March 18, 2002
Agee reminds ETBU donors of importance of financial aid
___MARSHALL--As a young married senior at Union University, Bob Agee approached a dean at the Jackson, Tenn., school with a plea. He needed extra financial help to provide for his family and stay in school.
___Fortunately for Agee, extra financial aid was available.
___Several decades later, Agee hasn't forgotten how important that financial aid was to him. And he wants others to know their gifts toward student aid at Baptist universities make a big impact.
___Agee, former president of Oklahoma Baptist University, serves as executive director of the Association of Southern Baptist Colleges and Schools. He recently brought his message on the importance of financial aid to the East Texas Baptist University Board of Associates.
___"I was about as broke as a man could be," he recalled. "I mean, it had come to the point where I was going to have to leave school to support my family. Things were bad. But there were people involved at Union that had committed themselves to helping students like me graduate. There were people there who were committed to young people, just as there are people here who are committed to students and their education at this university.
___"My charge to you is to stay committed, because your help can go a long way in preparing young people for today's world," he admonished the ETBU supporters.
___ETBU's Board of Associates is a 395-member board with no administrative authority, but it focuses on helping the university and its students achieve long-term goals financially.
___"To commit to help in this area, you have to believe in God, you have to believe in kids and you have to believe in what (ETBU) is doing," Agee explained. "Schools today such as East Texas Baptist University have a more important role in society than ever before.
___"Christian colleges and universities are part of a vibrant minority that has to be committed to not only the transfer of knowledge but also to the values and high moral standards young people need to have in today's culture. Schools such as East Texas Baptist University have to dare to be the voice of conscience in the world today."
___Despite a weak national economy, ETBU is pressing forward, President Bob Riley told the board. "Our university has committed to have new dormitories ready for our students in the fall. We also are renovating Scarborough Chapel into a facility that will house several of our academic departments and give us much-needed space in those areas. A lot of people are waiting right now to see what will happen, but we feel God wants ETBU to keep moving ahead. So, we're building."
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