The King's Connection Magazine Volume 23 Number 3//Spring 2013 | Page 4

PRESIDENT’S MESSAGE

Reflections: Eight Years of Blessing
D

uring my interview process for the
position of President of The King’s
University College in 2004, I took
every opportunity to ask, “What are
the key challenges facing your next
president?” Almost always the first
response was, “Finding faculty.” That
is to say, King’s was challenged
to find faculty candidates with
a deep commitment to the
project of transformative
Christian university
education, and a
rich and articulate
sense of their
vocation as
Christian
scholar/
teachers in
their fields of
expertise. A
second response to
my question, as important
as the first, was the
challenge of identifying
the next generation of
academic leaders to carry
the mission forward into
the future.
These challenges were
not front and centre
during the recent
presidential search—
and that represents an
astounding blessing!
Over the past seven
years, King’s has
appointed 25 new
faculty members,
now half of our
tenure-track faculty.
Almost every faculty
search yielded two or
three ‘appointable’

candidates. We welcomed several mid-career professors who
left jobs at mainstream universities because they were looking
for a place that would challenge them to develop as Christian
scholar/teachers. To be sure, the success of our faculty
searches reflects the hard work of academic vice presidents
Harry Spaling and Hank Bestman. But they would
be the first to acknowledge that this outcome represents a
blessing that goes far beyond our expectations and abilities.
Today we also know where to find the next generation of
academic leaders — they are among us! ‘Younger’ professors
are finding their stride and are emerging as institutional leaders.
There is no question that our faculty has the capacity to carry
our academic mission forward for years to come. What can we
say but praise God!

From “college” to “university”
When I came in 2005 I was struck by the deferential way we
spoke of ourselves; we were “the college” and we referred
somewhat deferentially to “the university,” that big place a
couple of kilometres to the west. I wondered whether this
reflected a bit of an institutional inferiority complex. It wasn’t
that we didn’t believe in King’s mission or doubted the quality
of the King’s educational experience; it’s just that we weren’t
“the university.” I vividly recall the day our student satisfaction
results first appeared in the Canadian University Report. There
we were, at the top of the “Very Small” university class! It put
a spring in our step. It was around that time that I hit upon the
idea of collecting a loonie from anyone who referred to King’s as
“the college.” I said to our students, “Tell them that if you wanted
to go to college you would have enrolled at MacEwan (which
was a college at the time); but you decided to go to university!”
I believe that today there is a greater sense of institutional selfconfidence at King’s, a sense that being small doesn’t mean
being less of a university; it simply means having unique and
positive strengths as a university with a unified vision.
The spirit and commitment of the King’s faculty and
administrative staff has been an immense blessing to me.
‘Financial restraint’ has been the watchword at King’s year after
year. A difficult financial climate easily produces polarization
between ‘the administration’ and ‘the faculty’ and/or ??a?????????d)?-????e????e????????????????????????????????????????a???)????????d?-????e???????????????????????????????????)????$??????????????????????????????????????()???????????????????
???????????????????????????)?????????????????????????????$?????????????????????)??????????????a???????????d)]??????????????????????????????????????????????)????????????????????????????????????????)?????????????????????????????????????????????e??)????????????????????????????????????????????)???????????????????????????%?e??????????????????$???)???????????????????????????????????????????????????)?????????????????????????????????????????????
??????)??????????????????????????????????????????????????()A????????M?????????????)Q???M???????????????????????????????? ???????????)?????????????????????q???????????????????????)??????????????????????????
????????????????)??????????
??????????????????????t?'?e?????????????)??????-????e????????????????????????????????????)=??????????????????A?????
????????
?????????????(?A

??????????????-????e?????????????????????????)Q?????????????????????????????????????????????)Q???A

???????????
??????????????????????????)??????????????????????????????????q???????????)???????????t????????????????????????????????Q???)?????????????????????????-????e?????????????????)????????????????????????????-????e???????????)M???????????????????????????????M??????????????)?????????????????????????????????????????????)???????????????????????Q???e??????????-????e????)??????????????????????????9?????Q???????????
??????)?????????????????????????????????????????????)???????????????????????????????
????????????)???????????????-????e????????Q???????????????????)???????????????????e????5????????
?????????????????)??????????????????
???????????9??????????
??????)I???????
??????A??????????????????????????)???????????????????????????????M??????M???????)???????Q???????????????????????????????????????)???????????9?????????????????????????????????)?????????????????????????????????-????e?????)???????)????????????M???????????????-????e?????????????)???????????
??????????????????????????I????????????()????????????????????????????????????????????????????)I???????????????????????????????????????????????)?????????????????????????????????????????????????
???????????? ????-????e?????I??????????????????????????)????????????????????????????????????????????????)??????????????????
????????????????-????e?????A???????)???????????????5???????????I??????????????????????)?????????????????????????????????????????????$??????????)?????????????????????????????????????????????()???????????????)=????????????????????????-????e??????????????)??????????????????????????????????????????????????)????????????????????????????????????????????)????????????????????????????????????????????????)???
?????????????????????????????????????????????)???????????????????-????e????????????????????????????)?????????????????
???????????????????????????????+?a???????d?????????????????????????????????????????????????????)Q?????????????????????????????
?????????????????????)????????????????????????????????????????????????)?????????????????????=??????????????????????????)?????????????????????????????????M?????????????)????????'?e?????????????????????????????????????)?????????????????????????????????????????-????e???)?????????)%????????????????????????????????????????
??????)???????????????????????????????????????????-????e?)??????????????????????????????????????????????)Q???e???????????????????????????????????????????)?????????=?????????????????????????????????????)????????????????? ????e???????????????????????)??????????????????????????????????????)%????????????????????????????????????????????????)??????????A?????????Q???-????e?U????????
???????????????)?????????]???????????????????????????????????????)?????$??????????????????????????-????e???????????????)??????????Q???????????????!?????????$?????????q???)???????????????????t?]?????????????-????e???????????)????????????????????????????????????????????????????
?)????e????????????????????????????????-????e??A??????)??????????????????????????????????????????????????????)??????????????? ???????=?????()Q???-????e?
?????????????M??????????????((0