MARS HILL
Matters
MARS HILL
Matters YEAR IN REVIEW
Friends,
As we reflect with gratitude on a year of growth, purposeful planning, and campus-wide enthusiasm, it is altogether appropriate to ask the question,
“Does what we do really matter?” In the pages that follow you will not only discover our progress during the past fiscal year (June 1, 2013–May 31, 2014), but you will also read about individuals and hear from a range of voices who collectively answer the questions: "Does Mars Hill Matter?" and "What does Mars Hill mean to me?" We think you will find, as we have again and again, that Mars Hill does indeed matter and that the institution has made a positive impact on countless lives. Join us as we explore why and how Mars Hill matters, and as we consider our roles in ensuring that its influence lives on.
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– Rose Smith ’18
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Dr. Dan Lunsford ’69, President
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“Mars Hill matters because this institution gives hope to those who never knew they had the potential to receive an education and make a difference in their communities.”
Mike Kelly
In 2006, Kelly went to work for Macy's Credit and Customer Service Division, where he is now the vice president of learning and development. Kelly says that his journey has taught him the importance of goals, priorities, and balance. As a result, he has developed a mission statement for his life which provides direction: "to use my God-given leadership and analytical skills to help my family and others grow to be all that God designed them to be." Financial success has also allowed Kelly to give back to organizations in which he’s involved and trusts. Among those organizations is Mars Hill University, for which he serves as a trustee. He says he is selective about his support, but that Mars Hill matters to him because, “Mars Hill provides an environment where holistic transformation takes place. Students there are equipped to positively impact their communities and the world. It’s a place that provides an education, certainly, but students can be transformed as well.” Kelly says that what he gives in resources and time to Mars Hill is a small amount compared to what he has received, over the years, from his Mars Hill experience. “I want to be part of maintaining that legacy of learning and holistic transformation, so that young people have a chance to experience what I’ve experienced.”
Mike Kelly (center) with his wife, Melinda, and one of two his sons: Mike Kelly, Jr.
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hen Mike Kelly was a teenager growing up in Cheraw, SC, his goals for his life were fairly vague.
“The primary goals for my life at that point were to find a way to get an education and to experience the world. That was it,” he said. Finding a way to get an education included looking for a way to play basketball in college. That goal came to pass when Jack Lytton, who was the men’s basketball coach at Mars Hill College, recruited him to play basketball at Mars Hill. That opportunity, he says now, was a “God thing,” that set him on a path of transformation that shaped the rest of his life. At the time, however, Kelly says his first experience at Mars Hill was one of culture shock. “It was challenging,” he said. “I was an African American coming from Cheraw, SC, where there wasn’t a lot of interaction between whites and blacks. When I came to Mars Hill, it was probably 97 percent white, so, it was quite a culture change.” Despite the hard work, and the initial culture shock, Kelly looks back now at his years at Mars Hill as a high point in his life.
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“Mars Hill University matters because it provides an environment where holistic transformation takes place and students are equipped to positively impact our local communities and the world.”
“I grew as a person in so many different ways,” he said. “And that experience, over those four years, helped me understand that we’re all people. God loves us all and we all have something to contribute. We’re relational beings, and it’s important that we learn to love and serve each other.”
- Mike Kelly ’82 Trustee
Among the people that Kelly counts as influential in his life during those years, was Dr. Fred Bentley, who was president of Mars Hill College. Bentley, he said, took time for him and modeled the importance of servant leadership. Leadership, it turns out, would play a huge role in Kelly’s life and career choices. Soon after his graduation, he found a position as a production supervisor for a textile company in his hometown. In that position, and in others that followed, he learned to move away from autocratic leadership, and to adopt a more participatory style that would allow him to develop relationships with the people he managed. Kelly joined Michelin Tire Corporation as a production supervisor in 1990. From there, his career took a meteoric path. Over the next 16 years, he obtained a master's degree, transferred to Cincinnati, OH, and continued to move up in the company.
“Mars Hill left a footprint in my heart that I will forever take with me.”
