President's Speeches & Publications
Selected Publications
• Clues for Gracious Living (Deuteronomy). Youth Bible Study Curriculum, Students' Manual and Teacher's Guide. Newton, Kansas: Faith and Life Press, 1983.
• Better Than Rivers of Oil (Micah). Newton: Faith and Life Press, 1985.
Kingship According to Deuteronomistic History. Society of Biblical Literature Dissertation Series #87. Atlanta: Scholars Press, 1986.>
• “Canadian Mennonite Bible College: An Example of a Bible College." Pp 74-86 in Educating for the Kingdom? Church-Related Colleges in English-Speaking Canada. The Proceedings of a Conference sponsored by University of St. Jerome's College and Conrad Grebel College in Waterloo, Ontario
• “The 21st Century Calling for a Faithful Community – Strategies,” pp. 230-253, in What Mennonites are Thinking, 1999. Edited by Merle Good and Phyllis Pellman Good, Intercourse, Pa.: Good Books, 1999.
• “Spirituality” in Vision 1:1(2000), 9-11.
• “Scholars as Servants of the Church.” In Direction 14:2 (2004) 133-42.
President’s Messages, from CMU’s The Blazer Magazine
• “Canadian Higher Education Under Stress,” The Blazer, Spring 2011, CMU
• “CMU Celebrates 10 Years of Operation,” The Blazer, Fall 2010, CMU
• “Acknowledging God’s Sovereignty of God,” The Blazer, Summer 2010, CMU
• “Training for the Olympics,” The Blazer, Winter 2010, CMU
• “Education for Transformation,” The Blazer, Fall 2009, CMU
• “The Entrepreneur Needed Today,” The Blazer, Spring 2009, CMU
• “A Perfect Storm,” The Blazer, Winter 2009, CMU
• “Changing Paradigms,” The Blazer, Fall 2008, CMU
Spring 2011 - Canadian Higher Education Under Stress
It may not be a crisis, but Canadian higher education is under severe stress. Even as government funding and other revenues remain static or even in decline, student numbers and expectations, as well as costs, increase. That formula is unsustainable.
But how to respond to this challenge? University administrators are prone to focus on reducing costs. Others in the institution are more likely to suggest increasing revenue, whether through donations or tuition fees. In a recent article in University Affairs, two Canadian university presidents call for a more radical response. They suggest that the traditional classroom model, with knowledge experts (i.e., professors) telling novices (i.e., students) about their disciplines, must be rethought. “What is required is a radical re-conceptualizing of the teaching and learning process, where the goal becomes ‘helping the student learn’ rather than ‘teaching.’ We need to lift ourselves above the instructor-instructed dialectic, and above that of the equally factitious binary of teaching and research.”
This is not brand new of course. Educators have long encouraged a focus on “learning,” becoming more studentcentred, rather than on “teaching.” But often this call for a pedagogical shift has amounted to little more than rhetoric. Now, however, current economic realities may demand a more creative model, one in which faculty members abandon the role of dispensing “formal declarative knowledge” in favour of serving as “designers and facilitators” for student learning. In such an environment, service and experiential learning would become integral to a university education, with student peers and members of the community contributing significantly to the learning process. While faculty members would remain primary in the learning process, the role of professional staff would increase.
In most ways, CMU programming is organized in a manner similar to other universities: two semesters; courses organized into three-hour credit units, generally meeting 150 minutes per week; a normal faculty teaching load of nine credit hours per semester. At the outset, the need to
establish a credible university required that CMU look and feel like its university counterparts. Imaginatively moving beyond the standard paradigm is challenging.
But hints of a more creative CMU model are already present. The CMU Vision Statement of 2008 highlights “Learning through Thinking and Doing” as a core commitment. Internships and practicum placements for all graduates are standard, with the practicum director playing a significant role. Carefully planned programming transforms a student residence into a critical part of the educational experience. Outtatown reflects this commitment to thinking and doing in a marvelous way as students become immersed in transformative, cross-cultural learning experiences that bring them into conversation with mentors and those of the larger community.
Paradigms do not change overnight. Nor do all aspects of an older model need to be rejected. But as I visit with other university presidents, I sense a growing conviction that the way undergraduate education is delivered must change. Change may be forced upon the universities, but it also presents wonderful opportunities. The Anabaptist Christian tradition, with its emphasis on discipleship and learning through doing—a journey with companions and mentors— gives CMU a wonderful asset in this transition.
