by M. C. Jennings | Apr 3, 2023 | Academics, Alumni Spotlight, Current Students, Management, Marketing, Uncategorized
Written by special contributor Lance Fleming
The headlines splashed across newspapers and websites around the country last December and into January certainly weren’t flattering for Southwest Airlines. The airline –annually among the leaders of all airlines in the United States in customer satisfaction – wasn’t making anyone happy with thousands of delayed or canceled flights that left travel-weary customers stranded in airports across the country as they scrambled to return home after the holidays.
A massive winter storm caused the initial flight delays and disruptions and turned into a disaster that cost more than $800 million in lost revenue and refunds and reimbursements to customers.
Customer satisfaction fell off, and many Southwest passengers swore they’d never use the airline again after the experience.
Standing in the middle of the storm was ACU graduate Tony Roach (’01), who has been with the airline since 2001, shortly after he graduated with a BBA in Marketing and Management. He started at Southwest as a Field Marketing Coordinator, working his way up the corporate ladder by serving in customer-impacting roles across field marketing, corporate sales, product development, loyalty marketing, customer relations, and customer experience.
Roach has also been tasked with establishing the customer experience corporate function, leading the
Southwest Promise (the company’s COVID response for customers), spearheading the digital self-service and cabin modernization programs, and executing several other impactful initiatives that continue to generate revenue and improve customer satisfaction.
In January 2023, he was promoted to Senior Vice President for Marketing and Customer Experience. He will lead the company’s efforts in marketing, product & customer loyalty, digital, customer experience, and customer engagement. Roach’s organization drives customer demand, evolves the Southwest brand, and designs an end-to-end travel journey that maximizes revenue and customer loyalty.
All that to say that Roach leads the departments that have to restore trust in the Southwest brand and win back the customers who were turned off by the problems they experienced during the company’s nightmare winter.
Roach –married and has four children – was recently asked to speak to faculty and students at the annual Leadership Summit in Colorado, touching on various aspects of his Christian leadership style in a secular world and how he has helped lead Southwest Airlines through its most recent trials.
He recently sat down for a question-and-answer session covering everything from his experiences at ACU and in COBA to the company’s response to COVID and the holiday crises. Below is that conversation:
Q: When you look back on your experience at ACU and in COBA, who are some of the people who most influenced you, and what did you take away from them that you’ve carried with you in the corporate world?
Roach: There are so many people across COBA that I could name. I might not have had direct contact with them, but I recognized they were trying to do things the right way, which made an impact. I really looked up to Dr. (Rick) Lytle, Dr. (Phil) Schubert, and Tim Johnston. Dr. (Gary) McCaleb was one of the most influential people on campus, and I’m forever indebted to him. I was one of the founding members of the LYNAY (Love Your Neighbor As Yourself) group that he led for many years, and he poured into and invested in me. He influenced me in so many ways, including pushing me to strive to be the best I can be in every facet of my life, whether it be in my spiritual life, family, or job. He saw more potential in me than I even saw in myself.
Q: Tell me about the company’s response to the COVID pandemic and what you learned from dealing with all the issues that came about.
Roach: The entire industry was hit hard by COVID because so little was known about how the virus spread. The last thing people thought they needed to do was to get on an airplane. We had to modify how we operated and what the experience would be like for those willing to fly. We did many things like requiring masks and blocking middle seats onboard for social distancing; we even changed how we cleaned the plane after each flight. And we did all those things to help make people comfortable flying again. If you think about what that did to business travel, everything stopped because no one was going to the office. Our team led the customer response, and the lesson learned was that you have to adapt and be ready to pivot.
Q: Go back to the challenges that Southwest faced during the winter with the thousands of flight delays and cancellations, as well as, I’m sure, thousands of unhappy customers. How does Southwest rebuild trust with the public?
