British born scholar and church leader, the Rev. Noel Brooks, spoke to graduates of Oklahoma City Southwestern College (now SCU) on May 16, 1976. The subject of his baccalaureate address was the life of Daniel (Daniel 1:1-8; 16-21).
"A Christian College is not a "degree mill" where academic standards can be charitably relaxed, or cheap accreditation offered. A "Christian" College is not merely where good academic degrees are earned. Rather it is a matrix where young people of Daniel's quality can be moudled and fashioned before being sent out to challenge the pagan culture outside.
I am not speaking exclusively of pastors, evangelists and missionaries. Daniel was not a priest or an official prophet. He was never ordained to the ministry or licensed to preach. He was a layman, a senator, a statesman, a politician in the best sense of the word. And he was a man of profound religious conviction, of strong moral and strong principles, who could not be bent by the world around him. The grand purpose of a Christian College is to provide a mould in which men and women of Daniel's calibre can be trained for all professions and walks of life.
In order to do this a college must be more than a "Christian" in name. It is possible to have a name to live and yet be dead. A "Christian" College must practice "Christian" principles; it must have a "Christian" atmosphere; and it must have "Christian" leaders, teachers, and staff. Only then can a "Christian" imprint be indelibly stamped on the mind and character of the student body."
