PBA announced that the new President of the University will be Luther Hardin, former president of the University of Central Arkansas. We here at the Bacon wish him the best and hope that he has put the controversy of his past behind him as he begins his transition into the life of the University.
The comments section is now closed.
96 comments:
http://www.thecabin.net/stories/061709/loc_0617090001.shtml
http://www.arkansasleader.com/2009/05/editorial-lu-could-do-no-wrong.html
President Hardin, any sundry misdealings or money laundering taking place at PBA will be exposed to the world. This is not a threat; it's a friendly reminder that honesty is the best policy.
PBA DECIDES TO HIRE NEW VICE PRESIDENT to work alongside with the new university president, Lu Hardin. Bernie Madoff will be taking the position of VP. "Both the new president and vice president have similar pasts and will function very well together" school publicist says.
He did give the money back. I wonder if he knew that it was sketch.
http://www.palmbeachpost.com/news/content/local_news/epaper/2009/06/30/0630pbapresident.html?cxtype=rss&cxsvc=7&cxcat=76
His address to the school.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QKg9csiwkhI
http://www.arktimes.com/blogs/arkansasblog/2008/07/the_lu_hardin_papers.aspx
http://www.arkansasleader.com/2008/08/editorial-lu-hardins-final-farewell.html
He counterfeited a memorandum to the board from three administrators making the case for giving him a $150,000-a-year raise — it was to be called “deferred compensation” — and hiding it from the rest of the university and the public. A faculty that was getting no raise and having their benefits cut might have got over the earlier discovery that the board had already given the president a secret $300,000 bonus in May, in violation of at least three laws, but learning that the vicar of their academic institution had submitted bogus research over the names of three unsuspecting subordinates was too much. The faculty senate was apt to ask for his resignation next month.
http://www.nwaonline.net/articles/2008/08/08/columns/john_brummett/080908brummett.txt
Rush Harding of Little Rock, the investment banker and businessman who dominates the board of trustees of the University of Central Arkansas in Conway, has been asking people if Lu Hardin "can survive this."
"This" refers to Hardin's dissembling to the press and public, misleading the trustees in official communications and betraying his own immediate staff, all for the purpose of fashioning a big secret pot of money for himself as UCA's president while the faculty got diddly and students faced a tuition increase.
"This" refers to Hardin's turning the school into his own self-promotional fiefdom in which he doles out favors to pals and insiders and puts himself on television more than Regis.
http://www.palmbeachpost.com/localnews/content/local_news/epaper/2009/06/30/0630pbapresident.html
Hardin resigned from UCA in 2008 following eye surgery and controversy concerning a $300,000 bonus.
Before everybody condemns him, why not give Hardin a chance?
"Let he who is without sin, cast the first stone."
No, I do not work for the school. I am an alum.
I know for a fact that the trustees vetted Hardin before inviting him, and I'm sure this was a major question. I'm sure that calls were made, background investigations and due diligence was done by the trustees. They are not evil people- they also want what's best for the school.
Don't forget, Baconites, most of the trustees live in the Palm Beaches and they all know how the PB Post will quickly try to make something negative out of this, even before Hardin's first day in office. We all know they (the Post) moniter the Bacon closely, and everyone knows they are hungry to sell papers, much less keep it alive.
What sells newspapers, besides the thousands of worthless ads in the PB Post? Dirt.
What's the most profitable kind of dirt? Local dirt.
I challenge the PBA community of students and Bacon readers (even Post writers!) to start out with a positive attitude toward our new President and let him prove (or disprove) himself on his own merits.
This person before me actually has some pretty good points. Well said.
We all just need to remember that PBAU is first and foremost an institution, and any of their Christian principles (we all know from personal experience) must be sacrificed for business principles. I'm not insinuating that this is immoral or even illogical in the climate and society that we live in, but I think any decisions that confuse, frustrate, or hurt when viewed in this light will become a little clearer.
We're fortunate to have educators who espouse Christian principles and in most isolated instances are able to exercise their principles, but in a general sense, a university is a business.
Hopefully the new President will act ethically, morally, and with the students' and faculty's best interests at heart, but that's what all of us should do anyway. Hopefully there will be no unpleasant surprises.
-Anonymous Senior
I do not trust the man, but he has my support. That said...