- Aarika Sandlin ’02
YEAR IN REVIEW
MARS HILL UNIVERSITY ENDOWMENT $50,000,000 $45,000,000 $40,000,000 $35,000,000 $30,000,000 $25,000,000 $20,000,000 $15,000,000
“Mars Hill matters because it’s become my home. It’s shown me a whole new world full of opportunity.” – Megan Currie ’16
“Mars Hill matters because it gives me opportunities that wouldn’t be available anywhere else.” - Amber Brown ’15 “Mars Hill matters because we take reasoned arguments about ethics seriously.” - Dr. Barry Sharpe
“Mars Hill University matters to me because of friendship. I made some wonderful friends while there, and those friendships continue to this day.” - Patricia Robbins Hill ’76
“Mars Hill matters because the individuals who are drawn to this place want the education needed to become ethical citizens and skilled leaders in their respective domains.”
Trustee
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Director of Ethics Across the Curriculum
- Dr. Julie Fortney, Professor of Music
$5,000,000 $0
1/1/2005
1/1/2006
1/1/2007
1/1/2008
1/1/2009
1/1/2010
1/1/2011
1/1/2012
1/1/2013
1/1/2014
ENDOWED FUNDS CREATED DURING THE 2013-2014 ACADEMIC YEAR: • • • • • • • • •
Jeanne Gellerstedt Hicks Endowed Scholarship Dr. Robert Melvin Endowed Scholarship Dr. Susan P. Gurganus Endowed Scholarship Mary Jo DeBruhl Endowed Scholarship Class of 2003 Scholarship Carolyn and Jack Ferguson Endowed Nursing Scholarship AGS Scholarship Fund Ken Horton '58 Endowed Scholarship in Mathematics James D. and Patricia C. Buchanan Endowed Scholarship for Adult Students • Alumni and Friends Women's Golf Scholarship
“An education from Mars Hill University is a transformative adventure that lasts a lifetime.”
“Mars Hill matters because it understands the spiritual development of students must go hand-in-hand with excellence in scholarship.” - Will Davis ’60
$10,000,000
- Mark Cabaniss ’82 Trustee
The Mars Hill University Endowment grew to its highest level ($46,856,273) recently. This growth is due in large part to the wonderful, gracious donors who have committed to the idea that supporting students through scholarships is the right path to a successful future. Creating an endowed scholarship is a simple process that can occur via a one-time gift or through a pledge of up to four years. The minimum to establish this type of endowment is $20,000. The current spending rate, as set by the board of trustees, is 5%. This means that the interest earned through investing will be used to award the scholarships while the principle of the fund will not be invaded. In this manner, the fund will live on in perpetuity and provide support to Mars Hill students for many years to come. In fact, Mars Hill is awarding scholarship today from funds established as early as the 1950s. If you would like more information on how to establish an endowed scholarship, please call Tim McClain at (828) 689-1435.
YEAR IN REVIEW
“S
mall amounts made a big difference.” For Brian Matlock ’98, the Mars Hill experience was made possible by small gifts which added up to help cover his tuition and other expenses. Today, as a member of the alumni board and as a regular contributor to the Mars Hill Fund, he’s proving that small amounts still make a big difference.
Brian Matlock
Part of what he found he could do is give back to the institution which meant so much in his life. Brian says, “I loved it so much; it’s always been a push to try to get others to come experience Mars Hill. “
Even though they might seem small and insignificant to those with greater means, he says those small bits of financial aid allowed him to stay at Mars Hill to complete his degree. “What you need, God will provide. I had the faith that it would happen,” Brian says.
“Students are given wonderful opportunities to discover their dreams and become what they aspire to be. I know because it happened to me and I have watched for over thirty years as it happens again and again to each new generation.” - Dr. Bruce Boyles ’80
Trustee
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Those experiences and lessons learned through a public speaking class “pushed me to go beyond my limits—I got to this point, now let me see what else I can do!”
“Several times, I was ready to pack up and go home, and then these small scholarships would come through.” Brian says he owes much of what he is today to his student experience at Mars Hill. “For me, being a shy person and not confident in myself, having the opportunity to get involved, build my confidence, and begin to lead was such a shift from what I experienced before,” he says. That shy young college student began getting involved in campus life and eventually became a leader in Greek life and other student organizations.
As a juvenile court counselor, Brian is not bringing home the kind of salary that allows him to make huge gifts. But he knows that the size of the individual contribution is not the only thing that matters. “In my small little way that I can, I want other students to have the same opportunities I had,” he says. He points out that almost anyone can find a small amount to contribute. For some that might mean eating out one less time per month. For others it might be giving up a couple of cups of fancy coffee. If enough people commit to finding their own source for that small amount, he says, the impact on current and future Mars Hill University students can be huge. “Until I win the lottery and can make a big gift, I do what I can each month. I would love to be able to inspire 300-500 people to say, ‘You know, I can do $10 a month.’ That would add up to a pretty good chunk of money—enough to help a couple of students each year.”
