week-long orientation designed to resolve those fears and bring them into the HSU family.

A student slides across the field during "The Game"

The Frosh spent the week in small groups, each assigned a facilitator and a theme. Move-in panic on Tuesday evolved into bonding during “The Game” on Thursday as barriers, real and imagined, disappeared amid hundreds of gallons of paint and a team building exercise. “Differences of background, ethnicity, social status, wealth, and academic ability pretty much disappear when we were all covered in paint,” one student exclaimed. By the time students left The Game, the paint had run together to make a single color, effectively illustrating her point.

Other activities included a glimpse of HSU history, campus tag, scavenger hunt, beanie capping, the Alumni Ice Cream Social, a fun fest at Mr. Gatti’s Pizza, and a pep rally.

Students shared their fears about college life as they gathered at the homes of faculty and staff for an evening dessert party, and learned that those fears were common to all and could be overcome. A final “Cheer Off” and a movie closed Friday’s activities and everyone got to sleep in a little longer on Saturday.

Service is a big part of college life at HSU, so when freshmen stumbled out of bed at the crack of noon on Saturday, they partnered with the University’s adopted neighborhood to remove trash and discarded appliances from the area bordered by Pine, Ambler, Grape, and I-20. Each year, students haul away an average of 40 tons of refuse from the area.

By week’s end, beanies were covered with the names of the new friends that will travel together to commencement in four short years. A lot will happen in that time, but NSO is something no one will ever forget.

Posted by Dave Coffield · August 27, 2007 3:00 PM · Comments (0)

Over 460 of Hardin-Simmons University’s newest students make the transition to university life in a fun and informative way as HSU’s New Student Orientation activities kicked off the start of the fall semester Aug 21 – 26. This year’s theme recalled television shows and cultural institutions from the 1990’s as “The Little Yellow School Bus” gave freshmen an introduction to the Forty Acres.

New students, worried about being away from home, making new friends, and whether they have what it takes to be successful, began the week-long orientation designed to resolve those fears and bring them into the HSU family.

A student slides across the field during "The Game"

The Frosh spent the week in small groups, each assigned a facilitator and a theme. Move-in panic on Tuesday evolved into bonding during “The Game” on Thursday as barriers, real and imagined, disappeared amid hundreds of gallons of paint and a team building exercise. “Differences of background, ethnicity, social status, wealth, and academic ability pretty much disappear when we were all covered in paint,” one student exclaimed. By the time students left The Game, the paint had run together to make a single color, effectively illustrating her point.

Other activities included a glimpse of HSU history, campus tag, scavenger hunt, beanie capping, the Alumni Ice Cream Social, a fun fest at Mr. Gatti’s Pizza, and a pep rally.

Students shared their fears about college life as they gathered at the homes of faculty and staff for an evening dessert party, and learned that those fears were common to all and could be overcome. A final “Cheer Off” and a movie closed Friday’s activities and everyone got to sleep in a little longer on Saturday.

Service is a big part of college life at HSU, so when freshmen stumbled out of bed at the crack of noon on Saturday, they partnered with the University’s adopted neighborhood to remove trash and discarded appliances from the area bordered by Pine, Ambler, Grape, and I-20. Each year, students haul away an average of 40 tons of refuse from the area.

By week’s end, beanies were covered with the names of the new friends that will travel together to commencement in four short years. A lot will happen in that time, but NSO is something no one will ever forget.

Posted by Dave Coffield · August 27, 2007 3:00 PM · Comments (0)