Ann Marie Blackmon

The benefits office at Lenoir-Rhyne College exists to administer employee benefits, to provide support to faculty and staff in using them, and to assist with all risk management issues of the institution. How does this support our mission? By striving to balance the Christian principles on which we stand with the prevailing business and legal environment. It facilitates and complements the integration of faith and learning in the classroom by supporting faculty and staff. This should build a sense of community.

Persons in the administration need occasional renewal of energy and focus to respond adequately to the tensions inherent in this charge. Opportunities such as the spring 2002 series of discussions based on Robert Benne’s Quality with Soul respond to this need.

Lenoir-Rhyne enjoys and protects a number of other means to accomplish community. Some of these include worship, convocations, a variety of means of communication among employees, junior faculty focus groups, and adequate support staff.

Still yet, as we grow and become more diverse and more specialized, we tend to break into disparate groups. Greater intentionality is required to protect community and unity. What would enhance our inclusiveness? Let us try more structured orientation of new faculty and administration; a fully supported mentoring program through the first three years of an employee’s tenure; and organized small groups for Bible study or worship.

Integration of faith and learning cannot be left entirely to the classroom setting. As all administrators and support staff are part of the learning and growing process for our students, it is important to hire and retain employees that share the vision of Lenoir-Rhyne College. An intentional discussion of the faith/learning aspect of each job should be included in the hiring process. Even support staff should be hired in-house. A rigorous screening prior to hire should evaluate a candidate’s compatibility with the College mission.

A mission as high as ours carries an expensive price tag. Even with careful and astute stewardship, it will always strain financial resources. For example, the last cited hiring objectives are nearly impossible under current salary conditions.

Here we are back where we started. How do we reconcile our high mission with marketplace reality?

JS Bach, the great baroque composer of much sacred music, had a pretty good way of reminding himself to integrate faith and work. Let us take a leaf out of his book, and inscribe each work day as he inscribed each composition “DSG” – deo solo Gloria – to God alone the glory.

May 2002