Annual Report
2019-20
FR O M T HE P R E SI D E N T
DEAR FRIENDS, After more than 15 years as a college president, I’ve learned that every academic year is unique. Yes, our community follows the predictable rhythm of fall semesters, spring semesters and summer breaks, but each year has its distinct challenges and surprises. However, I don’t think any of us could have expected the challenge we would face in 2019-20. Halfway through our spring semester, the COVID-19 pandemic disrupted our typical routines in a dramatic way. Within a few weeks, students had moved out of residence halls, classes had gone virtual, and athletic teams’ seasons were canceled. What was not surprising, though, was how the Point community stepped up to meet this challenge head on. As you’ll read in this annual report, faculty adapted their teaching methods to meet the needs of the pandemic, while continuing to produce excellent scholarship. Our spiritual formation team shifted to virtual chapel, and our local college ministry offered small groups via Zoom. Leaders on our campus jumped into action, creating policies and procedures to keep our students, faculty and staff safe. In the midst of great difficulty, the core of who we are at Point remained strong. Never has our world needed Christian university graduates more than it does now – graduates who are prepared for Christ-centered leadership and service around the world. As we continue to uphold that mission at Point University, know that we are grateful for the alumni, churches and friends whose faithful support has made our work possible. By His grace,
Dean C. Collins ’79 President
BY T H E NU MB E RS
T O T A L I N C O M E | $28,824,741
1% Investment Return
14% Other Income
13% Other Expenses
30% Instruction
23% Institutional Support
18% Private Gifts & Grants
10% Government Grants
T O T A L E X P E N S E S | $27,646,915
57% Tuition & Fees
22% Student Services
13% Academic Support
S C HO LA R SHI P
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t Point University, we seek to encourage students to think analytically and critically, communicate effectively, and demonstrate competence in biblical and theological studies, the arts and sciences, and professional studies in which they major. Not only do we strive for intellectual excellence among our students, but also among our faculty. Our faculty members are vital components in providing our students with a high-quality Christian education, and they are highly esteemed within their various fields of study.
Dr. Greg Moffatt ’88, dean of the College of Counseling and Human Services, was published several times in Counseling Today during 2020.
One such professor is Dr. Jennifer Craft ’07, who teaches theology, philosophy and humanities courses at Point. In 2019, Craft was invited to present several lectures across the country, including at the Stone-Campbell Conference in March and the Christians in the Visual Arts Conference in June. In September, she gave a seminar at the Duke Initiatives in Theology and the Arts Conference, participated in the Emerging Scholars in Theology and the Arts directive, and gave the Showers Lecture in Christian Religion at the University of Indianapolis. In 2020, despite the outbreak of COVID-19, Craft continued speaking and teaching through various podcasts and articles. Her valuable expertise in her field continues to impact our students and greater community despite unexpected challenges. Working alongside Craft is Dr. Holly Carey ’01, professor of biblical studies and chair of the Department of Biblical Studies in the College of Biblical Studies and Ministry. Carey teaches biblical studies courses at the University, ranging from Christ, Culture and Career to Women in the Bible. In addition to teaching, Carey has published several essays and papers, including “Psalm 22 in Mark: Moving Forward” in New Studies in Textual Interplay. In November 2020, Carey presented at the virtual Society of
Biblical Literature conference, and she has been invited to participate as a panelist in a joint session honoring the life and work of Larry W. Hurtado at the 2021 Society of Biblical Literature conference. The dean of the College of Counseling and Human Services, Dr. Greg Moffatt ’88, has also been a leading voice in his field for decades. He, like his peers, was published in numerous publications in 2020, including several articles in Counseling Today, such as “Knowledge is a Coping Skill,” “The Need for Standardization in Suicide Risk Assessment,” and “The Dangers of Cultural Unawareness.” He also maintains his monthly newspaper column for The Citizen newspaper in Fayette County, Georgia. Moffatt has presented on managing stress during crisis for various audiences in 2020, and he even wrote for the Investigation Discovery television show The Creek Bottom, which aired last fall on the Discovery Channel. The last year has been exceptionally challenging for educators. Attempting to adapt in-person courses to a virtual format with constantly changing schedules and protocols has been draining for many. In addition, attempting to communicate effectively with students while keeping them engaged is a feat in its own right. To then continue learning, teaching and contributing to the academic community is remarkable. It is one of the many reasons our students are so well-equipped to begin their careers when they graduate, no matter which field they decide to pursue.
A CAMPUS LIBRARY LEGEND Michael Bain has served as director of library services and as a Point faculty member since 1981. During his 40 years of faithful services to the University, he has guided the library through numerous transitions. Bain assembled a collection of resources that helped Point secure regional accreditation from the Southern Association of Colleges and Schools Commission on Colleges; relocated Point’s library from East Point to West Point; replaced the physical card catalog with a digital catalog; and recorded, retained, compiled and preserved important institutional history. Point is grateful for the dedication of employees like Bain.