Here's a good one. Be sure to read the comments, too.
http://www.arktimes.com/blogs/arkansasblog/2009/06/lu_hardin_lands_new_job.aspx
http://www.arktimes.com/blogs/arkansasblog/2009/06/lu_hardin_lands_new_job.aspx
okay.. lesson learned. third time's a charm?
http://tiny.cc/jJ0WY
This is a response to the comment that stated that the "PB Post will quickly try to make something negative out of this, even before Hardin's first day in office."
Does the PB Post need to make something negative out of this. I googled Lu Hardin the minute I found out and Arkansas papers and blogs already revealed the measure of the man, steeped in possible fraudelant and deceptive practices.
Who would cast the first stone? Does that mean we should not be critical of someone's past and the judgment of people who live in the "Palm Beaches."
We have yet to even discuss the fact that Lu Hardin does not have a research-oriented background, or that he switched poliyical parties in the late-90s (ran as a Democrat in 96 and switched to Republican several years after). Not that people can't switch, but I fear that PBA will value money and, now, partisan politics over and against an education that values ministry and ethical vision.
As we say in the South: Just concerned is all.
I'm concerned, too. As an alumnus, I hope he does well for the school and raises enrollment and admissions standards and all that. I hope he improves the reputation of my alma mater so it is respected in academics. I hope he plans for the long term, not for the short. But most importantly, I hope he does so ethically. Please don't disappoint me, Mr. Hardin.
I REALLY hope he learns that [good] students don't give a crap about expansion. They want academics. That's what they're paying for!
Dr. Hardin: please focus on academics; we want less former professors and more smart people.
Mr. Power: If enrollment goes up, it cannot be because of lowered standards. It's not worth it.
I'd rather PBA be nonexistent over PBA's academics being nonexistent.
Also wanted to point out he's a baptist.
I guess it's a matter of watching and waiting.
As a UCA graduate, I can promise PBA that Lu Hardin will not disappoint you.
The "secret" bonus was actually voted on in a public forum to a standing ovation. The BOE decided to give it to him a couple of years early (with conditions that he pay it back if he left early and he did) and should have done so publically also - poor judgement but not illegal.
Believe me when I say Lu Hardin took that campus to one of the fastest growing institutions in this country - then someone didn't want him running for gov or senate. Unfortunately, when you grow fast here, state funds do not catch up and monies are borrowed and moved around until state funds can be allocated. A hillbilly reporter turned something every institution deals with into a story that could be written about every institution in this state. Just know that when you read blogs and articles, you're not reading the whole truth.
You are blessed!
To the PBA community---
Be concerned and vigilant! Livinnlr is a Hardin apologist looking for greener pastures. As a member of faculty leadership at UCA this past year, I was involved in the move to remove him here.
What we did was not publicly approved. Two of the three individuals whose names he attached to his secret bid for $300k were furious and did not really speak to Hardin after the memo was exposed. They were not involved in the memo, never saw the memo, disagree with the advice in the memo, etc.
Over the past three years, UCA has burned through over $10 million dollars in reserves, that is why we have a credit line.
He does have talents and vision but his presidency of UCA was about him not UCA. Many here in central Arkansas jokingly refer to us as "LUCA." Good luck. Faculty, staff, and students are in absolute shock and are laughing in anticipation of a good show from Florida.
Due diligence was not done. No UCA faculty with direct knowledge of what occurred were contacted. I don't have it in for Hardin but I don't want your institution to go into a Lu Hardin administration without being forewarned.
I never thought I'd say this, but thank God for Arkansas.
livinnlr must have been living in another dimension during the LuCA crash. It will take years of hardship to recover from creative bookkeeping and deals for the politically connected. Outright fraud, in the form of a falsified memo to justify lining his own pockets was what got him canned. That he ventured back into the academic world, rather than quietly retire, shows that he his genuinely shameless.
But he is such a nice guy. Just look into those eyes, listen to that strong, soothing voice, and have him promise you anything. Shake his hand; then count your fingers.
Lu Hardin is a good man who brought UCA from a university full of wannabe Arkansas Razorback students with huge inferiority complexes to a university that students were proud to attend. He did make mistakes, but he also inherited poor university leaders who worked hard to undermine him and did not advise him well. Give him a chance, he learned a lot from his UCA presidency and will most likely do a great job for you at PBA.
It's fascinating to me to read all the stuff coming from Arkansas.