Roach: Southwest takes immense pride in taking care of its customers. It’s a huge part of our business model. To see us get to a point where we let a lot of customers down was disheartening for the executive team and frontline workers. It was a hard thing to watch, and it’s been hard to navigate. The first thing we had to do during that time was care for our customers. We had to make sure they knew they could get a refund and that we would help make them whole in other areas. That was the first big thing we did. Now we’re working on rebuilding trust with customers. We’ve always had a great brand, but we recognize that rebuilding trust takes time. So how do you do that? For one, you accept the lessons you learned and make sure you move forward and improve yourself. The second thing is consistency. We have to show we can once again be reliable, and over time we will show that. We’re still the airline everyone has loved for so long, and we’ll come out of this better and stronger. Those are tangible things that we can show customers and employees that we will be better.
Q: In these challenges you’ve been dealing with, how much did you lean on what you learned from your father (Abilene minister Dr. Tony Roach) and at ACU about leading with Christ-centered values?
Roach: You can try to remember some of the subject matter you learn in school, but there are things you learn in
the curriculum, and there are things you learn outside the curriculum. What ACU does is teach you that you can balance a lot of things at once. At ACU, you learn to balance your walk with Christ and academics. You’re blending two things. But I had three when you added athletics (Roach was on the ACU men’s basketball team). Understanding how to pursue and balance what is important to you at once is a skill that can continue to bless your life. I’ve also been lucky to have a father who has given me guidance along the way. He taught me that if you consult with God and walk with Him and abide with Him, He has your back, which keeps everything in perspective. He’s given me a great example; somebody to watch and do things with the right intent.
Q: You were recently asked to speak at Summit and share your last few months’ experiences. What was your goal in communicating with those students and staff members?
Roach: I was reminiscing that I went to Summit my last year at ACU, so this was a chance to pour back into students sitting in the seats where I once sat. They have so many decisions to come in life and where they’re at. I remember being somewhat overwhelmed by all the decisions that were coming. How do you know what you want to do? If someone had told me then that I’d be doing what I’m doing now, it would have blown me away. I wanted to give them a few things to consider, led by this: what do you think are the principles you need to stay loyal to as you make those decisions? If you remain loyal to the guiding principles, they’ll help guide decisions. And then, I wanted to remind them to be loyal to the gifts that God has given them. We each have values, and if you stay loyal to those, your gift will find its way to you. I reminded them to remain loyal to the Holy Spirit. The gift that God gave all of us is the Holy Spirit. If we stay loyal to listening to the Holy Spirit, that will lead us on our path. Finally, I reminded them to stay loyal to our mission as Christians. We serve the Kingdom. If we stay loyal to serving the mission of the Kingdom, that will guide us in all the decisions we make. My goal through all of that was to tell them it’s OK if they don’t know yet where to go from here. But to stay loyal to their principles because they will guide their paths.
by M. C. Jennings | Mar 23, 2023 | Academics, COBA Faculty, COBA Staff, Current Students, Faith Infusion, Uncategorized
Written by special contributor Lance Fleming
The Leadership Summit Class of 2023
Old friends mingled with new faces once again this year as ACU was able to host Leadership Summit in January, the first time since 2020 that the university’s Christ-focused leadership development course had been able to meet.
Established in 1998 in the College of Business Administration, Summit is a one-week, 3-hour course hosted in picturesque Colorado. The course blends academic rigor with an environment ripe for deep, personal, and lasting encounters with Jesus. The course ran for 23 consecutive years until COVID forced its cancellation in 2021. The group was set to meet at Crooked Creek camp in Fraser, Colorado, in 2022 until a water pipe burst just before everyone arrived, forcing the cancellation of the entire course.
Summit 2023 returned to its birthplace – Glen Eyrie Castle in Colorado Springs, Colorado – where founders Dr. Rick Lytle, Tim Johnston, and Mike Winegaert hosted the first meeting in 1998. The tone for this year’s week-long stay was set by best-selling author Mo Aiken, who spoke on the evening of January 7, kicking off the event.
