2 minute read
From the President
Though not an entirely accurate representation of the words spoken by Apollo 13 astronaut Jack Swigert in 1970, while communicating the discovery of an explosion that had damaged their spaceship, the movie's creative adaption of the original line became a popular phrase in our culture. It describes that "Uh oh" moment when something has gone wrong, a solution is needed, and the faster, the better. Growing up on an Air Force Base near the Space Center, my bedroom walls were lined with glossy signed photographs of the astronauts in the 1960s. I learned early that innovation requires curiosity and these pioneers in space were attempting to solve problems, the primary requirement, it seems, to try something new.
Back in mid-summer 1899, a different group of pioneers was granted a charter to open a new university on the holiness campgrounds a mile north of Greenville, Texas. Welcoming the first class of students in September of that same year, there was little time to recruit faculty, build classrooms, or develop curriculum, but innovators often leave the details to others.
From the beginning, the university was designed to be a liberal arts Christian institution, welcoming all denominations and committed to being affordable and accessible for those seeking a purposefully different kind of higher education.
Throughout SNU's history, resources have been limited, with some times being much scarcer than others. Records tell the story of lean times, sacrificial support, and at least a time or two when the institution's survival was in great question. During my first year as president at SNU I had the privilege of sharing a meal with one of the most innovative graduates in our history, Bobby Gruenwald. (You will read more about Bobby on the following pages). Though we were not talking about scarcity or sacrifice in that conversation, Bobby made a statement that I asked him to repeat and explain. Here's what he said: "We make the best decisions when our resources are the most limited." Though he did not know it at the time, I felt like it was a divine appointment and precisely what I needed to hear. Innovators know that scarcity creates opportunity, and opportunity opens the door to innovation.
Now in our 123rd year of service, SNU continues to pursue innovation, a hallmark of our institutional history. Whether it was the decision to be co-educational from our beginning days, or being an early adopter of the Professional and Graduate Studies model in the 1980s, or the educational center in Costa Rica, or current plans being executed to add to our health science offerings, SNU is committed to excellence, relevance, and service. Innovators always need help…with the resources (human and capital), with the encouragement (don't quit, persevere), and at a place like SNU, with the prayers (God is with us, Amen)!
Recently, Edgar Sandoval, President and CEO of World Vision, said, "Good enough is the biggest enemy to breakthroughs." At SNU, my hope and my prayer and my commitment is that we will continue to seek God first, live last through lives of service, pray big, and trust God to help us with more and more breakthroughs! Thanks for your continued partnership with SNU in this process to produce more Christ-like disciples through higher education. Our world needs more candles in the darkness, and with God's help, we will continue to graduate men and women making a difference as they serve!
Keith Newman, President