As I read, we all must remember that this is the state that gave us Bill Clinton. This is the state that gave us Jim Guy Tucker (Floridians, look him up). This is the state where the Arkansas Secretary of State literally nailed the governor's office door shut to keep Mike Huckabee from physically occupying the office of governor!
What I'm saying is, there is a lot of dirty politics that goes on in Arkansas, and yes, we all need to be careful here, but what I'm hearing from those from Arkansas sounds a lot like the above- dirty politics. You'd think they'd be relieved, but what I read seems more vindictive than anything else.
If President Hardin does not deal honestly and fairly, then he will not last long here, but I have to believe that the trustees and PBA did their homework, and I know they read this blog like everyone else.
For those who just think that it was just businessmen who made this decision, let us not forget that 2 faculty members were a part of the search team and involved in the decision as well. From what I understand, they also voted to call him. I'd love to have them post here and give their opinions and how they came to vote in favor of this decision. I'd also love to have faculty to post anonymously as "faculty" and give their opinions.
As a very senior faculty member at UCA, I was absolutely flabbergasted at the thought of someone else hiring Lu Hardin. In almost 40 years of experience in higher education, I have never seen anyone so dishonest and self-serving as this individual. I note on this blog that you folks in Palm Beach are aware of the controversies surrounding Lu in Arkansas. You should be aware that no more than half the dirt has ever made it into print. The man absolutely abused his office. I would be very watchful. I marvel at your willingness to forgive.
As a very senior professor at UCA, I would like to begin by letting you know that I am very senior. VERY. Hell, people pay lots of money to listen to me go on and on every single day. I'm a big man. Big, white, old, man, and you need to listen up.
You see, it takes raw testoserone for a dude like me to show up on a student blog and whip out anonymous insults. That's what we VERY senior professors are all about. Yes, it might come off as petty, but you fail to understand my VERY senior status around here. I walk down the streets of Conway Arkansas, head towards Donaghey and College ave, and people are all "Dude, is that the VERY senior professor? Let's ask him to say something." Then I say stuff, and they're all like "More please! If I had a chili pepper, I'd give it to you. hhhhhhhhhhhot! Can you sign my butt?"
I'm a big man in Conway. Big man.
I can make the faculty senate around here get really mad at you. We'll investigate, file a report, and let the unsusbsantiated allegations leak out to the press. Screw ethics and credibility. You don't need that when you're VERY senior, as I am. Yea, I can stick it to the man. You should just hear me in class.
Did you know Bush caused 9/11? Oh yea. There's more where that one came from too. We VERY senior professors things, you see. You don't get to be VERY senior for nothing.
Oh, I'll be back. I'll tell you more. I have lots of time, seeing as we shaft the adjuncts with the tough writing-intensive freshmen courses so that I can lecture on Marxism. Ain't a bad gig being the Bourgeoisie.
Very senior, I tell you. VERY VERY senior. Wish you could see me now. Come on over to Gusano's tonight, and I'll tell you everything you want to know.
Why would your university hire someone with no experience running a Christian university or organization? It appears that the only Christian aspect of his life is that he is required to be a Christian. If this is the case, then what makes his qualifications different from that of any good school.
I wonder if FAU, FIU, or FSU would be okay with his qualifications and his tarnished past. As a faculty member from a state school with Palm Beach Atlantic College ties I can tell you that you have made a mistake. We would not even hire faculty if we learn that they have forged a memo in the past.
Certainly Palm Beach College would fire a faculty member for doing the same. Then, why hire one. You must be really worried about the economy.
Get with the times, Anonymous. We haven't been PBAC in years!
Nayru
That's a great point. Thanks for adding to the discussion. You totally addressed all of anonymous' points.
Despite the controversy, PBA believes that President Hardin will help to increase enrollment, raise academic standards, grow the endowment and change the university from an evangelical ghetto into a truly great liberal arts institution.
He has my complete support.
Dear angry UCA Professors,
Please go away.
Also, if you wouldn't mind, quit lecturing us on Christianity.We have a word on this campus to describe people who use religion for political purposes: hypocrite.
Nothing but love,
Anonymous
I'll admit I was skeptical when I heard the announcement, but I have since done some rethinking and think it would be wise to withhold judgment before he's even had a chance to prove himself.
Were we not all sinners in need of redemption?