GRACE AND TRUTH Justin Giboney, co-founder and president of the AND Campaign, attorney and political strategist, joined Point University’s community for its February 2019 chapel service. The AND Campaign’s mission is to educate and organize Christians for civic and cultural engagement that results in better representation, more just and compassionate policies, and a healthier political culture. Giboney encouraged Point’s community to look beyond partisan lines when engaging in Christ-like politics, and to aim to respond with both grace and truth in all things.
FAI T H
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oint University’s mission is to educate students for Christ-centered service and leadership throughout the world. Jesus is emphasized in the classroom and on the athletic fields — in all we do. The University also strives to create opportunities for students to encounter Jesus in their everyday lives. Point’s spiritual formation team works to accomplish this goal by hosting monthly chapel services at Spring Road Christian Church in Lanett, Alabama. Each year, Point University has a spiritual formation theme, around which each chapel service focuses. Last February, unknown to everyone at the time, Point hosted its last in-person chapel service for the time being. The University was joined by Justin Giboney as the guest speaker. As co-founder and president of The AND Campaign, Giboney seeks to educate and organize Christians for civic and cultural engagement that results in better representation, more just and compassionate policies, and a healthier political culture. Giboney is an attorney and political strategist, frequently writes for publications such as Christianity Today and The Hill, and served as the co-chair of Obama for America’s Gen44-Atlanta initiative. Giboney spoke powerfully about the Christian’s role in the political sphere, and he set the tone for our community as we sat on the brink of great change, both due to the pandemic and the divisive political season. After the COVID-19 pandemic began, the spiritual formation team was committed to continuing to reach students for Jesus, even if they could not gather in person. In April, the spiritual formation team partnered with the Communications Office to host its first ever virtual chapel service on YouTube and Facebook Live. The service consisted of worship music and a sermon from a speaker, as well as videos of students, faculty and staff. The
30-minute service was able to connect students, faculty, staff, coaches, alumni and others in the Point community at a time when many were isolated and the future was incredibly uncertain. Since then, Point has continued hosting virtual chapel services approximately once a month. These services have featured a variety of alumni and others who love Point University and are committed to its mission and vision. Finding ways for students to connect with one another during this time when all courses were virtual was also difficult. One organization that rose to meet this challenge was Feast, a college ministry on Point’s West Point campus. During the school year, Feast typically meets on Tuesdays at Spring Road Christian Church, hosts small groups for students, and organizes events for students to connect and grow together. After the pandemic began, Feast had to adjust like everyone else. Since the majority of West Point students returned to their hometowns, Feast continued to host small groups virtually. Additionally, Feast adapted their Tuesday night gatherings to a Facebook Live service. Students watched the Facebook live stream and interacted via chat during the event. This type of virtual connection was absolutely crucial for students who were coping with the constant change and difficulty of virtual classes. Although there are likely very few people in the Point community who would say they prefer interacting with one another virtually, in the midst of the pandemic, virtual events and technology allowed everyone to stay connected — no matter how far away they were. This technology makes it possible for life at Point to go on, and it will make it that much sweeter when we can gather together once more.
Feast, a local college ministry, has a house one block from the Lanier Academic Center in West Point. Despite pandemic restrictions, Feast continued to minister to college students from Point and other local institutions in 2020.
C R IS I S R E SP O N SE
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Point faculty and staff, like Mary Susan Underwood, director of guest relations, adapted quickly to safety guidelines such as social distancing and mask wearing. After working remotely for several months, employees returned to campus in June 2020.
hen the COVID-19 pandemic began in the United States in March 2020, the Point community — like the rest of the world — had no way to know how long the emergency would last. Swiftly, the University’s leadership responded with urgency and concern for others. Students who were able were asked to return home in order to stop the spread of the virus, and all courses transitioned to a virtual format. Nonessential staff were also asked to work from home until the situation could be addressed in the long-term.
The second task force was the Transition Task Force, which focused on keeping Point’s academics flexible for the future. This task force’s goal was to bring a “flexible future framework” to life in aligning in-person courses with the online program. To achieve this, courses were transitioned to an eight-week format, rather than the previous 16-week format. Additionally, this team created a dynamic online experience and built the capability to deliver courses both online and in-person simultaneously. This gave the University the flexibility to move courses fully online again, if necessary.
One of the responses to the outbreak from the University was the development of several task forces, which were designed to address the varied areas that would be affected by new COVID-19 protocols. These ranged from facilities management, such as increasing disinfecting and cleaning in all Point facilities, to changes in academic calendars and modes of instruction, to quarantine and isolation protocols once students eventually returned to campus. These task forces met frequently throughout the summer and worked tirelessly to ensure that our community could maintain some semblance of normalcy once students, faculty and staff returned to campus, even if that return was limited.
