Notes from the President — Educational challenges ahead

The Seventh-day Adventist school system is part of this nation’s trend for parochial schools

I recognize that many of you who read these notes are not Loma Linda University alumni, nor did you come from an Adventist background or attend Adventist schools. But I invite you to look over my shoulder as I reflect on my concerns for an incredible educational system that is now struggling in some quarters. The Adventist school system is a reflection of this country’s numerous parochial school systems, so there is perhaps a message here for us all.

First, a few stats. The Seventh-day Adventist Church has one of the largest educational systems in the world, with over 8,000 schools, including 113 colleges and universities, serving 1.8 million students each day. Many of those are in countries desperate for education and may be in a city or rural village. Here in the United States we have 13 colleges and universities with a total of nearly 24,000 students. The Adventist Church also has 854 primary and secondary schools in the U.S., which is impressive by any standard.

My own educational journey is a classic example of this system. I grew up in Troy, Idaho, where our little church of 65 members supported Big Meadow church school, a two-room, two teacher school in the country, with 25 students in all eight grades. While expensive labs were non-existent, we learned from each other and the nature around us. I went on to Upper Columbia Academy near Spokane, Washington, where we worked hard, at 40 cents an hour as I recall, studied even harder, and prepared ourselves for our individual futures. It was an insulated, controlled environment to be sure. But we survived, met future spouses, including mine, and marched into the working world or on to college.

Those schools provided a unique experience that nurtured service to others, cemented core values, provided lifelong friends, developed unknown musical talents, and truly became a home away from home. But times have changed, and the Adventist Church has closed 248 primary and secondary schools in this country in the last 15 years: that’s 19 percent of them. The Adventist Church has closed one of its colleges — Atlantic Union College outside Boston — and several more are creatively fighting to survive. While Loma Linda University itself is somewhat insulated from these struggles, we feel the effect, with fewer Adventist students coming up through our traditional “feeder” system.  

There are many reasons for these transitions. Affordability often tops the list. In the old days, I witnessed Adventist families sacrifice to keep their kids in church schools. Some of our schools are blessed with committed alumni who are developing endowment funds to provide scholarships for worthy students. But many do not have those resources. Other schools have expanded their identity to the broader Christian community, successfully marketing their educational brand to other Christian families. Still others are tapping into the wealthy international student movement, often from China, who want their children learning English in a safe environment.

These changes raise some very basic questions I invite you to consider. In a country with growing social problems and concerns, is there still a place for a sheltered school setting with carefully thought-out values and mores? Or is this an outdated concept that no longer provides value for the cost? Are there other ways to maintain a culture of service and commitment for our young people? Would it be possible to once again develop campus industries that could provide a way for kids to earn much of their tuition while still benefiting from living and studying together under Christian tutelage? While our public educational system has many good characteristics, it exposes young minds to influences we may want to avoid.

The ultimate question is measuring the relative value of our educational system in providing young people with the orientation, values, and skills necessary to not only compete but provide meaning in their future lives. Loma Linda University’s own alumni, many of whom came from the Adventist system, reported the highest rating in a recent national survey when asked if they were making the world a better place. Finding this meaning in life by following one’s dream of serving others would seem to be the ultimate goal of education.  

As Loma Linda University has watched our own “pipeline” get smaller, we have launched several initiatives that may help. With support from Tom and Vi Zapara, we have been offering a STEM (science, technology, engineering, and math) enhancement program for elementary and high school science teachers for the last seven years, called EXSEED. Nearly a thousand teachers have spent a week on our campus with our scientists and educators learning new methodologies for teaching science and refilling their motivational cup. This past year, in collaboration with classroom teachers, we have also developed an online series of interactive science labs that can be used by any elementary teacher interested in enhancing their science curriculum. We feel this is an important role for Loma Linda University — using our talents and commitment to share our skills and reputation with others.

Will it be enough to save a church school system? Not by itself! We need both a horizontal strategy for collaboration among our colleges and universities and a vertical strategy for our elementary and secondary schools. Many on this campus believe the value of Christian education is needed now more than ever. Loma Linda University is determined to do what we can while we can! 

I recently heard a compelling sequence of progressive steps about education for life that is so true:

                        Thoughts → Words → Actions → Habits → Character → Destiny.  

We will keep you informed as new strategies develop. And kudos to those thousands of committed teachers who continue to provide their best for our children, often despite challenging circumstances.  

Richard H. Hart

Vision 2020 – The Campaign for a Whole Tomorrow