Annual Report 2018-2019 We Believe: a Commitment to Christian Community

Annual Report 2018-2019 We Believe: a Commitment to Christian Community e Believe” is the theme for Southern’s $50 million Campaign for Excellence in Faith and Learning, the largest fundraising effort in our “Wuniversity’s history. That’s quite an undertaking. As a partner with Southern, you’ve played a significant role in our success to date. Thank you! And if the dollar amount alone isn’t enough to inspire pause and reflection, I often marvel at the beautiful simplicity of our two-word phrase connected with the campaign: We Believe. Southern isn’t immune to the confusion that comes from living in a sinful world. We experience headaches and heartaches when things don’t go as planned, whether it’s with budgets or buildings, students or staff. However, I am forever grateful to be leading a university that, despite these unavoidable distractions, works hard to remain true to its mission. Southern’s core values are rooted so firmly in the foundations given to us by Christ that during critical decision- making moments, the university isn’t easily swayed by the influence of popular opinion. When challenges present themselves, we listen, discuss, research, and react. But above all, We Believe. We Believe in our mission. We Believe in the potential and the calling God has for our students and staff. We Believe He will continue to bless, despite any obstacles or missteps. And We Believe wholeheartedly in our alumni, friends, and parents. I see that same unflappable commitment in you. You Believe, too. Hopefully, you can see that God is working on our campus and that you trust us to be good stewards of the Lord’s blessings. I hope that the stories in this annual report—each one representing a different impact area of the Campaign for Excellence in Faith and Learning—further demonstrates our shared commitment for building and maintaining an environment where Christian community nurtures the next generation of leaders. Everyday lives are profoundly shaped by those two simple words: We Believe. Learn more about the Campaign for Excellence David Smith, PhD in Faith and Learning President southern.edu/webelieve We Believe in Student Life Students Help Shape the Bietz Center Design s blueprints give birth to steel and concrete, buzz surrounding construction of the 40,000-square-foot Bietz Center for Student Life is at an all-time high. AWe can’t wait for you to see the finished building! This critical project’s preparations have taken several years, which means many students on campus during that planning stage will have already graduated when the doors open in fall 2020. This doesn’t dampen their enthusiasm for the Bietz Center. One reason students remain engaged is because they’ve been invited to take an active role in shaping the building’s design and features. For example, students in a three-dimensional graphic design class were asked to imagine what a new Campus Shop bookstore would look like if relocated to the Bietz Center. They broke into teams and over the course of several weeks picked a new name, interior design and color schemes, layout and displays, and even a new logo. The winning concept, called “The Hub,” was produced by Bethany Beckford, ’18; Rachel Brouhard, ’18; and Tia Huff, ’18. “I plan on coming back to campus for the Bietz Center’s grand opening and am excited to see the changes they made while putting The Hub together,” Huff said. “I hope the space is relatable, comforting, and inspiring for students.” Another exciting Bietz Center feature influenced by student interest is an interactive Student Missions board. A large touchscreen monitor on the building’s second floor will allow users to locate current student missionaries and interact with them electronically. This $15,000 project has been designated as a class gift funding emphasis for seniors in each of the past three years. Student gifts will account for approximately half of the interactive board’s cost. Seeing this project become a reality provides special incentive for Rhidge Garcia, ’19, to stop by the Bietz Center in future years. “Watching something that was once only an idea come into fruition always inspires me,” Garcia said. “Plus, this is a great way to build strong bonds between different generations of the Southern family and plant the seeds for future mission work.” There is also student passion surrounding the Bietz Center’s environmental footprint. While other buildings on campus are already eco-friendly, the Bietz Center is on track as the first at Southern to receive an official certification. This achievement is the result of collaborative work between the university’s Enactus club and green|spaces, a Chattanooga nonprofit. You play an important role in the Bietz Center, too. Gifts from donors not only support the building’s construction, but also model a generous spirit that students will learn from and adopt in the years ahead. Thank you! We Believe in Faithful Giving New Scholarship Provides Immediate Tuition Relief dwin