WOMEN’S GOLF WINS TOURNAMENT
October 2, 2018
Joan Coleman was a woman who embodied the desire and discipline to learn. Although she is no longer on this earth physically, her legacy and spirit will continue to live on through the lives of many Harding students. Since the establishment of the Joan and Dale Coleman Endowed Family and Consumer Sciences Fund in 2010, 56 students have been awarded various monetary amounts equaling over $160,000.
Coleman dedicated her life to the cause of helping children, families and communities to live an abundant life. Over the time span of 25 years, Coleman received a high school diploma, three collegiate degrees, two graduate degrees and a doctoral degree. Within this era, simply earning one undergraduate degree as a woman was atypical.
Coleman attended Harding College, at its original location in Morrilton, Ark., earning a bachelor’s degree in home economics in 1934. It was through her passion for people and education, and her connection to Harding, that she later decided to support current and future students. Her and her husband, Dale Coleman, both shared a special interest in education, in which they agreed to help advance the institutions they attended. Together they established multiple ways to promote education, including over 30 years of support to Christian education at Harding through various donations.
Elizabeth Wilson, former Family and Consumer Sciences Department Chair, worked alongside Dr. Clifton Ganus and Coleman to establish the Joan and Dale Coleman Endowed Family and Consumer Sciences Fund, preceding the death of her husband. Therefore, Coleman created a way of long-term funding and support for students in their chosen field within the Department of Family and Consumer Science through this scholarship fund.
“Joan had a dream that the Family and Consumer Sciences Department at Harding would be a premiere program among the Christian universities,” Wilson said. “Thanks to Joan, many students have and will be able to afford to come to Harding and major in one of the degree programs of the Department. She wanted her monetary blessings to be used far into the future for educating young people. The Trust Fund is accomplishing her vision.”
The undergraduate scholarship fund is just one of several designated areas of Family Consumer Sciences expenditures from Coleman. In addition to the undergraduate scholarships, she established faculty doctoral scholarships, a distinguished lecture series and an enrichment fund for teaching and learning resources for students and faculty.
Having seen the influence Coleman has had within the department, Denise Fisher, Family and Consumer Sciences Department Chair and Associate Professor, views Coleman as the epitome of a mentor.
“Academics has always set Harding apart,” Fisher said. “I believe one of our strengths as a department, is that we work to connect with our students to ensure in the best way possible that our students have a meaningful experience at Harding by being a mentor to them and not just focusing on teaching the proper content.”
Fisher believes that these relationships are the way in which the department has fulfilled Coleman’s dream of being a premiere university. It is through people like Coleman, that the department has modeled their mentorship mentality after and has overall continued its success.
“The true sense of being a professional is mentoring and paying it forward,” Fisher said. “I think back to when I came to Harding and was awarded the Mildred L. Bell Family And Consumer Sciences Scholarship. It helped me be here and become who I am today.”
Fisher continued in sharing the importance of being a true professional, supporting other people’s legacies and her effort to give back to her students.
“If the profession is going to thrive, we as professionals have got to support these young people in realizing their dreams and be able to carry it forward.” Fisher said. “It’s an inner passion that you have, that you really care about, in helping people make their lives better. It’s evident to me that a lot of people in the field of Family Consumer Sciences give back to the profession, because that’s just another way that they can make a difference in somebody else’s life.”
It’s through the Joan and Dale Coleman Endowed Family and Consumer Sciences Fund that students such as receipt Savannah Morris, a junior Family Consumer Sciences major, have not only been supported financially, but also encouraged to focus on their passion.
“I chose to go into the field of Family Consumer Sciences because I knew that I wanted to become a teacher and strive to make a difference in my students lives while also preparing them for their future,” Morris said. “Receiving this scholarship has made it easier for me to attend Harding. Before this scholarship I stressed about how I was going to afford my schooling and now I can focus on what I am really here to learn.”
Before being a scholarship recipient, Morris was unaware of how many have and do invest into the Family and Consumer Sciences Department.
“I'm really thankful to know how much has been done within our program,” Morris said. “The money invested has gone to help so many students and I'm honored to be one of them. Those like Dale and Joan Coleman have sincerely made a difference in the lives of so many in support of us trying to make a difference in other peoples lives. I am honestly so grateful.”
The Joan and Dale Coleman Endowed Family and Consumer Sciences Fund will continue to provide financial support in years to come, as it has already positively enhanced the college experience of so many students. The legacy will live on.