“Mars Hill gave me many gifts, not the least of which was a great education and a greater appreciation of my gifts and abilities and who God created me to be.”
- Suzanne Reece ’93
YEAR IN REVIEW
MARS HILL UNIVERSITY 2014-2015 GEOGRAPHIC ENROLLMENT “Mars Hill matters because its STATE TOTAL NUMBER OF STUDENTS experiential learning molds young International | 3% North Carolina 1028 men and women into the ethical Other | 9% South Carolina 94 leaders that will make a difference in Tennesse 20 Florida | 5% Virginia 25 their communities.” Georgia 74 Georgia | 5% - Dr. Keith Leggett ’80 Florida 68 Virginia | 2% Other 136 Trustee Tennessee | 1% International 41 North Carolina | 69%
South Carolina | 6%
“Mars Hill matters because I matter.”
– Codie New ’15
TOTAL NUMBER OF STUDENTS
MARS HILL UNIVERSITY COMPARATIVE TRADITIONAL 1400 STUDENT ENROLLMENT 2005-2015 1200 1000 800 600 400 200 0
2005-2006 2006-2007 2007-2008 2008-2009 2009-2010 2010-2011 2011-2012 2012-2013 2013-2014 2014-2015
YEAR
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ENROLLMENT
YEAR
ENROLLMENT
2005-2006 989
2010-2011 955
2006-2007 968
2011-2012 1063
2007-2008 968
2012-2013 1137
2008-2009 1001
2013-2014 1216
2009-2010 1007
2014-2015 1242
YEAR IN REVIEW
Jack and Carolyn Ferguson
In 2013, the Fergusons made another major commitment to Mars Hill that will lead the institution into new territory. The Ferguson Health Sciences Building is due to begin construction in the spring of 2015 and will hold Mars Hill’s planned nursing program. The modern lab spaces specifically designed for the nursing curriculum will be crucial in helping Mars Hill graduates navigate in a world where much of our healthcare is accomplished and tracked by computer.
Ferguson has served two terms as a trustee of the university (2001-04 and 2006-09). In 2004, they were named Philanthropists of the Year by Mars Hill, and in 2006, Mars Hill awarded the Fergusons with doctorates of humane letters. In addition to their commitments to Mars Hill, the couple has donated generously to AshevilleBuncombe Technical Community College, Mission Hospitals, North Carolina Baptist Children’s Homes, the Oxford Orphanage, and Hominy Baptist Church.
At the same time, the Fergusons made a foundational gift which will establish the Carolyn and Jack Ferguson Endowed Nursing Scholarship for students going through the program.
Mars Hill matters to the Fergusons because the university’s mission of providing a quality education in an atmosphere which honors its Baptist heritage is one which they value and hope to support. “Mars Hill is a good school, with a wonderful Baptist heritage. We wanted to do what we could to help the university remain true to that mission,” Carolyn Ferguson said.
Residents of Candler, NC, the Fergusons keep busy with a number of community and church involvements. Jack Ferguson is a member of the Mars Hill University Foundation Board, Carolyn
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“Mars Hill University matters because it is a Christian institution seeking to develop ethical leaders for a rapidly changing world.”
- Rev. Dr. Dixon Free ’62 Chair, Board of Trustees
ducation is what will build our community,” according to Jack Ferguson. “Those with a better education have a better chance at a better life.”
This desire to contribute to the western North Carolina community and to enable other people to seek a better life is the primary philosophy that has driven Jack and Carolyn Ferguson to contribute generously to Mars Hill University over the years. In 2004, the Fergusons made a major gift to Mars Hill University which enabled the institution to build Ferguson Math and Science Center. The building, located at the intersection of NC Highway 213 and Athletic Street, was the first new classroom building constructed at Mars Hill since 1973. The threestory building is 38,000 square feet, and holds state-of-the-art facilities and labs which have made a tremendous difference in the study of math and science at Mars Hill.
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When the building was dedicated in June 2008, Carolyn Ferguson said: “Our dream has always been to do what we could so that others would be able to dream their dreams and have a better life for themselves and a better community in which to live and see their dreams come true.”
“Mars Hill University matters because it’s where life changing, transformational experiences take place. My Mars Hill experience will forever be a beloved indelible thread interwoven into the very fabric of my life.”
