6 <strong>Call</strong> <strong>to</strong> <strong>Quarters</strong>
development deskLTC Bobby Cobb ‘71As most of you know (and many ofyou have pointed out <strong>to</strong> me), this isour first <strong>Call</strong> To <strong>Quarters</strong> magazine<strong>to</strong> be published in a while. Thoughwe generally try <strong>to</strong> print our magazine at leas<strong>to</strong>nce each academic year, we did not publish anedition in the 2009-2010 academic year. We arevery pleased <strong>to</strong> be publishing this edition now atthe close of a successful 2010-2011 school year.Tough DecisionsThe decision <strong>to</strong> withhold publication of ourmagazine last year was just one of many <strong>to</strong>ughbudgetary decisions that had <strong>to</strong> be made afterour nation’s economic downturn in late 2008.Although we have made great strides in buildingthe <strong>Academy</strong>’s endowment, we are still a tuitiondriveninstitution and must rely on our annualenrollment <strong>to</strong> fund our operating budget. Eventhough we froze our 2009-2010 tuition at theprevious year’s rate, our opening enrollment inSeptember 2009 was significantly lower than wehad hoped, and substantial financial aid grantswere required by many more families than inprevious years.Our budget, already lean and fat-free, needed<strong>to</strong> be cut by nearly $3 million. Every decisionwould hurt, but our primary focus was <strong>to</strong>continue <strong>to</strong> provide a high quality educationalexperience for the cadets we serve by reducingexpenditures in all other areas. We reduced staff,we froze pay, we cut retirement benefits. Wesacrificed mightily so that we could continue <strong>to</strong>serve the needs of the young men who come <strong>to</strong>us for an education.Following Dr. Hatcher’s ExampleThe <strong>Academy</strong>’s founder, Dr. William Hatcher,was a Baptist preacher in much demand as aguest speaker at revivals and events all across thecountry. In the last year of his life, he was travelingthrough South Carolina by train <strong>to</strong> severalspeaking engagements. A traveling companionsuggested he take a sleeper car so he could res<strong>to</strong>n the train overnight. Dr. Hatcher refused,saying, “I curtail every expense possible, for youknow there are several boys looking <strong>to</strong> me forhelp.” At seventy-eight years of age, he wouldstill sit up all night on a train so his money couldgo <strong>to</strong> help the students at his <strong>Academy</strong>.“<strong>Fork</strong> <strong>Union</strong> has a way of finding gifted andaspiring boys and helping them <strong>to</strong> get their education,”Dr. Hatcher wrote. “It has come <strong>to</strong> passthat <strong>Fork</strong> <strong>Union</strong> is known <strong>to</strong> be a place wherebright and clever boys love <strong>to</strong> come because itis known that we try <strong>to</strong> make it easier for thosewho have nothing and nobody <strong>to</strong> help them instarting.”Success Is Worth the SacrificeDr. Hatcher’s words remain true <strong>to</strong>day, a centurylater. Let me call your attention <strong>to</strong> one ofour most special cadets, a senior by the name ofBlake Sundel. Blake came <strong>to</strong> the <strong>Academy</strong> as asophomore in 2008. He was a good student, a“bright and clever boy” as Dr. Hatcher would say.He was also a valuable member of the growingswim team. In short, he was just the type ofcadet we wanted <strong>to</strong> keep enrolled.By holding down tuition, greatly increasing ourfinancial aid budget, and focusing our spendingon the needs of our students, we were able <strong>to</strong>increase our opening enrollment in September2010 and retain outstanding students like Blake.This year, Blake’s third as a cadet, he graduateswith the highest GPA in memory at FUMA:4.7 on a 4-point scale. Blake has taken everyhonors and advanced placement course we offer.He has received college acceptances from Yale,Prince<strong>to</strong>n, Harvard, Williams, and Washing<strong>to</strong>n& Lee. He has decided <strong>to</strong> attend Harvard onscholarship. Blake also served as captain of theswim team and helped lead the team this year <strong>to</strong>their second state championship vic<strong>to</strong>ry in a row.Blake is not the only champion at FUMA. Ourfootball team captured the state championship,as did our rifle team. Our debate teamsent a number of cadets <strong>to</strong> the state meet,our orienteering team placed in the nationalchampionships.Our students are succeeding in the classroomand on the athletic fields. Our sacrifices onbehalf of our students have been well worth theresult.LTC Bobby Cobb(FUMA ‘71) is theExecutive Direc<strong>to</strong>rof Developmentwww.forkunion.com 7