nineteen hundred and forty-six - Amazon Web Services

84 SOUTHERN BAPTIST CONVENTION
The student enrollment is now approximately 15,000 above the depression
years of 1931-33. The regular student enrollment dropped during the war to
21,000. Our schools are now ready to move forward as never before. The
enrollment problem is solved. Endowment, buildings, and scholarship can now
be the major problems. And they can be solved, too.
SUMMER SCHOOL NOW REGULAR PART OF SCHOOL YEAH
The short summer session once considered only a period for make-up work
has become a regular quarter in the four-quarter system. Students are able
to take their four-year course in three by attending school regularly for three
years. Only eight of the 27 senior colleges and universities do not now conduct
summer sessions. Twelve of the junior colleges and academies have not yet
made the summer session a regular quarter. By maintaining school throughout
the year there is constant use of equipment and educational return on the
investment instead of letting buildings and equipment lie idle during the
summer, which, incidentally is the time of year when the maintenance of buildings
is least expensive.
ENDOWMENTS ARE BEING INCREASED
The statistical tables which are included in this report show that endowments
are being increased in many of our colleges at a highly commendable rate. In
others, however, the progress is slow, too slow. Campaigns are being conducted
in many states in order to provide the funds necessary to afford superior
educational opportunities to students who attend any of our Baptist schools.
The present total amount of endowment of all of our schools and colleges is
$32,060,284.22. While this amount seems large until it is compared with endowment
funds of the groups of schools and colleges of other denominations or
groups of state colleges and universities, not one of our Baptist universities has
as much as $5,000,000. Wake Forest leads with an endowment of $3,100,322.72.
The University of Richmond is second with $2,898,479.00. Furman University
is third with $2,833,355.70; Baylor University is fourth with $2,814,383.00;
Mercer University is fifth with $2,000,000.00. Five others have $1,000,000.00
or more in this order: William Jewell, SI.412.972.47: Howard-Payne, $1,389,-
344.76; Hardin-Simmons, 81,250,000.00; Mary Hardin-Baylor, $1,200,000.00;
Stetson University, $1,000,000.00. All senior colleges with less than $500,000.00
endowment are scarcely in a financial position to maintain standard education
over a long period. Seven of our senior colleges have less than $500,000.00.
Recent campaigns have added as much as fifty per cent to the permanent
endowment. Campaigns are in progress this year in nearly all states either
for endowment or for buildings for the colleges and universities. The largest
campaign is in progress in North Carolina for Wake Forest College. The
William Jewell campaign for $3,250,000.00 is second. Mercer University recently
completed a successful endowment campaign and now has $2,000,000.00 in
the endowment fund. Louisiana College is in a $2,000,000.00 campaign. Furman
University, South Carolina, is in a $2,000,000.00 campaign, $1,000,000.00
for endowment and $1,000,000.00 for buildings. The total amount sought in
present campaigns for endowment and buildings for our Baptist colleges and
universities is $23,165,000.00. Should this entire amount be raised all of our
Baptist schools would still have in the combined endowment funds less than
either Harvard or Yale. Minimum standards have been the goal of many of
our Baptist schools for years. Several of our colleges and universities are
more than 100 years old. Their service to Christian civilization has been such
as to attract attention and inspire confidence. They are laying big plans for the
future. They are finding friends of Christian education who have large funds
to bequeath, extensive estates to leave to .worthy educational institutions, and
state conventions in co-operation with the Southern Baptist Convention and
the leading churches of the South are turning their attention as never before
to the Christian schools as the necessary sources for adequately trained leadership
the world so sorely needs.
GIFTS FROM STATE CONVENTIONS AND FROM OTHER SOURCES
It has now become a policy of many state conventions to place Christian
education in the budget. Churches in turn have placed education in the budget.
Some schools have received almost $200,000 through the State Convention from
year to year.