- Cheryl Pappas ’70 Incoming Chair of the Mars Hill University Board of Trustees
YEAR IN REVIEW
1856 Society
The 1856 Society was established in 2013 to recognize the significance and impact of “Mars Hill and those beautiful alumni and friends who make a gift of $1,000 or more in a given academic year in support mountains became a second home of Mars Hill University. Below we have listed the charter members of the 1856 Society. The students, faculty, and staff want to thank you for your generosity and confidence as to a girl from San Diego who went shown through your giving. across the country to go to college on Mr. and Mrs. Ashley N. Abernathy Mrs. Bonnie W. Adams Mr. and Mrs. Keith D. Adams Dr. C. Earl Leininger and Mrs. Cathy Adkins Mr. and Mrs. J. Thomas Alexander Mr. Jud Ammons Mrs. Joyce W. Anderson Mr. and Mrs. John Appel Mr. and Mrs. Frank V. Atlee III Mr. and Mrs. Joe Aycock Mr. and Mrs. John S. Ayers Jr. Mr. Richard H. Bagley Mr. Richard A. Beaver Mrs. Doris P. Bentley Mr. and Mrs. Joe B. Bingham Dr. and Mrs. Eric Blackwell Dr. Frieda Blackwell and Mr. Michael W. Welhausen Rev. and Mrs. Ronald O. Brown Mr. and Mrs. James R. Bryant Jr. Mr. and Mrs. Doug Buchanan Mr. Ted R. Buckner Dr. and Mrs. Max E. Burgin Mr. Mark G. Cabaniss Mr. and Mrs. Marcus D. Canipe Mr. and Mrs. Brett P. Cannady Ms. Maggie Carnevale, AIA Mr. and Mrs. M. Kyle Carver Sr. Mr. and Mrs. Jerry H. Cates Mr. and Mrs. James L. Cauble Jr. Dr. John W. Chandler Mr. and Mrs. Bud Christman Dr. and Mrs. Charles R. Coble Dr. and Mrs. Corbin L. Cooper Mr. and Mrs. Larry Coup Mr. and Mrs. Louie A. Cox Mr. and Mrs. Michael C. Cranford Mr. and Mrs. Bill Crump Mr. and Mrs. Charles A. Davis Chaplain Lewis E. Dawson and Mrs. Dawson
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Mrs. Mary DeBruhl++ Mrs. Sally P. Duyck Mr. and Mrs. David A. Evans Jr. Drs. Carolyn and Jack R. Ferguson Mr. and Mrs. Benjamin G. Floyd III Mr. John W. Foster Jr. Dr. and Mrs. Dixon Free Ms. Jean S. Freeman Mr. and Mrs. Lee J. French Drs. Patsy and Earl J. Fry Mr. and Mrs. Ken Gasque Miss Gayla M. Green Dr. and Mrs. Stanley G. Griffin Mr. and Mrs. Michael V. Groce Dr. Susan P. Gurganus and Dr. Albert E. Gurganus Dr. Caryl Guth Dr. Ilda L. Hall Littell Mr. and Mrs. Charles S. Hamm Dr. JoAnne H. Hardy Dr. Virginia Hart Mr. and Mrs. Tom Hicks Mr. and Mrs. Wayne Higgins Dr. and Mrs. David C. Hodge Mr. and Mrs. Milton R. Hodges Mr. and Mrs. Ed Hoffmeyer Mr. and Mrs. Gene Holdway Mr. and Mrs. Bob Holsten Mr. and Mrs. A.C. Honeycutt Jr. Mr. and Mrs. John N. Hooper Jr. Mr. Kenneth W. Horton++ Dr. John M. Hough Jr. Mr. and Mrs. J.V. Howell, Jr. Mr. and Mrs. Bud Hughes Miss Thelma J. Hutchins Mr. and Mrs. James D. Ingram Dr. Lloyd F. Jackson Jr. Dr. and Mrs. Roger H. Jackson Mr. and Mrs. Stuart Jackson Mr. and Mrs. Leo James ++ deceased Continued on the following page
a swimming scholarship.”
