Bob Bland is an endowed professor in public administration. In January he shared about lessons he has learned from being in academia for more than three decades:
“My life has not been a well planned sequence of decisions, but rather a series of events that God used to shape my character and faith.
“We lived on a small farm in Colorado, northwest of Ft. Collins, on the way to Laramie. The farm had been in my family for several generations. Though we were never particularly successful, we had a modest lifestyle.
“All of that changed in 1959 when my father developed a detached retina, became blind and could no longer farm. We would not have made it during those very lean years without the support of a small but very dedicated church. Those people really allowed our family to continue.
“These difficulties did not drive me away from God. I began to develop my own faith and conviction that there was a God, who demonstrated His sovereignty through the virgin birth of His son, in the miracles He performed, and in His victory over death through His resurrection. In 1967, I professed my faith in Jesus; I’ve never looked back.
“Later, I attended Pepperdine University in California.It was a wonderful opportunity that I thought I would never have. I attended on a cello scholarship.
“Things seemed great..Until that one fateful summer day — July 15, 1970– when I was back home.
“My boss sent me to a field near an abandoned Minute Man missile base to cut what was essentially a field of weeds. My hay harvester became clogged and I tried to free the thresher.
“That one moment forever changed my life with the traumatic loss of my left hand fingers and thumb.I thought my college life and all of my dreams, were gone. Then Pepperdine graciously gave me an academic scholarship that allowed me to continue my college education.
“Three years later, a new graduate student, Jane Stowell from Schenectady, NY, arrived on campus. After a blind date and a couple months of courtship, I asked her to ‘settle down with me.’ A couple of days later, she asked ‘So was that a marriage proposal?’
“I’m not sure why I asked her exactly like that, but I did! This June we celebrate 45 years of ‘settling down together.’
“In the book of Esther, there is a great dialogue between the Queen Esther and her Uncle Mordecai. The Babylonian king was deceived into issuing an edict allowing the mass annihilation of the Jews. Unbeknownst to the king, Esther, a Jew, is in a position to convince the king to issue a countermanding edict.
“Mordecai comes to Esther and says to her, “Who knows but that you have been put in this royal position for such a time as this?”
“My life has not been the result of my master plan. In hindsight, God has put me in
each place and provided each opportunity. It is He the Master who has planned my life, and I suspect the same is true for each of you, too.
“In 1982, after a series of those God-designed serendipities, I ended up at a
university I had never heard of, in a town that I never heard of, in a state I had never been to. And 36 years later, here I am.
“Some takeaways from these years at UNT:
1. Every person who comes into my life is an opportunity for ministry.
“Often it is a word of encouragement, listening to their concerns, dealing with a tragedy in their life, helping them think through their career options.-I love these times!
2. University life for faculty and professional staff is emotionally and mentally taxing.
“The FIS, merit reviews, SPOT evaluations, surveys, unhappy supervisors, graduation, commencement,… oh, and by the way teaching your classes,… faculty meetings, conferences, papers, journal rejection letters, more papers to write, papers to grade….and of course — before you can begin your day you spend time trying to find a place to park on campus.
“So, how do we keep our sanity? Or more importantly, how do we keep our faith strong?
“My identity is not defined by my position or duties at UNT. It is defined by those I serve. I do not depend on UNT to define my worth as a professional. My worth comes from the lives God puts in my path every single day.
3.There is no perfect job, and although UNT wants to be one of the best places to work, there is no perfect place to work. “My advice: Learn to love what you do. You can tolerate the imperfections of working in a university.
“We are lights, we are catalysts for compassion, forgiveness, love, hope, healthy lifestyles.Stay strong in your values, speak out against injustice, love what you do.
4. God is faithful. “Administrations come and go — I am now serving under my 6th university president. It’s easy to become wrapped up in the affairs of the academy; our real hope is in the God who is sovereign.”