(The answer is yes)
Of course, if you look into the scriptures, leaders are held to a higher standard than everyone else. That's because people notice them more when they're in the spotlight and scandals like those in Hardin's past can get blown out of proportion. Honestly, I think he deserves a second chance.
I know how easy it is to get sucked into believing the media as the truth, but REALLY? I'm not going to let the media define my perception of someone I haven't met for myself.
"Then we will no longer be infants, tossed back and forth by the waves, and blown here and there by every wind of teaching and by the cunning and craftiness of men in their deceitful scheming."
-Ephesians 4:14
Anonymous making fun of UCA proffessor: You are hilarious.
Richard:
If you can't understand that my remark was intended to be a non-sequitur, don't bother to comment.
Dear Angry UCA Professors,
Please go away.
We only want to read happy thoughts. We aren't interested in the experiences or perspectives of Mr. Hardin's former colleagues. We were only kidding when we visited your Arkansas blog, told you about ours and invited you to visit it.
Also, please refrain from making any references to religion because it is a well-known fact that faculty at secular public universities are all atheist vegetarian liberals.
I am a current student at PBA. I consider myself pretty involved with the university. Why is it I never even heard about The Bacon until several months after I started attending and I didnt know there was a place where you could post and read comments until several weeks later? However, after only 4 days, I find it amazing that so many UCA "higher ups" and UCA "insiders" have so quickly found this student comment page and have felt so obliged to share intimate details of Mr. Hardin's past with us students. And on top of that, only the very negative details.
Can we all for one second suspend our doubts and hope/pray that our board of trustees are more competent then we are giving them credit for? Is'nt it fair to assume that a group of successful individuals (who make up our Board at PBA) did their homework on Mr. Hardin?
Trust me, there were several qualified academic leaders currently providing effective leadership in Christian universities passed over for the PBA job. How can someone who has only served in public institutions possess a "history of commitment to Christ-centered education"? Someone needs to inform the taxpayers of Arkansas that UCA is actually a Christian institution using tax $ to promote the Kingdom.
When PBA is ready for solid leadership committed to academic rigor and faith integration, let me know.The unique challenges of a private, tuition-driven institution are not in the same "universe" as that of a state tax-supported institution.PBA needs a strategic thinker, financial manager, and resource developer who is student-centered guided by a balanced approach emphasizing rigor, relationship, and relevancy.
How the Search Committee could totally dismiss talented,proven evangelical Christian highed ed executives with multiple decades of academic success is counter-intuitive.And, I'm afraid the path chosen will also prove counter-productive in terms of achieving PBA's ambitious Vision.
Anonymous of 9:28pm ET,
The "UCA 'higher ups' and UCA 'insiders'" of which you speak were invited here on an Arkansas blog.
I'd also like to say that just because we are investigating Mr. Hardin's past doesn't necessarily mean that we are not in support of him or that we do not have faith in the board. It seems to me that what you're suggesting is for us to close our eyes and open our mouths to whatever is being fed to us without a question. I find this to be an unacceptable attitude.
The days of PBA being fueled by fear and control are over.
President Hardin will allow more freedom, and that is the only way for students and faculty to achieve true academic success and to grow as real Christians.
We pass from the hands of Darth Clark to Lex Luthor. I'm not quite sure which is worse, to be honest.
President Hardin will allow academic freedom, freedom of the press, freedom of speech and freedom of assembly, all of which will dovetail, finally, with American Free Enterprise Day.
PBA will begin to look like America, home of the free and the brave, instead of like Iran, home of the "supreme leader."
every administration demonstrates favoritism. you think it hasn't happened at pba?
i say give hardin a fair chance to prove that he's learned from his mistakes.
he has a lot of talent, even his enemies agree.
it would be good to see the campus be known for more than preachiness.
Why would a "Christian University" hire a president that needs to prove himself as opposed to hire a person who has been proven?
I like how a lot of the PBA people want to give Hardin a fair chance and all the AR people just make comments with baseless accusations and profanity. I think it says a lot about the quality of PBA students.
Forging a document full of misrepresentations to get his salary above $600000. Giving scholarships to the children of his buddies. Trustee Jones how under Gods heaven is that Christian leadership? Why would any major donor give a nickel to this flim flam man? The Trustees have passed off an administrator that no secular school would look at as a wonderful Christian leader. How does this school teach ethics in any way with a straight face? It fired a dean for far less than this I hear. Why would Christian parents send a child to a university led by a forger? I am a heart sick alumni.
