Written by: Anaya Parker
Southern Adventist University held its employee town hall on Thursday, Oct. 10, when administration presented the information discussed at Southern’s Board of Trustees meeting the previous weekend.
Southern President Ken Shaw began by emphasizing his desire for faculty to know Southern’s mission statement: “Grounded in Jesus Christ and dedicated to the beliefs of the Seventh-day Adventist Church, we equip students to embrace biblical truth, embody academic professional excellence, and pursue Spirit-filled lives of service.” Shaw also said Southern has started the process of creating a new, shorter mission statement.
The following statements and statistics were presented at the meeting:
Financial Administration Report
Tom Verrill, senior vice president of Financial Administration, provided a detailed financial report about the concluding fiscal year. Southern’s undesignated cash reserve increased by $2.5 million, while account receivables stayed about the same. Long-term debt grew by $3.9 million, the endowment increased by $7 million and total assets increased by $23.3 million, for an operating gain of $430,000 and an overall gain of $18.3 million, according to Verrill.
“We are thankful that in the last two years that has gone up,” said Verrill. “Our operations are currently tracking ahead of our budget, which is a $500,000 gain for our budget.”
In a follow-up correspondence with the Accent, he explained that $17.9 of the $18.3 million overall gain is from market increases to the endowment investments and restricted donations, mostly for capital projects. Therefore, those funds are not available for general operating use.
Verrill said the increase in debt is due partially to new campus housing, but he assured the audience that the increase is well within the acceptable amounts for an institution of Southern’s size. The gross revenue for tuition has been flat for the last 10 years but has recently gone up, alleviating stress off the operating budget, according to Verrill.
“I usually don’t ask for an applause, but I think we can thank God for what He has done,” he said.
Achievements
Shaw recounted Southern’s recent significant achievements: Southern has the largest campus in the region, with 3,229 enrolled students (2,929 undergraduate and 300 graduate students), 74 more than last school year. The undergraduate class is the largest for Southern, with the 2024 freshman class being the second largest in Southern’s history, according to Shaw.
During the meeting, Shaw also discussed enlarging campus housing. Southern has built 26 mountain cottages and has space for an additional 26. Another goal from Shaw is to raise regional ranking with US News Best Colleges. This year, the university rose from the top 48% (2022) to the top 25% (2025), according to the recently released rankings.
Advances and improvements in the nursing department have taken place this year. Each nursing student who receives their license is required to pass the National Council Licensure Examination (NCLEX), according to Nurse Journal. Southern had a first-time pass rate for the NCLEX from the May 2024 cohort, according to Shaw. The national average for a first-time passing rate is 87%, according to the University of Knoxville. A new nursing simulation lab was added in Miller Hall.
The new bachelor of science in engineering program for computer, electrical and mechanical concentrations has experienced rapid growth. The four-year enrollment goal was hit in two years, according to Shaw.
He highlighted competitions and achievements such as Southern’s Enactus participation in their international competition.
Southern’s growing endowment has increased by nearly 20 million since 2019, according to Shaw. This is restricted money that can be used only for certain purposes. However, according to Shaw, the interest from this endowment will benefit students, such as scholarships.
“Only one other institution has a significant amount over what we’ve got,” said Shaw.
Shaw announced that a historical comb, found on an archeological dig with Southern students, will be coming to Lynn H. Wood Archeological Museum on January 26, 2025.
Additionally, Shaw said that service and volunteer work at Southern was significant last school year, with 5,748 service hours contributed, 43 local organizations served, 1,351 volunteers served and an equivalent of $172,053 of financial impact.
The new business building, Ruth McKee School of Business, is estimated to be finished in the Fall of 2026, according to Shaw. Additional square footage was necessary to provide adequate seating. The number went from 42,740 square feet to 53,719.
Shaw shared a slide that showed the original assumption of $350 per square foot with the new square footage of 53,719 costing $18.8 million. However, after receiving quotes from subcontractors, the university learned that the $350 assumption was inaccurate and the price for building the Bietz Center.
“We should have added 20% to the $350/sqft for a better estimate since we were building post COVID,” Shaw explained in an email to the Accent. “This would have been $420/square foot, so this would get us closer to a cost of around $23M for the building.”
Academic Report
Bob Young, senior vice president of Academic Administration, presented the academic report. He talked about Southern’s programmatic accrediting agencies, several of which will end their terms in 2025 and 2026. Retention rates were also compared to those of the Southeast Regions, with Southern doing well in first-year retention and six-year graduation rates.
The targets are 80% for first-to-second-year retention, 90% for second-to-third-year retention, 40% for four-year overall graduation rate and 55% for six-year overall retention rate. According to Young, all of these numbers are currently being met.
“Our first-year retention is quite good, but that doesn’t mean we aren’t working to improve it,” said Young. “We are continuing to work to increase our overall six-year graduation rate.”
Academic Master Planning – 2024-2025 Academic Year
According to Young, Southern is looking into new academic programs in order to increase enrollment. The Bachelor of Science in Engineering was launched in Fall 2023 and has reached its four-year goal in two years. A Doctor of Physical Therapy degree, an associate degree in audiology/speech pathology, technical/trade programs and others are being evaluated to add to Southern’s offered degrees.
One area that needs enhancement is the graduate program, according to Young. Methods to advance this include emphasizing in-person events, renewing marketing materials and making personnel changes. Digital and traditional marketing and recruitment strategies for the Adult Degree Completion program continue.