Mo Aiken
“Mo Aiken was our kickoff speaker, and she crafted such a unique and tailored vision for our students,” said Dr. Dennis Marquardt, Associate Professor of Management and Director of the Lytle Center for Faith and Leadership. “One of my students wrote on his exam, ‘The first night that Mo Aiken spoke, she spoke with such fire and passion that set the tone for the week. She saw something that God desired for this group and was able to inspire all of us to strive for that same vision.’ Mo set a clear tone that living for Christ isn’t an add-on but an all-encompassing relationship upon which everything else is based.”
From there, speakers like Elise Mitchell (‘83), founder of the Mitchell Communications Group, Rick Atchley (‘78), Teaching Minister at The Hills Church of Christ, Tony Roach (‘01), Senior Vice President for Marketing and Customer Experience for Southwest Airlines, Mike Willoughby (‘86), CEO of PFSweb Inc., and Greg Feasel (‘80), President and CEO of the Colorado Rockies – as well as many others – opened their hearts to the attendees. Message after message of openness about sin and struggles and connecting it to leadership took everyone to a place where, as Marquardt said, “we realized that it is in our weakness that we are strong. God delivers and redeems and makes broken things beautiful.”
Jenny Fridge (‘92), Director of Community Relations for The Sanctuary Foster Care Services in Fort Bend County, attends with her husband, Eric (‘91), who is currently the Director of Advancement Officers for the university. She agreed that the spiritual air in 2023 differed from years past.
Eric and Jenny Fridge
“Leadership Summit is our favorite way to begin a new year,” Jenny said. “We have lost count, but I think we’ve attended the last seven or eight Summit experiences, and we’ve been a mentor couple for students, and at this Summit, we were able to speak to students on one of the last days of the week to encourage them in their next steps as they headed back to campus.
“While every year is similar, and we even have returning speakers from year to year, each Summit class is uniquely different,” she said. “This year, this group had a notable air of spiritual maturity. While these students have seen their share of brokenness, they also seemed very self-aware, repentant, and committed to their walk with the Lord. There was a maturity in this group that had not been as evident in years past. Personally, this gave me hope and optimism for our future. Case in point: our first grandbaby was born the Monday we were at Summit, and during one of our group sessions that evening, the students asked if they could pray for us! It was a precious moment and meant the world. Again, a simple reflection of the spiritual maturity of this special group.”
One of the event’s founders – Dr. Lytle, who spoke to the group about the transforming power of His presence – said even he sensed a renewed spirit at this year’s meeting.
Dr. Rick Lytle
“As I approached Glen Eyrie Castle, my mind flashed back to 25 years ago when we started this dream of pouring into students in a unique way,” he said. “I was hopeful that if we invited God to the mountain to join us, He would favor us with His presence as He did with Moses. I hoped that He would transform us more and more into His image so that we might authentically serve and lead with His power to bless humanity and expand and advance God’s Kingdom work.
“God’s spirit moved palpably among us,” Lytle continued. “Students were changed each day – conversations were different, their thoughts were different, their eagerness was different, and finally, their surrender was more fully leveraged for His glory and pleasure.”
In fact, on the final evening of Summit, four people decided to give their lives to Christ in baptism. Those students didn’t know that when Lytle arrived, he asked the general manager at Glen Eyrie if they had a baptistry, a pond, or a tank in case someone there needed to be baptized. The GM even said to Lytle, “you guys actually do the plunge thing.” Lytle answered in the affirmative.
On the morning of the final day, Shane Jennings (‘89) – husband of ACU’s M.C. Jennings (‘91), the Student
Engagement and Marketing Manager in COBA – went to an ag store in the area and bought a feed trough with the hope that it would need to be used that day. When the staff learned that it would be necessary for four students, they formed a “hot water bucket brigade” to fill the trough for the baptisms, which would take place outside in 20-degree temperatures.