Fall 2010 - CMU Celebrates 10 Years of Operation
Configuring CMU in the late 1990s was tricky. Bringing together three colleges, each with a Board, administration, faculty, and an ownership body, was challenging. Each college protected its interests, even as they negotiated together with government for a university charter and financial support. It is little wonder that many questioned whether this experiment in cooperation could succeed, much less thrive. The challenges were obvious, with the dynamics of an unprecedented denominational and college partnership and fears around financial viability most obvious. Some doubts, I am sure, were present in all of us even as we enthusiastically announced “Canadian Mennonite University” and began working as one in
2000.
Today, as we mark 10 years of operation, the atmosphere is remarkably different. In many ways we can celebrate success. Student numbers have grown dramatically, especially from outside the Mennonite community. Committed faculty work as a team, offering expertise in a growing number of disciplines. As a member of the Association of Universities and Colleges of Canada, CMU is recognized by sister universities. Financial support from the constituency and government is stable, making balanced budgets possible. Internal structures have been developed and refined. Menno Simons College is increasingly recognized as the premier centre for peace and justice studies in Canada. Outtatown provides an amazing blend of international experiential learning. At Shaftesbury, programs have grown to include business, communications, the sciences, and pastoral
leadership development. A good case can be made that CMU is successfully established as a small, faith-based university, serving the Mennonite churches and society.
This is not to say that all challenges have been overcome. The struggle to fund Christian university education will never go away. Recruiting the right students in an increasingly competitive marketplace will only become more difficult. And, most significantly, withstanding the natural pressure
to become more and more like other universities, thereby sacrificing our distinct mission in order to attract as many students as possible, will take vigilance. CMU was created to impact society, but it can only do this on behalf of the church (“a University of the Church for the World”), and this
requires remaining in strong relationship with that church community.
Dealing with these challenges will be most effective if our focus is fixed clearly on a vision for where CMU must go. CMU may be established as a small, faith-based university, but it has not “arrived.” The following remain priorities:
• Students attend university as a way of preparing for vocations. CMU must continuously refine how it makes available the tools needed for career paths.
• Students attend a faithbased university because of its added value, its potential to offer a setting which challenges and nurtures their faith. CMU has the wonderful opportunity of helping students understand who they are in relationship to the physical world, in relationship to society, in relationship to God, and in relationship to God’s people.
• The Christian church is in the midst of significant transition. CMU can be a resource to God’s people as it discerns what it means to walk in the way of Christ in the 21st century, and to inspire students to be part of God’s church
• In many ways our world is in disarray, with violence and ecological crisis two examples. CMU can be a light on a hill, speaking and modeling peace and reconciliation into our society.
CMU was formed 10 years ago because the Mennonite community believed that by working together it could be more effective, in forming our own community and in making a witness beyond our community. CMU is well on the road to doing that. Our effectiveness can only grow if we continue to work together as a community, with a clear focus on our mission.
Summer 2010 - Acknowledging God’s Sovereignty
“If only you set your mind to it, anything is possible.” Encouraging words like that are frequently shared with children and young adults as they
prepare for life.
That catchphrase well reflects the generally optimistic view of life conveyed by western liberal society and its educational system. Schools, whether
elementary, secondary, or post-secondary, tend to imply that if the right knowledge and skills are taught, individual success will result. Even if it is
not stated explicitly, the overall message is that we are masters of our own fate, with the responsibility to prepare and plan wisely, and then act accordingly.
The positive value of this message with its underlying assurance is accepted. People should have dreams, for themselves and their world. It is true
that knowledge and skills, especially when combined with confidence and vision, contribute to success. Careful strategic planning does make arriving at a goal more likely. The ability to work hard unquestionably is an asset.
But at the same time, this approach represents a denial of reality, and teaches a lie. The recent recession made the carefully developed financial
plans of many a business and individual irrelevant. A hailstorm or tornado can shatter the dreams of a farmer or homeowner. A serious illness will disrupt the plans of an individual and family. Corporate ventures – and everyone participates in many, whether business, congregation, or institution – can be negatively impacted by what happens in the individual lives of its members. In each case, the easy optimism of liberal education is defied. It is surprising how comfortably we live with the tension between this generally prevailing stance and the reality we all know to be the case.
