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Chick-fil-A President addresses NGU campus on Founder’s Day
Dan Cathy helped NGU celebrate 114 years of
existence
 Tigerville,
SC
- “Eat More Chicken” was heard all across the North Greenville University
campus on Founder’s Day, Wednesday, September 20. NGU President Dr. James B.
Epting opened chapel with those words to welcome Chick-fil-A President and
chief operating officer Dan Cathy. Those words were also seen flying through
Turner Chapel as Cathy began his time by throwing stuffed versions of the
famous Chick-fil-A cows into the audience.
Cathy captivated those in attendance with stories from his experience in
the company his father, S. Truett Cathy, founded. While much of the service
was humorous, Cathy made it clear that he was serious about glorifying God
in his business and his life.
He challenged students to give whatever they had to God and allow Him to
use it. “My dad had a chicken patty, two pickles and a hamburger bun,” said
Cathy. “What do you have to give to God?” He also encouraged everyone to
think of every aspect of their lives as “the ministry” and a chance to
worship God. “At Chick-fil-A, we believe you can worship God with clean
restrooms, hot waffle fries and friendly service,” said Cathy.
He told the story of a young man who came to him, telling Cathy that he
was going into the ministry and would be serving at a church. Cathy asked
him, “Why would you not want to trade a pulpit two feet wide operating one
day a week for one 40-feet wide that operates six days a week? I don’t know
how many youth you would have at your church, but you would have 60 or 70 in
your youth group here.” He stressed that each person, no matter what
profession, could be a missionary and a witness.
 Cathy
showed a short film that Chick-fil-A had produced to illustrate their
principle of “Second Mile Service.” The film illustrates the command that
Jesus gave in Matthew 5:41 “Whoever forces you to go one mile, go with him
two.” For Chick-fil-A the principle becomes “exceeding even the highest
expectations of a typical fast-food restaurant.”
He spoke at two other venues on the NGU campus. First, to the Business
Club, comprised of students in the College of Business. After chapel, he
addressed a luncheon held in honor of scholarship donors. At each
presentation, Cathy stressed his personal passion to see the fulfillment of
the Chick-fil-A Corporate Purpose: “To glorify God by being a faithful
steward of all that is entrusted to us. To have a positive influence on all
who come in contact with Chick-fil-A.”
After chapel, Cathy gave everyone who came a free stuffed Chick-fil-A
cow, a coupon for a free chicken sandwich and a booklet entitled, “The
Burning Brush experience,” detailing his thoughts after suffering severe
burns over most of his body and God’s presence during the aftermath.
Founder’s Day celebrates the founding and continuous Christian heritage
of North Greenville University. The institution was founded in 1892 as a
high school to provide educational opportunities for mountain area students.
The State of South Carolina chartered the institution as North Greenville
High School in 1904 and was renamed “North Greenville Academy” in 1915. In
1934, the charter was amended to create a junior college in addition to a
high school. In 1972, the word “Junior” was deleted from the title of the
school.
In 1991, the college reaffirmed its basic commitment to quality
education, becoming a four-year liberal arts college in 1992. The college
awarded its first bachelor degree in 1994. The school changed its name from
“College” to “University” in 2005 and opened the T. Walter Brashier Graduate
School to offer master’s degree programs. |
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