“These awesome students were baptized into Christ by faith on all accounts,” Lytle said. “Dr. Marquardt and I had the privilege of baptizing them in the feed trough. On our departure, we, in faith, left the feed trough there for next year’s use.”
The movement of the Spirit among those who were in Colorado that week was easy to see and feel. And it provided a sense of renewal for Heather Fortner (‘97), current CEO at SignatureFD. She hadn’t participated in an ACU event in 25 years but quickly found that the Holy Spirit was in that place.
Heather Fortner
“The goodness and faithfulness of Jesus were on full display at this year’s Leadership Summit,” she said. “It’s so easy to forget the power, and holiness one encounters when a group of God-fearing people takes the time to step away from the normal day-to-day of life and seek Jesus wholeheartedly. The opportunity to share my heart and a few lessons I have learned while highlighting how the Lord has guided every step of the journey was a stark reminder of Jesus’s calling for each of our lives.”
Fortner said she prayed for months about what the Lord wanted her to share at this year’s meeting and kept hearing the same two words come back to her: But God. Over the next few weeks, she said, God revealed to her four areas that she has struggled with as a leader and continually needs reminding that He is in charge: fear, focus, forgiveness (of others and self), and faith.
“This was my first Leadership Summit, but I can say the Spirit of the Lord was clearly present and actively working in the hearts of all who were there,” she said.
Allee Casey, who will graduate from ACU in May, was one of 80 students enrolled in Summit 2023, and she said she left Colorado believing each of the 16 speakers she heard over the six days at Glen Eyrie was speaking directly to her.
“It just felt like most of the speakers were talking about issues that I see in my life,” Casey said. “Each
From L to R: Allee Casey, Laura Kate Masters, and Laney Aguilar
speaker had their own message and some personal story that made their lesson all the more impactful. I left each session with a new idea for improving my life. My internal dialogue was no longer ‘That’s just how it is,’ or ‘I was born like this,’ or ‘they’ll never change.’ It was now a hope that I could improve my life and that my decisions and relationships weren’t previously dictated to fail by genetics, fate, or whatever reason.”
All that from someone hesitant to attend the event.
“I was honestly regretting signing up for Summit,” Casey said. “I didn’t need the credit, I had a ton on my plate leading into the new year, and it just seemed like something I didn’t want or need. But I figured since my family was paying for it, I should go in with a good attitude to learn something. And boy, did I learn something. The speakers brought their ‘A-game,’ and everyone could tell and became as invested as I did. It was just such an atmosphere of learning that you don’t normally see, even on a college campus.”
The planning and preparation for Leadership Summit 2024 has already begun. The dates for this one-week, 3-credit, short course are January 6th – 12th. Summit is open to all undergraduate ACU students of any major. To learn about Leadership Summit 2024 you can contact the Lytle Center for Faith and Leadership at lytlecenter@acu.edu or go to lytlecenter.org/summit.
by M. C. Jennings | Nov 2, 2022 | Academics, COBA Faculty, COBA Staff, College Decisions, Current Students, Faith Infusion, Professional Development, Uncategorized
Written by special contributor Lance Fleming
It only takes a few seconds of studying the mission of ACU’s College of Business Administration (COBA) to discern that the holistic development of its students is as important as anything else that goes on in the Mabee Business Building.
Dr. Andy Little and students during their Study Abroad trip to Montevideo last summer.
The first point of the mission statement is “holistic student learning and development.” That part of the mission goes on to say that ACU “seeks spiritual, academic, and professional growth over the life of each student through exemplary teaching, experiential learning, and relationships with Christian faculty, professional staff, and engaged alumni.”
It’s all part of equipping the next generation of global leaders with all the tools necessary to be successful in their homes, in their places of worship, in their communities, and in their places of work.
“While great teaching is essential to what we do, we want to emphasize how our students learn and develop both inside and outside the classroom,” said Dr. Brad Crisp, Dean of the College of Business Administration. “That is why we are partnering with the university in the design and implementation of the Compass initiative.”