Of course, this does not surprise people of faith. As Christians we know about surprise and tragedy and sin, even as we have confidence that ultimately God is in control of this world, not we human beings. This does not mean we cease planning or analysis, but we do this humbly, knowing that unexpected twists and turns may undercut those plans. Although we may not say the phrase “God willing” as much as we should, we believe that to be the case.
This also applies to an institution like CMU. CMU has taken considerable time to develop a vision statement and academic plan. Currently we are
planning for a new library. We believe those are wise and necessary. But we do that prayerfully, acknowledging God’s sovereignty and control.
And perhaps more importantly, this recognition also must affect our educational programming. We still see value in learning knowledge and skills in
preparation for the future, and we encourage students to dream dreams and make plans. But at the same time, we must ground students not in their abilities and plans, but rather in their faith in a Jesus Christ who is our foundation and guide, regardless of what happens
Winter 2010 - Training for the Olympics
The Olympics are an amazing spectacle. For two weeks, they dominate television and the interests of Canadians. Preparation by Vancouver and by Canadian athletes attempting to “own the podium” has been immense. Cindy Klassen and Clara Hughes, two local favourites, have devoted years in preparation for the event.
But they are not alone. What all Olympians have in common, whether they are spectacular winners or unlikely competitors, is a tremendous drive and dedication to succeed, a commitment to improve as reflected in a rigorous training program. One does not reach the Olympics unless one is driven to be there. The US has multiple campuses or training sites where athletes train for the Olympics as full-time jobs. Calgary has a centre of excellence for those training as speed skaters.
Perhaps CMU might be considered a unique training centre where students spend a year or more preparing for the Olympics of life. Through dedicated effort, life athletes develop their skills with the goal of being successful in the game of life. The CMU training centre specializes in three sports.
The first CMU sport is knowledge and skills. Through first-rate courses and programs, students can acquire the knowledge and skills needed for careers or further study. Critical skills can be honed in subjects like Psychology, Music, Bible, and Peace studies. Disciplined work is required, but when exercised, students prepare for productive lives. In this, CMU is like other universities. If, however, students focus exclusively on this one sport, their preparation for life is incomplete. They have missed a golden opportunity.
A second sport, character development, thus is added. CMU does not concentrate only on what students know, or what they do, or even how well
they think. It is also interested in who the students are, or become. Character training is much more difficult than training in knowledge and skills. It does not come easily or automatically, nor are there simple rules to follow. But as in all athletic endeavours, disciplined practice is key. Faculty and staff are invaluable resources in this sport, as are the “saints” of the tradition, those people who demonstrated in their lives a consistency of character, commitment, and faith. The words of Colossians fit well: clothe yourselves with compassion, kindness, humility, meekness, and patience. Bear with one another and forgive each other; above all, clothe yourselves with love, And let the peace of Christ rule in your hearts. And be thankful.
And thirdly, CMU provides imagination training. Imagination is the ability to conceive of a world different from what it is, to avoid being boxed in by
experience and the givens of our society. CMU encourages students to strive to have an imagination that will inspire others, an imagination which conceives of a world in which peace and justice and love and caring dominate, a world in which violence is not considered effective, a world which supports the weak and despondent. CMU offers an opportunity to develop and train that imagination so that students are able to contribute to making our world different, for indeed they have become different people. Again the words of Paul are instructive: do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your minds (Romans 12:2).
CMU is committed to preparing Olympians for life, with minds shaped by the way and will of Christ, a way dedicated to love and service, a way characterized by peace and justice. What an opportunity!
Fall 2009 - Education for Transformation
Be transformed by the renewing of your minds” (Romans 12:1). What a wonderful motto for a Christian university! Universities do pay exceptional
attention to understanding and critical reasoning and the stimulating of the intellect. But as intimated by this verse, the mind can also be the means by which a person is changed or transformed.
It is commonly suggested that the role of a university is to create, preserve, and communicate knowledge. Through research, faculty create knowledge. Through writing, this knowledge is preserved. Through teaching, it is communicated to the next generation. These are necessary ingredients of a dynamic university. But even with knowledge understood fairly broadly as including skills and practices, CMU has a bigger vision than that.
