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Abilene Christian University Receives $10 Million Donation to Support Ministry Students

Abilene Christian University (ACU), a private Christian institution based in Texas, was the recipient of a $10 million donation that will provide much needed financial aid to graduate ministry students at Abilene Christian University.

Abilene Christian University (ACU) was the recipient of a $10 million donation that will provide much needed financial aid to graduate ministry students at the private Christian institution based in Texas.

The $10 million donation by Lacy and Dorothy Harber – a local couple with ties to the university – will support 50 full-tuition scholarships for graduate ministry students, under the Lacy and Dorothy Harber Endowment Scholarship Fund. The fund will also be applied to living expenses for students with special needs, such as international students, and graduate assistants.

“We are honored to be able to do this,” said Lacy Harber. “We are just stewards of this money for a short time. It’s not really ours. It belongs to God.”

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Lacy and Dorothy Harber both grew up in Texas near Abilene and Lacy later enrolled in ACU. With great success in business, the Harbers decided to invest their funds into the lives of ministry students.

The dean of both the Graduate School of Theology and the College of Biblical Studies, Dr. Jack Reese, expressed his gratitude toward the Harbers for their generosity.

“The gift from Lacy and Dorothy Harber is generous beyond words. It will have a deep and immediate impact on students within the Graduate School of Theology,” said Reese.

A 2005 report by Auburn Seminary’s Center for the Study of Theological Education found an increasing trend in debt incurred by seminary graduates from 1991 to 2001. The average amount borrowed for educational fees increased from $11,043 in 1991 to $25,018 in 2001. One plausible cause for this trend was the increase in students entering seminary with left-over debt from their undergraduate studies.

In the report, titled “The Gathering Storm: The educational debt of theological students,” researchers recommended several ways to address the problem, including training for students in personal financial planning, better salaries for clergy, and increased scholarship opportunities. Donations like the one made by the Harbers can greatly contribute to the financial issues faced by seminary students.

“The greatest impact of this gift will be on ministry students who often graduate with significant debt,” said Reese. “This gift will allow these students to enter ministry fully focused on their work rather than burdened by their educational debt. For that reason, the generosity of the Harbers will literally change these students' lives.”

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