The Compass initiative begins with a customized roadmap showing the key experiences the student can choose during their time at ACU. Then, they can utilize the Compass app or website to gain access to badges and activities that they can pursue at the appropriate times during their journey. The student will also have a record of their co-curricular experiences during their time at ACU and within COBA.
Crisp and Derran Reese – Director of Experiential Learning – presented this initiative at the Suitable conference
last summer in Philadelphia where ACU Compass won two awards: Highest Student Engagement (91% engagement rate) and The Distinguished Program Award. Suitable provides the technology platform supporting the Compass initiative. Reese said Compass was designed to help students engage in various activities and experiences that help them grow in various ways: intellectually, spiritually, professionally, etc.
“We must think about creating an integrated student experience,” Reese said. “Designing curricular and co-curricular activities should be intentional, and we need to communicate to students that these activities all contribute to their holistic development. That is why we designed Compass.”
Leadership Summit 2020 attendees (a program of the Lytle Center for Faith and Leadership).
Compass, however, is about more than the teaching that goes on in the classroom. It is about merging different experiences into the classroom, engaging students in projects and internships, and providing opportunities for them to lead in student organizations, etc. It’s about bringing in speakers and employers, going on Study Abroad trips, and participating in the Griggs Center or Lytle Center. It’s not just what is done inside the classroom.
“We have a BBA badge for our pre-business students and are working on reformatting the professional development badge and including a Lytle Center badge,” said M.C. Jennings, Student Engagement and Marketing Manager for COBA. “We want students to be able to keep track of all of their accomplishments and have a portfolio that they will be able to share with future employers that show all of the things they were involved in (Study Abroad, speakers, special projects), holds their resume and cover letter, has academic accomplishments, etc. Eventually, we hope to have more class assignments tied to Compass through Canvas. This is a tool that will enable students to track their academic, professional, personal, and spiritual growth throughout their time at ACU.”
And all of this is part of the holistic learning environment being fostered in COBA, an environment that is necessary for students preparing to enter the world away from ACU.
Dr. Matt Deeg takes students out of the regular classroom to learn about HR in a more interactive setting.
“Excellence is demanded of our graduates upon graduation,” said Tim Johnston, Assistant Dean of COBA. “Professors have the tough task of teaching to a high standard and evaluating a student’s ability to complete the assignments to standard. At ACU, our class size and Christian mission make the learning experience very personal. Striking the balance between objective assessment and personal care for an individual student is complex. Our professional development program and alumni connections help support the need for a student to achieve learning excellence.”
But, Reese said, that learning excellence must now include many different facets than might have been required even as few as five years ago.
“Today education is more holistic, and the responsibility of a university – particularly a Christian university – is to help form the whole student. That means that curriculum and pedagogy matter, and additional equipping of students with professional and life skills is vital. Expanding their awareness of diverse cultures and peoples, while developing the type of character that will enhance their careers and bless the world are challenges we address with focused intentionality.”
by M. C. Jennings | Oct 20, 2022 | Academics, Accounting, Alumni Spotlight, COBA Faculty, COBA Staff, Current Students, Digital Entertainment Technology, Financial Management, Human Resource Management, Management, Management Information Systems, Marketing, Placement stories, Professional Development, School of Information Technology and Computing, Uncategorized
COBA Alums who work at Southwest Airlines recently came to discuss internship opportunities at the company with COBA students. Pictured from left to right are Chris Grubbs (’95), Kristy Ng (’20), Baron Smith (’09), Bethani Culpepper (’19), and Katie Coldwell (’00).
Written by special contributor Lance Fleming
When the College of Business Administration (COBA) unveiled the most significant changes to its curricula in decades, one area of great emphasis was professional development. Those studying the updates and later making the recommendations believed a professional internship would help make COBA students more well-rounded prospective employees when they left ACU.