It is plain and simple, the Search Committee (endowment guy, two attorneys, two accountants, and two faculty that have NOT been very assertive about faith integration) was more concerned about money (endowment /enrollment) than integrity and Christian leadership you can trust.
History has proven that this is how a school with a Christ-Centered Identity becomes a school with merely a Christian history.
This is what has happened at Baylor, Stetson, and countless other good schools.
The Search Committee should have paid more attention to the man and less to the money he can raise.
Why don't they poll their trustees now that they have had time to do some research as opposed to calling a vote without giving them the full story?
PBA is not a church.
PBA is a liberal arts university.
Lu Hardin was not hired to be a minister. He was hired to lead PBA toward academic excellence.
Everyone on campus will still be free to attend church as often as they like.
Some people might even learn how to forgive, and how not to slander their brothers and sisters in Christ.
PBA is a "Christian" Liberal Arts institution of higher learning.
This is what makes PBA unique. If this were not the case then I would have gone to UM or Rollins. I wonder how many sitting premiere Christian Liberal Arts University presidents were consulted on the necessary characteristics of a successful president.
I don't think that:
1. No Christian instition experience and
2. Possible indictment were on the top of the list.
No one wants PBA to be a church or to not forgive a man who has made mistakes. The question is:
Is this the best qualified man for PBA?
Of the 75 candidates, Lu Hardin was prayerfully chosen as the most likely to lead PBA to academic success. Future students (and former administrators) will continue to choose PBA over UM and Rollins.
I'm thinking that no matter who the president was, someone was going to come here and say "This is how [insert historically christian institution's name] lost their soul!" That's just as much fearmongering as "How could a CHRISTIAN school hire a guy who..." Silly, silly nonsense.
It's as if the one rule for contributing to the bacon is "give into your fears."
FWIW, I don't find the accounts you read in AR newspapers compelling. There's lots of evidence out there that paints a very different picture. Frankly, I think that PBA needs someone who understands Higher Education at-large, not just Christian education. I'm pleased with the daring choice that the committee made.
Speaking of, do you really think that the committee members didn't look into the allegations? Research the members, and have a look at what they do for a living. They aren't gullible or star-struck types.
I can't resist commenting on a (stupid) comment made earlier: "We all just need to remember that PBAU is first and foremost an institution, and any of their Christian principles...must be sacrificed for business principles." Yikes. No....wait...THAT'S HOW A CHRISTIAN INSTITUTION LOSES ITS SOUL!!!!!
Felt good, that one. I'm going to be doing the fearmongering thing more often.
it goes beyond fearmongering...
it seems like some of the commentors are suffering from acute paranoia.
as if the moment hardin is sworn in, all of the pba professors will pledge allegiance to satan.
why is there so much paranoia at pba? has it always been like that?
"Paranoia" is right. It's a really sad thing. It was here before the new president, so I gather that it's not Hardin-related. We're always ready for the absolute worst case. Somehow, fears are always legitimate, but hopes are not. Sick.
It takes faith to be positive. Some people are all about control, and really have very little faith. And when they lose control, they act like the sky is falling. Think about the faith President Hardin has shown in coming to PBA. He knew he'd be judged by those "holier-than-thou" and yet he's still willing to give himself to our school. We ought to support him with prayer and positive words of encouragement.
I find this very interesting. Jones whitewashes the board's actions as quoted below without considering that the real victims are not the board but the poor people whose names appear on a document recommending potentially illegal actions. Interviews with the three vice presidents and a documented timeline leave me with a sick feeling. See attachments 4 and 5:
http://www.uca.edu/org/facultysenate/agenda/08-09/Agenda%20August%2021%202008.pdf
FROM PALM BEACH POST
PBA trustees defend their choice, saying they fully vetted Hardin, even seeing the infamous bonus memo initially attributed to UCA vice presidents. PBA presidential search committee chairman R. Marshall Jones said the letter was a draft and did not constitute plagiarism or forgery.
"We reviewed a copy of the actual document, it was on blank paper, not letterhead and we confirmed with five of seven UCA trustees that they were not misled and there was never any intent to mislead," Jones said. "Part of our due diligence was to research everything and in the end we learned so much more about the man and we are all totally satisfied with him."
