Letter to the Students from the President

Dear Students:

From time to time, difficult circumstances occur in our lives that are beyond our control.  It is during these periods that we learn and build our lifelong tendencies for coping with stress, challenge and change.  We come to such a time this week at Brewton-Parker College.

Because of the significant financial stress of the current national economy, and because Brewton-Parker came into this economic downturn already in a weakened financial position, the College found itself confronted with a set of decisions that were far from ideal.  When our financial condition became clear, BPC’s Board of Trustees actively began to explore various resolutions to our problem.  A special committee was appointed that studied the economic efficiency of every major at BPC.  Significant research was conducted to determine the viability of each program of study.  Last Thursday, after months of deliberation and exploration of alternatives, the Board of Trustees approved some difficult actions that should bring us a strong hope of financial recovery in the future.

The Board found that the number of academic majors at BPC was larger than our student body or our budget could afford.  In some instances, several similar majors diminished the chance for any one of them to gain traction and achieve viability.  They discovered that the cost of continuing to offer qualitative majors in certain disciplines was simply too high for Brewton-Parker College to sustain.  The Board of Trustees chose to discontinue several of the institution’s academic majors, and possibly yours is one of those affected.

Naturally, there is more than one academic program that can lead to specific outcomes for career choices or graduate study.  Your advisors are prepared to assist you in determining whether your major was discontinued and if you should consider other majors that would help you meet the same goals.   Our professional staff also stands ready to help you.

Even in times of economic uncertainty, the overarching message that I want each of you to hear is that you are deeply valued at Brewton-Parker College.  We will dedicate ourselves even more deeply to assisting you to attain your life goals, and promise to help you in any way we can during the time.  You can become what God meant for you to be at BPC.

In the end, the choice is yours.  You will either determine that you can move forward toward excellence in a changed environment, or you can succumb to an attitude of defeat, blame and cynicism.  That, after all, is the essence of life’s basic decisions.  My prayer is that you choose success.  If that is your desire, contact us so that we can help you get there.

Sincerely,

David R. Smith, Ed. D.

President