As Dr. Brad Crisp, the Dean of the College of Business Administration said recently, “… we are placing greater emphasis on professional development by requiring a professional internship in management, marketing, and information systems and offering an internship as an option for accounting and finance majors.”
As the person serving as the director of professional development and internships for COBA, Jasmine McCabe-Gossett said the new emphasis on internships will help make students better equipped to handle real-world practices that they will face when they begin working full-time.
“Students need to take advantage of the unique timing internships can offer,” said McCabe-Gossett, who is in her
first year as the Professional Development and Internship Director for COBA. “Students have the distinct opportunity to apply what can feel like abstract theories and case studies to the real world. Internships are insulated and allow students to practice in an environment designed for them to ask questions and fail, whereas, post-graduate opportunities can be far less forgiving.”
Tim Johnston, the Assistant Dean for COBA, said a student who participates in an internship program in college will have a distinct advantage over students who don’t take advantage of those programs.
“Many years ago, with the contraction of the economy, many students were entering college without a lot of summer work experience,” Johnston said. “One of the top qualities all employers like to access is work ethic. Without a lot of work experience, it was difficult to feel confident about a student’s ability to dig-in and work hard. Many large organizations started internship programs.
“These programs typically run for 12 weeks during the summer,” he said. “Most are paid and it’s a way for a company to have a long and intense look at the candidates. Many companies only offer full-time opportunities to those students who have completed an internship with their organization. So for many large firms, this is the path into their company.”
When a student is looking for an internship, COBA Associate Dean Andy Little said one thing stands above all when he advises a student on a potential position.
“Fit,” he said succinctly. “In other words, does this organization fit your values and the goals you have set for yourself? Will you get practical experience? What kind of people work there? Is it an industry or market segment that you would like to start your career in?”
McCabe-Gossett agrees that finding an internship in a potential career field is an essential part of finding the right landing spot.
“I encourage students to focus on finding an internship in the industry they imagine as their future career,” she
said. “Doing so will allow them to fully immerse themselves so they can determine whether or not their dream industry aligns with their values, work style, etc.”
The National Association of Colleges and Employers has surveyed employers and determined the following qualities are most important to the potential employers surveyed. In order of importance, those qualities are:
- Problem-solving (critical thinking)
- Teamwork / collaboration
- Professionalism / work ethic
- Verbal and written communication skills
- Digital technology capabilities
- Leadership
- Global / multicultural fluency
“We want our students to demonstrate these competencies and reflect on their current areas of strength and areas where growth is needed,” Johnston said. “Their internship manager completes a formal evaluation that provides feedback on these key qualities.
“Another key advantage we are looking to provide for ACU students is an opportunity to intern with ACU alumni,” he said. “Our alumni teach students how professional excellence provides another avenue to honor God, as we serve in the marketplace.”
If you’d like to know more about internships with COBA, as either an employer or a student, email coba@acu.edu.
by M. C. Jennings | Oct 12, 2022 | Academics, Accounting, COBA Faculty, College Decisions, Current Students, Economics, Faith Infusion, Financial Management, Human Resource Management, International Business, Management, Management Information Systems, Marketing, Professional Development, Uncategorized
Written by special contributor Lance Fleming
The College of Business Administration (COBA) recently undertook what Dr. Brad Crisp considers “the most
significant change to business curricula at ACU in at least three decades” with revisions to the Bachelor of Business Administration (BBA) majors.
Those changes include updates to the core requirements for all business majors and to the major requirements for each business major, including an analytics track available within each major. The process that was undertaken was extensive and lasted a few years, including input from the COBA Dean’s Council, Visiting Committees, and other external stakeholders.
The members of each of those committees and groups were looking at in-depth benchmarking, analysis, and solution alternatives identified by the BBA Task Force. Those committees undertook extensive discussions on a wide range of proposals from the faculty task force, which was formed in early 2019 and delivered its recommendations later that fall. After the committees did their work, the changes were approved last spring by faculty and administrators at all levels of the university.