Hardin is apart of the 10 year plan to make PBA a non-Christian school. It started back when about 5 years ago when new faculty came into the school and all the previous faculty was fired. This was the same time that President Clark came in. He was put in place for transition, a 5 year period. He came in knowing that. It is now Hardin's time to do his part in making PBA a non-Christian liberal arts university. It also is so convinient that Dr. Mahanes was fired and they are disolving religious life. It's another step in the 10 year plan. 5 more years to go. Something is getting ready to go terribly wrong with this school.
it's scary... i fear pba is getting so secular that some students might stop waving their arms and making those sexy faces during chapel.
Anonymous- 10-year plan, July 8th-
Dr. Mahanes has been rehired by PBA and PBA was never planning to dissolve religious life. Get your facts straight.
Mahanes is back but PBA did dissolve Religious life.
dear anonymous against 10 yr plan,
Being nieve never helped anyone. I understand they rehired Dr. Mahanes, I haven't been living in a box.I honestly think PBA rehired Mahanes becuase of the back-lash they received from the student body. But that fact has little to do with my point. THe point was that religious life no longer is labeled and soon will be completely gone. I fear for the jobs and positions of the ministry school, campus ministries, and missions. If you would have been around about 5 years ago you would understand where I am coming from. I have looked into this and what was planned. It's just too much of a coincidence that all of these steps have fallen into place.
Conspiracy theory was a great movie. Mel Gibson right?
ACU has turned over the whole Lu Hardin mess to the state attorny general. I'm no law major, but that seems to mean that the state of srkansas is looking into whether this has enough merit to bring charges against Lu.
I have a strong feeling that once we see who Lu really is, we'll realize how great a man Dr. Clark was. He didn't set out to ruin the school. In fact, in talking with youth pastors in the area, more than a few of them were encouraged that we were actually headed in a more Christian direction after Cortz.
By thw way, they always planned on giving Mahanes a new job, he just didn't want to accept it right away.
And so the cynics unite with the zealots. Never thought I'd see the day.
Vote Limbaugh/Pelosi 2012!
Think the ten year plan is bad, you should see the 15. I won't give it away. We in the illuminati keep it very secret. But here's a hint. All of those youth group pastors will be coming to campus with goats.
No way, dude. Huckabee/Palin 2012!
Police aid granted in UCA audit investigation
BY DEBRA HALE-SHELTON ARKANSAS DEMOCRAT-GAZETTE
CONWAY — The Arkansas State Police will assist the 20th Judicial District prosecutor in his investigation of state audit findings uncovered during a review of finances at the University of Central Arkansas.
Prosecuting Attorney Marcus Vaden said Thursday that he had requested the help and that the state police authorized it in a letter he received earlier in the day.
Vaden said his office already has “conducted a few interviews” as a result of the Arkansas Legislative Audit Division’s findings.
“I anticipate we’re going to interview a lot of people,” he said.
Vaden said he has not decided whether to interview Lu Hardin, the former UCA president who tendered his resignation Aug. 28 after two months of contention, but added, “I would say it’s probably likely. It depends on what everything shows and what we find.”
The audit, released in April, found that the university and an advertising agency “appear to have converted public funds to private funds” as part of an effort to pay the school’s head football coach above the state salary cap.
Among other things, the audit also questioned the legality of Hardin’s nearly $1 million buyout and faulted UCA for paying a business $139,000 to redesign its Web site without getting the state to review the plan.
Other findings included a line of credit that lacked state approval and a former employee whose company benefited from her ties to UCA.
The audit also mentioned a memo that advocated more pay for Hardin. Last summer, Hardin confirmed he had written the memo even though he had indicated on it that three of his vice presidents had done so.
Hardin was recently named president of Palm Beach Atlantic University, a private college based in West Palm Beach, Fla.
Vaden said the state police assistance “would involve helping go over the documentation that we will be getting from a number of sources, not just the Legislative Audit but ... from UCA and other places.
“It will also involve interviewing people with information that could help explain some of the transactions and any other issues that need to be” reviewed.
Vaden said his office is not limited to investigating the audit findings.
“You follow the facts. You investigate. You take statements. ... Then you follow the trail wherever it may go,” he said.
The Palm Beach Post reported Wednesday that Hardin said he was not concerned about the investigation. “During my tenure I adhered to the laws of Arkansas,” the newspaper quoted Hardin as saying.
