By Claire Burris, Staff Writer
An education shapes more than what a student knows. It also shapes the standards by which they live and the person they become when they leave the classroom. At Hickingbotham School of Business (HSB), that responsibility is understood as part of the teaching itself.
Preparing students for a career requires knowledge and discipline, but preparing them to carry out that knowledge into the world requires something more. It requires an investment in their character. For the professors who teach within the HSB’s Christian framework, students are not defined solely by their academic performance or future professional success; their growth as individuals matters too.
The belief that individual growth matters influences the purpose behind the education students receive. Business will eventually ask them to make decisions that affect others and circumstances where the right choice is not the easiest one. Technical knowledge can prepare them to understand those decisions, while character will influence how they make them. HSB’s commitment to Christian faith places that responsibility within a larger understanding of what it means to work with integrity.
Dean Brian McKinney states, “As far as what I hope they take from here, I hope they know they matter. I hope they know their professors are behind them, and I hope we have given them confidence that they can be difference makers. I hope they know that their ultimate hope is not in any of that, but in Jesus Christ. I hope we have modeled that for them. I hope they will be successful professionally, but that would be a secondary pursuit of theirs.”
Dean McKinney offers us a true testament to this commitment. His hope for the building is also a reflection of how he believes students should be regarded within it. The intention is not simply to provide a place for students to prepare for their futures, but to create an environment in which their development as individuals is taken just as seriously.
That distinction matters. College is a time when students are still forming their understanding of themselves and their responsibilities. They will eventually carry into the workforce. The people who teach them have a special opportunity to influence that process by recognizing the importance of the values that will guide them long after graduation.
Chris Brune, Professor of Finance, shares insight when asked what distinguishes HSB’s approach from other institutions. “It is a place where students are challenged and encouraged to think about how their faith blends with their careers, and you don’t get that everywhere. I hope that shapes the way they approach their work here and provides a foundation for how they work throughout their future careers.”
The biblical reference, Colossians 3:23, incorporated into the school’s clock tower logo, reflects the faith that shapes its approach to education. The verse encourages believers to work wholeheartedly, working for the Lord rather than for human approval. Within the business school, that principle speaks to more than professional achievement. It connects the work students prepare to do with character and convictions that carry into it, reminding them how they work matters just as much as the work itself.
For students, the influence of this environment is best understood through their own experiences. Brock Holton, a senior finance student, claims, “Even on the trip to Europe in May with some of my good friends, we sat and met with Christopher Rice, an executive leader at Shell. We are standing next to him in London, talking about how special Ouachita is. That is crazy and something unique about this university and its opportunities.”
Their perspective can reveal what the school’s mission looks like beyond its stated purpose and instead into everyday experience of being taught and encouraged by people who care about more than the profession.
The lasting significance of an education is not entirely captured by what a graduate goes on to accomplish. It is reflected in the judgment they exercise, the principles they maintain, and the way they understand their responsibility to others. By placing character alongside professional preparation, Hickingbotham School of Business affirms that these are not separate parts of student development.