and Mary Belle Martin serve as a powerful example of planning for the future and sharing a legacy of generosity. They demonstrated their love and Ecommitment for Christian education by including a gift in their estate plan that is providing $100,000 annually for student scholarships at Southern over a five-year period. The Martins might appear as unusual candidates to become champions of higher education; they enjoyed successful and financially rewarding careers in long-term care even though Edwin never earned a college degree. Despite this, they recognized the immense value of education and the doors it can open for young adults entering the workforce. This included their three children who all went to Southern: Bobby Martin, ’70; Mary Hagen, ’72; and Judy Wilcox, attended. This ability and compassion to see the bigger need existing outside of their own circumstances led to the creation of the Edwin and Mary Belle Martin Scholarship. During the 2018-2019 academic year, the Martins’ gift helped 49 students receive the financial support necessary to enroll or remain at Southern without adding to their burden of student loan debt. Scholarship amounts vary, with most beneficiaries receiving $2,000-$2,500 per year. Joelle Kanyana, ’19, graduated in May as a double major with degrees in international studies and finance. She studied hard in academy to earn merit-based scholarships at Southern. Once enrolled, Joelle faithfully worked to help pay for school, regularly putting in 20 or more hours per week on top of her internships and academic course load during the semester. Without the Edwin and Mary Belle Martin Scholarship, it would have proven even more difficult to complete her senior year and transition into a new job as a financial analyst with AdventHealth Orlando. “I’m overcome with gratitude every day for the scholarships Edwin and Mary Belle Martin that Southern and its donors provided for students like me,” Kanyana said. “I can start my career oriented toward service and not survival because I’m leaving Southern debt free. No words can express the impact that donors like the Martins have had on my life!” Edwin and Mary Belle Martin Scholarships helped Joelle Kanyana, ’19, graduate with degrees in international studies and finance. Holly Gadd, PhD, is the inaugural AdventHealth Chair of Nursing Education, a position housed in beautiful Florida Hospital Hall. We Believe in Endowments AdventHealth Gift Completes Funding for Nursing Chair arbara James, ’74, PhD, recently retired after 28 years as nursing faculty and dean of the School of Nursing. A $1 million gift from AdventHealth for the Bdepartment makes her transition out of academia a little easier, confirming her confidence that the program is in great shape for years to come. The $1 million gift completes $2 million worth of endowment funding to create the AdventHealth Chair of Nursing Education, a new title that belongs to James’ successor, Holly Gadd, PhD. Some of the chair’s responsibilities include becoming knowledgeable about AdventHealth’s mission, purpose, and reach, as well as fostering a good professional relationship between AdventHealth and Southern. Much of this work is supplemental, as a healthy partnership already exists between the two institutions. The AdventHealth Chair of Nursing Education is more than a job title. James sees the organization’s investment in Southern as testament to a vision shared by donors like you, the university, and businesses. “The funds are obviously helpful and provide funding for operations,” James said, “but this named chair also validates Southern as a valuable partner of AdventHealth. Both organizations are committed to having highly skilled nurses at all levels who live the values of their university and employing organization.” AdventHealth engages Southern students in a variety of ways over the course of their studies here. Opportunities include nursing leadership internships, AdventHealth’s participation in Southern’s Meet the Firms (an on-campus recruiting event), and even a “Heritage Hire” event—with the name acknowledging our shared Adventist beliefs— where the organization flies students to Florida for in-depth job interviews and site visits. A similar partnership in 2016 led to the AdventHealth Chair of Business Administration at Southern. AdventHealth maintains a network of health care services across more than 130 facilities nationwide, including hospital campuses, urgent-care centers, home-health and hospice agencies, and nursing homes. We Believe in Academic Growth Brock Hall Renovations Add 4,000 Square Feet of Classroom Space hink back to your first few days in a new school or at a new job. You’re late for the next event on your schedule and navigating unfamiliar surroundings Tis complicating an already stressful day. If only more of your meetings were in the same building or even the same floor! After 12 months of designing and five months of construction, Brock Hall is now home to several new classrooms.

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