I received this email today...

Harding University

Department of Marriage and Family Therapy

Friday, July 19, 2013

Hello to all MFT graduate!

I hope that life is treating you well and that God is using you for His purpose.  I am writing because I need to elicit your help.  The MFT program is under scrutiny at this time, by the Assistant Provost for Graduate Education.  It has been proposed that the Col lege of Education’s Masters in Counseling be combined with our program.  In my assessment, this is a very serious possibility.  One of the issues is money.  However, on paper, as a bureaucrat looks at us, she sees very little difference between the two programs.  This makes it doubly difficult to justify our existence.  She has not spent any time trying to get to know our program and the experience of our graduates.  I think it would be good to have available some information, from your perspective, as to your experience here and any longer term contributions the program has made to your spiritual life, family, church, and/or career.  Some of the distinctions I would like to highlight are:

1)      Your experience with a cohort group

2)      Classes taught from a systems perspective

3)      The variety of clinical settings

4)      The ratio of supervision/clinical hours and the nature of supervision

5)      Your own personal growth

6)      Any other significant information you deem valuable

These are difficult for someone that has not experienced to know how to value.  Hearing from you might help.

I request those of you who are willing to write an e-mail, letter, or make a video and send it to Monte Cox and cc me.  Monte is our Dean and would be the one to liaison with the Assistant Provost.  I ask that you not send anything directly to her as I have been counseled against such direct action at this time. I believe that God has blessed the last 20 years of our existence.  My prayer is that we continue on as we have been.  It may not be what God has in store for us, but I sure would like to make a strong case for our continuance.  If you would not mind taking some time to put something together I would greatly appreciate it.  I am able to keep up with some of you on Facebook.  I always enjoy reading about your families!  May the God of peace bless you.  Sorry for the lack o f individual greeting.  I am trying to get this out as quickly as possible and have not mastered mail merge.  Please forward on to your classmates as I do not have everyone’s contact information.

Respectfully,

Vann Rackley

To imagine a world in which the MFT Program no longer exists is devastating. I hope that the words and testimonies of the Alumi are powerful enough to consider continuing the program.