June 30, 2010

College of Business Administration gets new name, building upgrades

SEARCY, Ark. — The Harding University Board of Trustees announces the naming of the College of Business Administration as the Paul R. Carter College of Business Administration. The decision was made at the board’s semiannual meeting in May.

Carter was the former CFO of Wal-Mart. He became a member of the Harding University President’s Council in 1967 and was later selected a member of the Harding Board of Trustees in 1985. He served as chairman for four years and also served as treasurer and worked on the executive committee. He continued his role on the board until his death in October 2009 following a long battle with cancer.

“Paul was an icon in Arkansas business leadership, and we thought it was highly appropriate to name the College of Business Administration in his honor,” said Dr. David B. Burks, president of Harding. “He was an outstanding Christian business leader.”

In addition to a new name, the College of Business Administration will soon undergo a major facilities upgrade. The Mabee Building, which has housed the college since 1982, will begin renovations in July to add new classrooms, a finance trading lab, expanded student common areas, break-out rooms for group projects, faculty offices and a center for alumni networking. Construction will be carried out in two phases, with the first and largest phase being complete in May 2011. The second phase of construction will begin that same month and conclude in August 2011.

During the last 28 years, the business college has seen a 60 percent growth in enrollment. An M.B.A. program was added in 1998 and has since grown to be the second-largest M.B.A. program in Arkansas. In addition, the college houses the Center for Business Professional Studies, the Belden Center for Private Enterprise Education and Harding Character Initiative.