In his book Educating for Shalom, Nicholas Wolterstorff invites his readers to see higher education as a means for preparing the next generation to work for justice and peace and reconciliation in a broken world. But this requires more “than the knowledge and skills necessary for acting justly and promoting justice. I have in mind the disposition to act thus... How can we cultivate the disposition to respect and struggle for the rights of the little ones on earth?”
The University of Winnipeg, with its roots in the social justice tradition of the United Church of Canada, serves as rich soil for Menno Simons College. By providing an education “flowing from Anabaptist Mennonite understandings of faith, peace, and justice” (taken from the MSC mission statement), MSC complements and strengthens UWinnpeg’s desire to foster “values of human dignity, equality, non-discrimination, and diversity” (taken from UWinnipeg’s mission statement). MSC thus not only teaches students the skills and practices which lead to peace, but inspires a character or disposition which pulls them to exercise these for the good of others.
The total experience of Shaftesbury programming, including its Outtatown discipleship arm, allows for an even more comprehensive effort at an education which leads to transformation.
Through academic courses, mentoring, occasional lectures, worship, and student life, CMU aims to nurture a community “where faculty and staff share a profound faith, where God is present, where a passion to ‘do justice, to love kindness and to walk humbly with God’ is reflected in personal life-styles and relationships, where prayer and spiritual disciplines are emphasized” (taken from the CMU Vision Statement).
Knowledge and skills remain important – after all, these are the currency which universities and employers recognize. But, ultimately, CMU must be
judged by whether more happens than that. It must be judged by whether through their experience at CMU, students have developed a warm personal faith in Jesus Christ, a faith which transforms, inspires, and equips students to be joyful participants in the mission God has given the church.
Spring 2009 - The Entrepreneur Needed Today
A major US company recently made news when it revealed that it had paid $165 million to its senior administrators in bonuses, even as the company floundered and required massive government support to survive. Not surprisingly, a massive outcry resulted.
Those who understand “business” and “service” or “business” and “ethics” as mutually exclusive may have felt their position vindicated. To be sure, greed has often been the motivation behind the more egregious business practices we hear about. But this need not be so.
CMU has recently inaugurated a program in Business and Organizational Administration. Through this program CMU anticipates helping our future business people and administrators develop their theory of business, as well as their practical skills, within a framework of Christian faith and ethics.
By doing this CMU affirms that business indeed can be a “calling,” as MEDA so fittingly puts it, and that service of our fellow humans can and does take place through business.
But that is not the only goal of such a program at CMU. Not only do we hope our business people will learn from the Christian commitment of CMU, but we trust that all at CMU will learn from the experience and logic of business. And there is much to learn.
At the heart of business is the willingness to take a risk for potential gain. Successful business people are those who assess their environment— some systematically, others more intuitively—and then take the necessary risks. And more often than not these are the right risks, the risks that will bear fruit.
Students and faculty can all benefit from learning this skill of successful risk taking. After all, it is very much related to living the Christian faith in today’s world, regardless of occupation.
Scripture presents us with a vision for a world dramatically different from the world in which we live. Imagining such a world, a world in which violence and greed and fear do not dominate or determine how we treat each other, is radical. Living by such a vision and imagination requires taking a very real risk. For it means living in that world now already before it has fully come to be.
This is what Jesus did when he walked the earth 2000 years ago. And it led to his death. But he took that risk, nevertheless, with the conviction that taking it would produce tremendous gain. One might call him the entrepreneur par excellence.
CMU is about nurturing in students the aptitude to imagine such a different world, giving them the tools required to thrive in such a world, and then, inspiring them to take the risk of living in that world already. Whether one is preparing to be a business person, a professional, or to work in some other career, the church and the world need such entrepreneurs.
Winter 2009 - A Perfect Storm
A “perfect storm.” That’s thephrase used in a recent article in The Mennonite to describe the combination of dwindling enrolments and financial turmoil negatively affecting Mennonite colleges in the U.S.
The situation is similar in Canada, for both Christian and public colleges and universities. The era of easy enrolment growth is over as the number of high school graduates levels off, and then declines. The challenge facing institutions is to maintain stable enrolments in the face of increasing competition for students.