The goal of the core revision largely focused on faith and ethics, analytics and technology, and professional development.
“Faith and ethics are central to our identity as a Christian university,” said Dr. Crisp, the Dean of the College of Business Administration, “and we added some ethics content to a required business law course. All business majors will now take a two-course sequence in analytics and can choose a nine-hour or more track in analytics. Finally, we are placing greater emphasis on professional development by requiring a professional internship in management, marketing, and information systems and offering an internship as an option for accounting and finance majors.”
Photo by Jeremy Enlow
Those recommendations and changes are part of COBA keeping up with the pace of change that is currently being seen in the business world, said Andy Little, associate dean for COBA and associate professor of Business Law.
“The pace of change in the business world – and society in general – necessitates some level of change in two dimensions: first within a specific course, faculty need to stay up to date with new developments; and second, from time to time, the curriculum in general needs to be evaluated and potentially updated,” Little said. “It’s easy for most faculty to update specific courses on a regular basis. I’ve added three new readings to my introductory law class, all of which deal with recent developments in the legislature.
“Maybe more clearly, a course like Digital Marketing requires near-constant revision, just to keep up with all the changes in how people and companies use platforms to market products and services,” he said. “To a certain extent, the velocity of change works in favor of a stable curriculum: foundational subjects like Accounting, Economics, and Statistics need to be included in every iteration of a core curriculum over time because those are the building blocks on which much of the business enterprise rests.”
Every major was reviewed and now has more market aligned pathways giving students more direction and professional guidance as they look toward their future profession. As the business world evolves, COBA is continually looking for ways to prepare students both inside and outside of the classroom. We do this through holistic student development, offering foundational business courses and major specific tracks, and including ethics in our offerings. This combination helps us strive to produce graduates who honor God and bless the world.
To learn more about the College of Business at ACU, click here.
by M. C. Jennings | Sep 28, 2022 | Academics, Alumni Spotlight, COBA Events, COBA Faculty, COBA Staff, Current Students, Faith Infusion, Uncategorized
Written by special contributor Lance Fleming
In more than 30 years as the minister at The Hills Church in North Richland Hills, Rick Atchley (’78) has delivered thousands of sermons to millions of people, drawing listeners from near and far to a relationship with Jesus Christ. In Atchley’s tenure with The Hills Church, it has grown to be among the largest Church of Christ congregations in the world, averaging over 5,000 in attendance each week across three campuses.
As he said when he was named ACU’s Outstanding Alumnus of the Year in 2014, one of the themes of his life and his ministry is to live out Christ’s call to unify and to “bring down walls that God didn’t want up in the first place.”
Atchley spoke to both students and faculty and staff at ACU on Tuesday, September 6th. His address to
students was a part of the Lytle Center’s Fall Speaker Series while his exhortation to faculty and staff was a part of the Lytle Center’s second annual Abiding in Christ dinner event. The Abiding in Christ dinner was established in 2021 with a vision of encouraging and challenging faculty and staff in the deepening of their relationships with Jesus in order to better influence and serve students. It should come as no surprise that Atchley had a challenge for each group. A mission to follow Christ no matter the setting or circumstances.
At the Abiding in Christ dinner, Atchley contended, that ACU should be a place where students attend to not only grow in academic ability but also in wisdom.
“We know there’s a difference between being intelligent and truly being wise, and that’s why I believe the mission of this university is so critical,” he said to a group of around 200 faculty and staff members gathered in the Brown Family Club Level at Anthony Field at Wildcat Stadium. “Let’s be honest: young people don’t have to come to ACU to gain knowledge on how to be an accountant or how to manage the market. They can gain knowledge at many great universities. What I hope for when they come here is that, along with knowledge, they gain wisdom. They learn to be wise, not just smart.”
Atchley then spent several minutes challenging those in attendance to teach their students to look for wisdom and guidance from above and not from other sources.