- Taylor Bugg ’13
YEAR IN REVIEW
1856 Society Dr. and Mrs. Arlo Jennings Mr. and Mrs. Leslie Johnson Mr. Rodney L. Johnson Mr. Norman C. McRae and Rev. Linda Judge-McRae Mr. and Mrs. Robert J. Kahn Mr. and Mrs. Troy A. Kauffman Mr. and Mrs. Mike Kelly Mr. and Mrs. Bill Kenney Mr. and Mrs. Brent B. Kincaid Mr. Wayne King Dr. and Mrs. Keith Kramer Mr. and Mrs. William G. Lawrence III Mr. William G. Lawrence Jr. Mr. and Mrs. Austin K. Lee Dr. and Mrs. Keith J. Leggett Mr. and Mrs. Skip Liles Mr. James M. Little III++ Mr. and Mrs. David S. Loveland III Dr. and Mrs. Dan G. Lunsford Mr. and Mrs. Eric K. Mann Dr. and Mrs. Burgess P. Marshbanks Jr. Mr. and Mrs. Joel Martin Mrs. Frances W. Massey Mr. and Mrs. William W. McKinney
Dr. and Mrs. Jason D. McNeal Miss Diana K. McWilliams++ Mr. and Mrs. Robert B. Melvin Mr. and Mrs. Tom Merrell Dr. Gordon K. Middleton Jr. Mr. Jim Montgomery Rev. Dr. F. Timothy Moore and Ms. Magay Shepard Mr. and Mrs. Thomas E. Nash Jr. Mr. and Mrs. Thomas E. Nash III Dr. Rebeccah Neff and Mr. Harry M. Neff Dr. and Mrs. W. Harold Newman Noel J. Kinnamon Trust Rev. and Mrs. Jack A. Painter Mr. and Mrs. Chris Pappas Mr. V. A. Parks Jr. Mr. and Mrs. Charles M. Patterson Mrs. Barbara B. Peek Rev. and Mrs. James A. Pittman Mr. and Mrs. J. C. Ponder Mr. and Mrs. Coolidge A. Porterfield Jr. Mr. and Mrs. Foster E. Pound Mr. and Mrs. Michael H. Pressley Mrs. Betty O. Purser Hon. Raymond C. Rapp and Mrs. Rapp
Mr. and Mrs. Michael W. Ratcliff Mr. and Mrs. George D. Renfro Mr. and Mrs. Larry D. Rhodes Mr. and Mrs. David W. Riggins Mr. and Mrs. Tally Roberts Mrs. Kim Roberts Mrs. Donna N. Robertson Mr. and Mrs. Robert J. Robinson Esq. Mr. and Mrs. David Rogers Mrs. Virginia B. Rule Dr. and Mrs. Rick H. Schlapkohl Mr. and Mrs. Delroy S. Seip Jr. Mr. and Mrs. Charles D. Sharp Mr. and Mrs. Andrew J. McDaniel Dr. and Mrs. David B. Smith Mr. and Mrs. David G. Smith Dr. Karen M. Smith Dr. and Mrs. A.C. Snow Mr. Jeffrey R. Southall Mr. and Mrs. Ronald G. Stamey Mr. and Mrs. Lendell E. Steele Drs. Larry and Teresa Stern Mr. Robert G. Stromberg Dr. and Mrs. Walter L. Stroud Jr. Mr. and Mrs. David A. Teachey
Mr. and Mrs. Robert L. Thomasson Miss Que Tucker Mr. and Mrs. J. Nelson Tunstall Mr. and Mrs. Robert T. Van Vliet++ Dr. Elizabeth Vogler and Mr. Joseph B. Vogler Mr. and Mrs. Ronald L. Wagner Rev. and Mrs. Davey L. Ward Mr. and Mrs. L. Albert Weaver III Mrs. Lois E. Wells Mr. and Mrs. Roger Williams Mr. and Mrs. Jim Wilson Ms. B. Jane Winn Mr. and Mrs. Art Wood Mr. and Mrs. David Wyatt Mr. and Mrs. Robert S. Wyly ++ deceased
“Mars Hill University matters because it is a community
where students are encouraged to develop their leadership and service skills and to take advantage of the diverse educational opportunities.”
- Gwen Davis Trustee
M A R S H I L L M AT T E R S
YEAR IN REVIEW
YEAR IN REVIEW
MARS HILL
Matters
“Mars Hill has always been and will always be home.”
- Heather Meadows Kaylor ’07
For more information and assistance planning your gift, please contact: Dr. Dan Lunsford President (828) 689-1111 dlunsford@mhu.edu
M A R S H I L L M AT T E R S
Bud Christman Vice President for Advancement (828) 689-1194 bchristman@mhu.edu
Tim McClain Director of Development (828) 689-1435 tmcclain@mhu.edu
M A R S H I L L M AT T E R S