When Momma called

Ispent five years as president of Arkansas’ Independent Colleges and Universities, the organization that represents the state’s four-year private institutions of higher education. I still think of them fondly as “my schools” and try to keep up with what’s happening on each of the 11 campuses.

Harding University at Searcy is by far the largest of those 11 schools, with almost 5,000 students. In October 2021, Mike Williams was named the sixth president in Harding history following a nationwide search. Though Williams isn’t an Arkansas native, he was coming home in the sense that he earned a bachelor’s of business administration degree from Harding in 1985.

Williams later returned to earn his master’s of business administration. He began serving on the Harding admissions staff in 1987. Williams moved up to director of admission services in 1991 and vice president of advancement in 2003.

Williams began his tenure as president on June 1. It was high time to pay Williams — who had gone to Faulkner University in Montgomery, Ala., as president in 2015 — a visit. Like Harding, Faulkner is affiliated with the Churches of Christ.

I’m in a private dining room on campus having lunch with Williams. We talk about how Arkansas desperately needs more college graduates. With the Arkansas Legislature having systematically starved public higher education in recent decades, the state’s private colleges and universities are more important than ever.

There’s a famous story about what the late Paul “Bear” Bryant told board members at Texas A&M when he left the school to return to his alma mater, the University of Alabama, as head football coach. Bryant, an Arkansas native, simply said that “Momma called.” The board members understood his devotion to the school that had allowed him to escape the Moro Creek bottoms of south Arkansas.

“I informed the people at Faulkner that Momma called,” Williams says. “I owe so much of what I’ve accomplished in my life to this place. Before we got the call from Faulkner, I thought I would retire here. Harding has shaped the lives of so many young men and women through the decades. It’s a humbling experience to be president.”

His wife Lisa graduated from Harding in 1989. One of their two sons is a Harding graduate.

Harding, as one of the biggest colleges affiliated with its denomination, draws students from dozens of states and other countries. Williams is pleased to see more of those students remaining in Arkansas following graduation.

“We bring a ton of talent to this state,” he says. “We recently had a reception in Bentonville, and I was struck by how many people came from elsewhere but then decided to make Arkansas their home. I’m optimistic about Arkansas and Harding. As the world changes culturally in so many ways, we become a choice for more people.”

Williams says Christian colleges and universities must constantly refine their role in the wake of cultural, economic and technological changes.

“Going to a place like Harding must mean more these days than simply attending chapel and taking a mandated Bible course,” he says. “How do we become more accountable to our state? How do we add our input into the things that will help Arkansas flourish? How do we position Harding as the place where Arkansas leaders come to find help solving problems? We want to be a resource. We want to have a role in Arkansas achieving its potential.”

Williams grew up in Ohio, where the minister at his church was a Harding graduate. Another member had once been a librarian at Harding.

“I knew nothing about Arkansas, but the culture and spirit of Harding attracted me,” he says.

During his years as a student and staff member, Williams saw growth from 2,700 students to more than 4,000 in a relatively short period.

“We became a more comprehensive university with things such as the Center for Health Sciences,” he says. “We’re already strong academically. My job in these first months has been to do a lot of listening and engage our alumni. It’s no secret that I’m an old enrollment guy so it won’t surprise you when I say we must grow our enrollment.”

The Center for Health Sciences includes the Carr College of Nursing, College of Allied Health and College of Pharmacy.

“People are seeing the need for colleges like Harding; places that provide character development without sacrificing academic quality,” Williams says. “As we add faculty and staff, we need to ensure we’re attracting the top talent out there.”

Harding offers more than 110 majors, 14 pre-professional programs and more than 40 graduate and professional programs. That’s a long way from the school founded in Morrilton in 1924 when two junior colleges — Arkansas Christian College in Morrilton and Harper College in Kansas — combined their assets and created a single fouryear institution.

Harper students and faculty moved to Morrilton in time for the fall semester in 1924. Harding College was named in honor of James Harding, a pioneer preacher and educator. There were 284 students from 17 states and 26 faculty members. Only 75 of those students were in college. The rest were in elementary and high school programs.

The Harding board bought Galloway Women’s College, a defunct Methodist institution in Searcy, and moved Harding there in time for the 1934 fall semester. There were 461 students from elementary school through college. The growth since then has been amazing.

Harding graduates tend to be loyal. It’s why Williams came home when Momma called.