“What is the wisdom of the world?” he asked. “It’s the knowledge that looks for truth from within instead of above. It’s the Kool-Aid of this culture. The young people you teach have been immersed in it. It’s all about finding their truth. The world has told them to look inside to find truth.”
“They don’t have to come here to get knowledge; you’re good at that,” Atchley told the crowd. “You’re good at that. But when they leave with the knowledge you’ve given them, will they be wiser? Will they leave with a worldview that says ‘I’m going to look at life through the lens of the wisdom of Christ? He will be where I get my truth. He will be the framework from which I understand what is right and wrong.’ Will they leave with wisdom, not just knowledge?”
Late in his address to the faculty and staff, Atchley reminded them that they are working and teaching in a society that has been battered by the constant battle between politics and religion. And it’s against that backdrop that ACU faculty and staff must equip students with the wisdom needed to traverse that world, no matter their chosen profession.
“For the Christian educator, the opportunity to prepare students for the world in which they will pursue varied and creative careers must include the role of faith and the pursuit of wisdom,” said Mitzi Adams, Director of Clinical Teaching and Field Experiences in the Department of Teacher Education. “We are challenged to consider how our courses are different from the courses offered at other prestigious universities where students could secure a solid education. At ACU, it must come back to the witness of faith.”
“I think it’s very important for students to hear and experience much more than just knowledge of their field of study,” she said. “At a Christian university, the faith we profess becomes the framework through which we view and experience this education.”
As Atchley pointed out numerous times to the faculty and staff, the prevailing mission of ACU should be to not only equip students with knowledge and wisdom but also the desire to live out their faith in the world around them.
“For a student to walk away from this Christian university without the opportunity to understand and apply where and how faith integrates into their chosen field of study is to have had an important aspect of this education withheld,” Adams said. “If not now, when will our students have the opportunity to be immersed in studies intended to prepare them for excellence in their field? Beyond this, at what other time in the lives of our students will they have the opportunity to be taught by exceptional practitioners, academics, and researchers who are compelled by the Christian faith? Our students are here now. This is an opportunity we have as a faculty to pour into our students not only our professional expertise but also the centering of our faith.”
Before Atchley spoke to the faculty and staff at the football stadium, he met with COBA students, challenging them to choose the battles that matter.
“It’s easy to get passionate and carried away with matters that don’t have much weight,” said Kathryn Crawford, a senior Finance and Management major from Flower Mound. “Instead, we need to recognize the fights that will have an impactful outcome and approach those with our chosen values.”
In addition, his theme with the students was much the same as it would be later with the faculty and staff: that knowledge is easily attainable anywhere but it’s wisdom and obedience in Christ that will make the most impact on the world.
“He made the point that we have to trust the impact of an obedient life,” Crawford said of Atchley. “When things become difficult, the easy way out seems so attractive. But this path does not guarantee obedience. Time and time again, scripture shows us our convictions will cause us to face difficult things in our lives. Choosing obedience may not be easy but the impact we can unknowingly have on the Kingdom is far greater than the temporary adversity we might face.”
Crawford said Atchley’s message to students about integrity and faith in the workplace resonated with her because he put special emphasis on how important the choice will be.
“As a student at a Christian university, it becomes easy to rely on circumstances and surroundings to motivate
my faith,” she said. “However, I know this won’t necessarily be the case when I emerge into the workforce as a young professional. I value my faith deeply but have not been in many environments that challenge or counter my beliefs. I left the message feeling encouraged to stay true to my values regardless of circumstance and recognize how much of a difference it can truly make if I choose to let it.”
The Lytle Center for Faith and Leadership exists to foster environments for individuals to grow in faith and character, equipping them with cutting edge leadership competencies, and developing them to be ambassadors of hope, peace, and life in their workplaces. The Lytle Center Speaker Series and the annual Abiding in Christ dinner events are just one example of the ways the Lytle Center strives to encourage and equip the students, faculty, and staff at Abilene Christian University. More information about the Lytle Center can be found by clicking here.