Vaden said he could not comment on Hardin’s “state of mind” but added, “It would certainly bother me. And obviously having the legislative findings that have been issued, that would bother me,” Vaden said.
Vaden said he has received “a number of letters from people very pro and very con.”
“I’ve had a wide spectrum of people who are convinced that criminal activity has taken place [at UCA]. I’ve had stuff from people who are convinced it didn’t take place and everything in between,” he said.
“I haven’t been provided a lot of information. I’ve been provided a lot of opinions,” he added. “I’m not really interested in people’s opinions. I want to know the facts.”
Vaden said he cannot be sure how long the investigation will take.
“Is it going to take several — two, three or four — months?” he asked rhetorically, adding that it could “because you’re looking at a lot of information.”
Bill Sadler, a spokesman for the state police, said Thursday that the agency initially would assign one agent to the case and that more personnel would be assigned later if necessary.
“We have resources within state government to assist ... in understanding and reading the processes that are attached to contracts and budgets,” Sadler said.
President Clark changed the direction of the university permanently to a more Christ centered place by among other things: 1.Requiring all faculty and staff to regularly attend chapel. 2. Interviewed all prospective faculty and staff to assess their Christian commitment before hiring them. 3. Attended and preached reqularly in chapel. 4. Set a high standard of Christian living for all faculty staff and administrators. 5. Encouraged the growth of mission trips by students and supported them financially. 6. Spoke in many local congregations in Sunday worship services. 7. Brought in a campus pastor to serve the university community. The community saw the change in spiritual direction in PBA the past 6 years. Mayor Frankel appointed Clark to an Ethics Commission to clean up the city government. It is clear the previous president set high spiritual and ethical standard for PBAU.
I wouldn't exactly advertise havng been assigned to an ethics commission by an unethical government leader. Mayor Frankel should have been the first one investigated by the Ethics Commission.
Ok, here's my first post on the bacon four years removed from graduating and having spent 3 of those working in higher education abroad. If i'm a board of trustees member and my president just quadrupled our schools endowment, increased our academic rigor and enrollment numbers, i'm looking for ways to reward a man who has done a fantastic job. (check out Frank Brogan at FAU, same scenario). So, my question to everyone out there hating on this guy for getting a raise/ bonus (and then returning it) is how big of a raise you would want from your employer if you made them 30 something odd million dollars. My guess, is the board of trustees wanted to reward this guy for a job well done but was stone walled by the faculty and public opinion because of the dubious monetary size of the reward. (Once again, check out Frank Brogan). The BOT probably asked President Hardin to come up with a payment method for his actions which he felt was fair but usurped the public knowledge (probably going through the schools foundation, which is not bound by state rules, legislation, or public records laws) because of the negative national collective conscious on CEO reimbursement which in many cases is completely unwarranted and mostly just a case of a lack of knowledge on the public's part.
So, in my humble opinion this guy could be the best thing PBA has ever seen gauging from his successful track record and because he's coming from the public/state sector from which PBA can learn a lot from.
I think everyone has exhausted this discussion and now it's time for us to move on. There's an old expression, "it's pointless to beat a dead horse".
This horse(the discussion of President Hardin's qualifications) has been beaten into the ground, and is now over .
Everybody get over it and give him a chance. He's our president, PBA. Let's get behind him and support him and let him prove or disprove himself.
Personally, I think he's going to do just fine.
Arkansans, get over your vindictiveness and let this man alone to prove himself here, one way or another.
Dear Anonymous PBA Alumnus that graduated 4 years ago,
The issue is not the money. I completely agree with you. I am sure university president get large bonuses all the time. This is not my concern. I am not even bothered that he doesn't have an earned doctorate or that he has no experience in a Christian insitution. PBA has never been serious about its faith like a Wheaton, Taylor, or any other schools.
Here is my issue. He forged a memo. I know about Brogan at FAU! He never forged a memo. The board's response in the Palm Beach Post was that it was not on letterhead. Regardless of what paper it is own. It is still a forged document.
That is the problem.
I'm starting to agree with the dead horse thing.
Yes, if he "forged a memo", that would be a very bad thing. But the facts that we have don't directly show that. All we have is a memo he said he solely wrote, and VP's who claimed not to know the existence of. While "forgery" is one of explanations, there are others.
