Trevecca Nazarene University Archives

January 22, 2016 By Dan Boone 2 Comments

Update on The 2015 Big Idea: Reducing College Student Debt

Last year I shared that my big idea for 2015 was to put a dent in college student debt. We have made a small beginning.

This past fall, 45 students became our test group for the Trevecca iWork program. To date, we are retaining all of them into the spring semester and they have paid $61,000 on their college bills as a group. In addition, each student has received basic training in workplace habits. All of our supervisors have been trained to mentor students toward workplace success. We will be adding more students to the test group this semester before aiming at 200 jobs this fall. We have companies lined up to provide jobs for our students.

December 15, 2015 By Dan Boone 1 Comment

Merry Christmas Greetings!

Each year, I’m pleased to share with all of you our Trevecca Nazarene University Christmas card. This year, we focus on Jesus as the Light of the World.

From our family to yours: May you have a blessed Christmas season!

Click below to see our Christmas cards from past years:

Filed Under: Current Events Tagged With: Christmas, Christmas card, Christmas card 2015, Trevecca, Trevecca Nazarene University

August 27, 2015 By Dan Boone 4 Comments

Against the Odds – Why a Christian University in the Heart of Nashville is Thriving

As we go into the fall season, I am grateful for the strength of the university that I serve. We are seeing triple digit growth and are breaking all-time records for freshman enrollment, undergraduate enrollment, and total enrollment. The high-water marks of last year will soon trail the new numbers for this year.

Why? If you read articles about colleges, you’ll recognize that this pattern is not the norm. The pundits predict the demise of private Christian colleges. Tennessee has made community college free. Yes, we are competing with free. Everyone says tuition is skyrocketing and is out of control.

Church support for the Christian mission of a university is down. States are trimming funding for college. Many are declaring that a college degree is not worth what it costs, especially in terms of the number of years it takes to pay back a college loan. Liberal arts degrees are under attack as “too general” and “too vague” to offer a skill set that is marketable.

I read this stuff all the time. Most of it has been challenged statistically (and correctly) in studies done by the Council for Independent Colleges (CIC).

July 21, 2015 By Dan Boone 2 Comments

$1000, Farmer Jason, and the Trevecca Urban Farm

OK, you’ve been given $1000 and are required to spend it somewhere that will make the most difference.

How would you spend it or give it away?

I’d give my $1000 to Farmer Jason who manages our Urban Farm at Trevecca.

A little background on Farmer Jason for you.

[Read more…]

Filed Under: Misc. Tagged With: Jason Adkins, Trevecca, Trevecca Nazarene University, urban farm, urban renewal

May 21, 2015 By Dan Boone Leave a Comment

You Can Afford a Trevecca Education

Summer means vacation and camps and family reunions. If you’re the parent of a high schooler, it may also mean touring college campuses in order to find that home away from home for your child.

I hope you’ll consider Trevecca Nazarene University. We offer academic programs based on Christian values that promote scholarship, critical thinking, and meaningful worship for students in preparation for lives of leadership and service to the church, the community, and the world at large.

“But,” you may ask, “Isn’t a private Christian university education expensive?”

Actually, I’m pretty sure you can afford a Trevecca education; it’s more affordable than you think. I love this video that explores three common myths about paying to attend Trevecca.

April 21, 2015 By Dan Boone 5 Comments

That Teacher

I think we all have one. A teacher who impacted us in a way that we are forever different than what we would have been. A teacher who thought we could do more than we believed we could do. A teacher who inspired a bit of fear in us that we later came to call respect. A teacher who set a high standard and then helped us meet it. A teacher who taught more than the required material—because information came second to wisdom in their thinking. A teacher who forever lives in the balcony of our mind and always calls us upward.

I went to the funeral of such a teacher the other day. His name is Michael Moredock. I never sat in his classroom. But I heard what students said about him for 8 years before brain cancer forced his retirement and then took his life 3 years later. They complained to me, the university president, about how hard he was in the classroom. Demanding, they said. Unreasonable, they said. Tough as nails, they said. Doc Moredock was an administrator and teacher in our Physicians Assistant program, a graduate program that fills the world with emergency room physicians, primary care office doctors, and surgical assistants. Trevecca established the first PA program in TN and regularly has 800 applications for 50 seats. The program is rigorous, demanding, and not for the faint of heart.

February 3, 2015 By Dan Boone 12 Comments

Fighting Back

Peter Drucker became my best friend the day he declared that one of the three toughest jobs was being the president of a small college. I selfishly agree. Leading a university challenges every natural instinct I have; for instance, the instinct to defend myself and fighting back. Thankfully, it has never come to fisticuffs. Most of the confrontations have been quite civil.

In the small university, everyone assumes that the president is the final authority on everything – grades, financial aid, hiring, firing, student discipline, and interpretation of any policy. Rather than calling those who specialize in these things, they call me directly. They have heard something they did not want to hear and they want me to overturn the decision. It has taken me 10 years to learn a few basic lessons about fighting back.

January 6, 2015 By Dan Boone 5 Comments

The Big Idea I’ll Be Working On In 2015: Reduce College Student Debt

I suppose universities can make New Year’s resolutions. So here’s mine for Trevecca Nazarene University in 2015.

I resolve to find a way to reduce the debt of graduating students at Trevecca while simultaneously reducing the growing cost of unfunded aid to students.

Our students graduate with an average debt of about $21,000. This means some have more, some have less, and some have none. I could write about how this $21,000 is similar to the cost of a good used car, which will decrease in value the minute they drive it off the lot—while their investment in a college degree will repay itself about 47.6 times across the next 40 years. I’d invest in a proven return like this every day. But my resolve is to drive this average debt number into the teens and find a way to keep it there or lower.

December 11, 2014 By Dan Boone 2 Comments

Merry Christmas From Dr Dan Boone & Denise Boone

Dear readers,

May you and yours have a very Merry Christmas!

Blessings,

Dr Dan Boone and Denise Boone

Filed Under: Current Events Tagged With: Christmas, Christmas card 2014, Trevecca, Trevecca Nazarene University

November 26, 2014 By Dan Boone 2 Comments

What I’m Thankful For

I’m a list maker. It keeps me focused on what else needs to be done. I love crossing them off one at a time until there is nothing else needing my attention.

But the following list is not one I will ever be done with, nor am I crossing these off. It’s a list of things I’m thankful for in no particular order:

A faith that has held me when I couldn’t hold it
A God who is more stubborn than I am
Denise—she is self-explanatory
A family that works hard, plays hard, and gives much
Hilarious grandchildren
The chance to see the future unfold in the eyes of Trevecca students
The ability to write and enjoy books
Where I get to live
Driving a 10-year-old car past 250,000 miles so the university doesn’t have to buy me a new one
Three families whose large gifts have made Trevecca much better

That’s 10. I’ll stop there for now. I am a very rich man.

Make your own thankful list and post it in the comments. Don’t forget to download the free Scripture art of Psalm 136:6; you can find it here.

Happy Thanksgiving! May you and yours have a blessed holiday!

Filed Under: Current Events Tagged With: faith, family, gratitude, Psalm 136:6, Thanksgiving, Trevecca, Trevecca Nazarene University