Dr. Brad Johnson, president of College of the Ozarks, shares how the school’s distinctive work college model shapes students academically, spiritually, and personally. Known by many as “Hard Work U,” the college requires every student to work as part of their education, helping them graduate debt free while building character, responsibility, and a biblical understanding of work. This conversation explores the dignity of work and how Christian higher education can form students for lives of leadership, citizenship, and faithful service.

🎧 Tune In to Discover

• How students at College of the Ozarks graduate debt free

• Why work builds dignity, character and lifelong habits

• How Christian colleges can resist reducing education to job training

• What it means to form students for citizenship and calling

🎙️Inside the Episode

02:26- What a work college is and how the model works

06:00 - How the college's work program allows students to graduate debt free

08:40 - Serving students who arrive with significant financial challenges

15:49 - Why education must form leaders, not just prepare workers

18:48 - The dignity of work and the character it builds in students

29:11 - A leadership lesson on articulating what Christian institutions stand for.

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