The third task force was the New World Task Force, which was centered on programs, strategies and a model for the future. This team wanted to dive deep and develop proposals for business-to-business opportunities, new communication capabilities and processes, emerging high-demand programs, and strategic partnerships. This task force was aware that COVID-19 would leave a lasting change on the world, the nation and Point University, and therefore, adaptation and growth were necessary to be successful in a post-pandemic world.
Three specific task forces were introduced, each one with a unique focus and goal. The first was the Emergency Task Force, which focused on setting up the transition to properly following new guidelines. They were concerned with defining “social distancing and care” and in applying that terminology to employees, students, sports teams and the community in every aspect of the University — in the classroom, on the practice field, in the locker rooms, in the dining hall, in offices, and so on.
Each task force consisted of individuals from various audiences in the Point community who worked together to formulate specific changes to be implemented within the University. Once these changes were successfully agreed upon and made, the task forces dissolved into smaller, more focused groups. These teams were vital to the successful transition of Point University during the COVID-19 pandemic, and the developments that resulted from the task forces continue to impact the University and keep the community safe and thriving.
KEEPING OUR CAMPUS SAFE The outbreak of the Covid-19 pandemic resulted in many changes on Point University’s campus. While classrooms may have been empty at the end of the spring 2020 semester, Point’s custodial services team was hard at work by increasing the cleaning protocols of all Point University facilities. All buildings are cleaned at least once a day with the highest quality disinfectant, and all public spaces are disinfected between each use to eliminate the spread of germs. Point University is incredibly grateful for the dedication of its staff to ensure the health and safety of the entire Point community!
COMING HOME TO WEST POINT The Point Skyhawks take the field for the 2019 Homecoming game! The entire Point community joined together to celebrate Homecoming weekend in October. The weekend’s festivities included the 25-50 Luncheon, a block party, a concert from the Department of Fine Arts, and a tailgate before the football game. It was a wonderful time of reunion and celebration for the whole community.
COMMU NI T Y
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he Point University community is incredibly unique and tight-knit. Before the pandemic, the University was able to host several events and celebrations to highlight and honor this community. In fall 2019, Point hosted Homecoming, a yearly three-day event when alumni, current students, faculty and staff can gather to celebrate the University. For many, it is an opportunity to reconnect with old friends and to make new ones. In 2019, Homecoming events ranged from a reunion luncheon with alumni, to a block party on campus, to a Skyhawk football game. In addition to Homecoming, the University Advancement Office organized the annual President’s Dinner, where Point’s donors and trustees gathered to share a meal at the Point University Golf Club and Event Center and celebrated the successes of the past year. Point is extremely grateful for the generosity of its donors and seeks to show that gratitude as often as possible. The generous donations of alumni, churches and friends allow the University to impact its students for the gospel of Christ through scholarships, resources and a challenging education. Another well-known Point University event is the annual Point Golf Classic. This golf fundraiser seeks to raise money for the scholarships that go to local Point students from Troup and Chambers Counties. The Golf Classic is an excellent opportunity to involve the local West Point, Lanett and Valley communities in the life of Point University and its students. The 2019 Golf Classic was presented by sponsor Jackson Services. The tournament had 39 sponsors and 100 golfers; it raised approximately $30,000 for the support of local students at the institution. Point University facilities are also a staple in the downtown West Point landscape. One such facility,
the Scott Fine Arts Center, recently had a room named after one of the department’s most involved and generous donors, Bill Owens. Owens gives often and generously to the Department of Fine Arts, and he even takes piano lessons from Dr. Katie Cartwright, a longtime music professor at Point. In February 2020, the University hosted a naming reception for Owens and the Bill Owens Piano Lab. When asked why he gives to Point, Owens responded, “I give to Point University because it’s local, and because of the outstanding fine arts department and the wonderful faculty like Dr. Katie Cartwright.” Shortly after the Bill Owens Piano Lab was officially named, the University campus community went virtual for the pandemic. Since then, on-campus, community-focused events have been limited in order to protect the health and safety of everyone. Despite this, Point remains dedicated to creating a tight-knit community of students, faculty, staff, alumni and donors and to building relationships with the local community.
Dr. Katie Cartwright, professor of music, teaches local resident Bill Owens in the Scott Fine Arts Center piano lab named in his honor.
UNIVERSITY LEADERSHIP PRESIDENT Dean Collins ’79
BOARD OF TRUSTEES Marvin Bussey ’86 Andrew Cathy Anthony L. Collins Robert M. Day David A. Deeter Jeremy Fine
J. Ross Greene T. Campbell Huxford ’78 André Kennebrew Paul Leslie ’87 David McDaniel Rob Raynor ’79
Faith Mims Simpson ’76 Jim Sloderbeck Alan Stith ’93 Ralph Swearngin Michael D. Waers ’77