Just weeks after concerns surfaced regarding the future of the choral program at Andrews University, the administration announced that $1.51 million had been donated to create the Stephen Zork Endowed Chair of Choral Music, establishing a permanent solution to fund the position of the choral director at Andrews University. The funds, given by anonymous donors, and the endowed chair are a direct solution to the prior fear that Zork’s position would be replaced by a contract professor rather than a full-time faculty member, or worse, not be replaced at all due to lack of funding.
Steven Manoukian, director of development office for Andrews University, explained the nature of an endowed chair. “We will fundraise $2 million, and that will be invested. Part of the investment will be used to pay the salary for the choral conductor, and part of it will be reinvested in order to keep that balance going.” This will provide financial stability and a permanent source of funding to pay for the salary of a choral conductor, taking the decision out of any future administrators’ hands and guaranteeing the future of the choral program at Andrews University.
Max Keller, chair of the Department of Music, credits President John Wesley Taylor V for both the idea and the implementation. “He has always been an advocate, especially behind the scenes, for music at Andrews.” Keller was surprised when Taylor announced the endowed chair just a couple of weeks ago at a meeting, already having raised $1.51 million. “He showed up 75% of the way done and said, ‘Just take it home,’” said Keller, expressing relief and gratitude for the efforts Taylor put in towards accomplishing this goal.
The Office of Development and the Department of Music are now collaborating to fundraise the remaining amount as soon as possible so that the hiring process can begin. Keller admitted that this does put the department slightly behind schedule to hire someone for the 2026-2027 school year, but that it is not impossible. However, he explained, “there is a likely scenario that we'll be doing a full search next year,” hiring a temporary replacement to direct the choirs for a year to ensure that the search for a high quality conductor is not rushed. Keller expressed that he is not concerned about finding someone capable to “take the reins for a year” while the search is conducted.
According to Manoukian, Andrews University currently has 10 endowed chairs, including the John Nevins Andrews Memorial Chair in Religion, Oliver S. Beltz Sacred Music Endowment Fund, and the Adventist Health System Endowed Chair of Business Administration. Manoukian added that “There are several endowed chairs on campus, but finding the donors is where the challenge comes in.” Though having an endowed chair for every position at Andrews University would be an incredible financial blessing, it is difficult to find donors willing to contribute $2 million, making this an especially rare honor for Zork and a blessing for the Department of Music.
The naming of the endowed chair after Stephen Zork speaks to his legacy at Andrews University. After 35 years serving as the director of Choral Studies, he has left a huge impact on the school and the hundreds of students that he has come into contact with, as seen by the personal reflections left on the fundraising page for his endowed chair. Keller also spoke to Zork’s legacy saying, “especially for it to be named after Professor Zork, it's extremely prestigious to have something like that. Very, very rare.” Zork’s name will now forever be associated with the choral program, honoring his commitment to quality education.
The process of getting the donations necessary for an endowed chair is not quick nor easy. Despite the fact that the administration likely knew about the possibility of the endowment for several months prior to the announcement, even as concern grew in the music department and throughout campus, the information had to be kept secret until completion. Manoukian said, “The person who’s working through this process cannot say anything and cannot promise anything until it happens,” explaining why the administration has chosen not to give information on Zork’s replacement prior to the announcement of the endowment.
Zork stated that he was “stunned” and “completely relieved” when he found out the news that there was going to be an endowed chair named after him. He stated that he was “pleased that at least the concept of supporting philosophy was being considered.” Zork additionally claimed that this is a hopeful thing for the other faculty in the music department to know that the administration trusts them by investing in their goals.
Junior Jonathan Clough voiced his thanks, saying that he is "immensely grateful that the administration has chosen to preserve this program that means so much to so many people, and that really is a highlight of Andrews’ music program, not just in the local area but all across the country and the Adventist world.”
The hiring process for a new choral director cannot begin until the $2 million goal has been reached. The Office of Development is aiming to reach this goal by April, but is calling on the help of the Andrews community to make it happen. Donations can be made through this link.
The Student Movement is the official student newspaper of Andrews University. Opinions expressed in the Student Movement are those of the authors and do not necessarily reflect the opinions of the editors, Andrews University or the Seventh-day Adventist church.