Vice Chancellor’s Report
The Rev. Eric H. Carswell
W
ith the end of 2012-2013 I will have finished
eleven years of serving the Academy of the
New Church. Starting fall of 2002, I was the Dean
of the Theological School for five years. In my first
years as Dean, the Academy leadership continued
to face tough decisions to resolve budget deficits
that followed on the Campaign 2000 projects, notably the Mitchell Performing Arts Center and the
major Asplundh Field House addition.
In 2007 following Brian Keith’s partial year as
interim Academy President, and a few months after Dudley Davis took on a role eventually titled
Chief Executive Officer, I took on the role of Academy President. While I carried the title of Academy President there was a strongly reinforced
understanding that I was not to get involved in
operational issues and concerns.
In 2009 two significant developments took
place in this role. Firstly, prior to Chris Clark’s
year as President of Bryn Athyn College, we chose
to change the title of my position to Vice Chancellor. Having two presidents in a single organizational structure seemed inappropriate and potentially confusing. In addition we learned that the
Middle States Commission on Higher Education
(MSCHE) was going to require an organizational
structure that clearly had the Bryn Athyn College
president reporting directly to the ANC Board
with no other leadership intervening. The Chancellor’s role, as defined by the bylaws, provides for
his institutional oversight role. To meet the required expectations of MSCHE the Vice Chancellor’s role was defined very simply as:
a. Carry out those responsibilities and duties
of the Chancellor that are delegated to him by the
Chancellor; provided that the responsibilities and
duties of the Chancellor set forth in Subsections
10.01 (d) and (e) [dealing with the nomination and
removal of officers] may not be delegated by the
Chancellor;
b. Perform the duties of the Chancellor in the
event the Chancellor is unable to do so; and
c. Serve as priest-pastor for the Academy.
The second change that took place in 2009 was
the decision to have me split my time equally between the role of Vice Chancellor and that of the
Bishop’s Representative for New Church Education, a role providing oversight and leadership
for the General Church Office of Education and
its two functions: Oversight of General Church
Schools and Religious Education Programs, including Sunday School lessons, and other support
for religious education in the home.
Given that the Vice Chancellor had no line authority responsibilities and that operational items
largely went on independently of the Vice Chancellor, the essential roles and responsibilities of a
priest-pastor for the Academy could be fulfilled
adequately, though less-completely.
My sense was that there was a significant
amount of valuable work that could be done by the
Vice Chancellor through his role as priest-pastor.
Being a presence, a listening ear, and a spiritual
leadership voice to support ideas of New Church
education on campus were useful roles. Given the
limits of time and attention Chancellor Kline had
for the development of agendas and the communications important for Academy leadership, the
Vice Chancellor role supported his informed presence for settings for which he was in attendance
and through drafting communications.
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