Here's one: The board wanted to keep him, and asked "What can we do to keep you?" So he wrote a draft of a memo and said "This is what the memo would look like. If we can all agree to it, we'll make it official and get signatures." But every piece of paper at state university board meetings are public documents, including drafts. It becomes public, and looks like an intentional forgery when it was not. That would explain why the "not on letterhead" comment has been repeated so often.
I have no clue what happened. But there are lots of explanations other than forgery. None of the facts clearly indicate wrongdoing.
I should also add that none of the facts clearly show that he is in the clear. Rather, we just don't have all of the facts.
That's all.
Cool story bro
for most of the Bacon posters you are only aware of PBA during the Clark era...not the Corts era, and to put it bluntly comparing them is like comparing Van Halen w/ Sammy Hagar to Van Halen w/ David Lee Roth ...they both had very different focuses and agendas...Corts legacy is building the majority of the current campus and at the time a most excellant faculty and transforming PBAC into PBAU, while Clark focused on building Regent University-South...and setting a record for the hiring of over 100 faculty/staff(a lot of Regent grads) in a 5 year period (which, by the way, means over 100 left PBA either on their own or by having their poisitons re-evaluated and/or removed) I say give Hardin the benefit of the doubt and I hope he returns PBA to a better period of its history than the previous 5 years...but in all honesty I'm not sure if PBA can survive if it gets worse...if this was their choice- they obviously had no "faith" in their internal candidates, they had no interested current christian university administration candidates from other schools, so this was the best of who applied?and let me ask the more serious question academically...Who is going to be the new Provost? Who even would apply and want the job?
People keep asking who the new Provost is going to be. Does that position necessarily change with each new President? I've heard no indications Dr. Kloba would be replaced, but then again I'm removed from almost all campus affairs. So what's the deal?
For UdderlyAmazed:
The candidate pool for the presidential search included several successful Christian college administrators who clearly understand the unique challenges of leading a tuition-sensitive institution while enhancing academic rigor and intentional faith integration One has to wonder what role the pricey search firm really played in leading the committee to this choice for president.
Udderly Amazed,
Lu Hardin will choose a provost that can move your school in a more intellectual direction, as he did here. Your website is not exactly a showcase for higher learning. I imagine Florida has thousands and thousands of people who would gladly attend your school if you didn't appear so fundamentalist.
I don't care if PBA strays from its fundamentalist ways. I'd even welcome it. I'd rather the school have a reputation of quality education rather than of forcing religion on its students.
PBA will always teach, mentor and encourage students in the Christian faith. That will never change.
But the "forcing" thing should be let go. And the intellectual life needs to be given more priority.
PBA is as far from fundamentalism as Canada is from communism.
This is true. It's so funny to me to hear people on this blog say PBA is "fundamentalist". That is so far from the truth. You want fundamentalist? Try Pensacola Christian College, where you can only read from the King James Bible and only listen (on campus) to the classical music or traditional Christian music ( not contemporary). Forget pop or rock- no way! I've also heard that they have separate beaches for male and female students in Pensacola so that (God forbid) a boy might see a girl in a bathing suit!
Bob Jones University is another truly fundamentalist school.
PBA is light years away from any of that stuff.
While it is true that PBA is not as fundamentalist as some other schools, it is also true that there is much fundamentalism at PBA.
Exactly where is their fundamentalism at PBA?
PBA is the right mix of Christian school. Non denominational. This type of slander comes from people who don't know the school.
Generally conservative? Yes. Fundamentalist? No way.
As far as ol' Lu goes, let's get real - the majority of heads will already have their minds made up about him. He was a politician...period. Politicians are individuals who get what they want by any means necessary (within certain limits). Politicians deceive people by way of propaganda and double talk (name one who hasn't), it's the way things get done.
That mentality doesn't just end when one leaves office, it is utilized in future endeavors that the politician may embark upon.
At this point, actions will speak louder than words.
Fundamentalism at PBA...
Remember when they removed the tiki hut from the caf because they thought it would lead to sex on the beach?
remember when the fundamentalists banished the catholic mass from campus?
Remember when the fundamentalists at PBA stole our children, burned our homes, and poisened our water supply?!?!
Remember when I tried to reform the Catholic church because it was a corrupt mess? Remember when they brought it all back a few years later?
Remember that tasty beer I brewed for you?
Yeah, I got wasted on that stuff and said some mean things about Jews.
But heck, if any other ethnic group killed the long awaited physical incarnation of God, I probably would have talked bad about them too.
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