And now, just as institutions are rethinking strategic plans in light of new enrolment realities, we are hit by a financial meltdown. Instead of generating much-needed revenue, endowments and investments are decreasing in value. At the same time, normally generous supporters are experiencing their own financial challenges. One Christian institution has already fallen victim to the storm; at the end of this academic year Taylor University College and Seminary in Edmonton will close its undergraduate program.
As I reflect on these stormy conditions I think back to 1998, when Concord College, CMBC and Menno Simons College signed the Memorandum of Association creating CMU. Even as some were excited about the initiative, others wondered: Will it succeed? Providentially, that was a good time to start a new university— the Canadian economy was doing well and post-secondary enrolments were rising everywhere. With the vision developed for CMU, prospects looked good.
After ten years of operations, we can say that CMU has thrived. Student numbers grew dramatically and the university’s first decade ended with a zero operating deficit— plus we paid for the purchase of 500 Shaftesbury Blvd. and constructed a new environmentally-friendly residence. Our recent admission into the Association of Universities and Colleges of Canada attests to growing recognition of the quality of the education CMU offers.
But CMU is not immune to the current post-secondary dynamics. Like other schools, we face many challenges. But I believe we are wellpositioned to weather the storm, for at least three reasons.
First, CMU is rooted in, and owned by, a particular faith community— the Mennonite church. We serve that community but, as is reflected in our
motto of being “a university of the church for the world,” CMU reaches out much beyond the Mennonite community to serve those of other
denominations and no denomination. We do this as an extension of the vision and mission of the churches that created the university. For CMU, thriving requires that we remember and foster this important relationship.
Second, the quality and character of the education offered by CMU is urgently needed in today’s world. In a world filled with violence, need, suffering, alienation, loss of meaning and spiritual hunger, CMU provides a unique Anabaptist-Mennonite perspective that emphasizes peace, service, dialogue, witness and thoughtful Christianity.
Last, CMU has a broad base of support. Unlike some organizations, which depend on a few people for most of their support, CMU’s support base is broad—more than twothirds of the donations CMU receives comes from congregations and donors contributing $1,000 or less. Larger donations are necessary and appreciated, of course, but our broad base of donors helps us weather these stormy economic times.
Over the past ten years an amazing number of wonderful, committed people have worked, donated and prayed to make CMU a reality. For this, we are thankful. Together we have created something marvelous that serves not only our Mennonite churches, but the church at large, and Canadian society. We trust God will continue to use these people and CMU to make a difference.
Fall 2008 - Changing Paradigms
In his recent book, Changing Paradigms: Punishment and Restorative Discipline, our professor, Paul Redekop, challenges us to rethink how we as a society deal with crime. Society, he observes, has taught us that punishment is an appropriate response to crime because it is effective in reducing
crime and because a sense of justice “requires” it.
In the book, Redekop questions this paradigm, or way of thinking. When his book was reviewed in the Winnipeg Free Press, it immediately generated responses from people who could not imagine separating punishment from crime. Changing paradigms on this, or any other topic that has been ingrained in us by media, education systems and culture in general, is not easy.
And yet questioning givens is exactly what a university is mandated to do. The CMU Vision Statement speaks of CMU as a university “committed to thinking clearly and carefully about the world in which we live.” But, it then adds, we do this as “a Christian university . . . within a framework, imagination and commitment shaped by the Christian faith tradition, and the conviction that God created the church to be a blessing, to be salt and light.”
In this process, it is important to distinguish between questioning a paradigm, or concluding that a particular paradigm must be challenged or rejected. The questioning process itself is integral to the life of the university. But sometimes this questioning process leads to the affirmation of a particular position or commonly held view—not its rejection. After all, sometimes the assumption or logic may indeed be right.
Although universities may have a special role in raising foundational questions, all of us have the responsibility to do some of that in our own minds and lives. And so the question Redekop raises in his book is one we all need to ask: Is it really a given that justice requires crime to be dealt with by punishment, or that punishment effectively reduces crime? Careful research shows that punishment is not an effective way to deal with crime, and the Christian response must take into consideration the way Jesus dealt with sin—and his own crucifixion.
And what about other givens that so often guide our lives? Do family values imply placing the nuclear family above everything else? Does an emphasis on tolerance result in having no clear position? And, of deep relevance to CMU, is the primary task of post-secondary education to provide students the knowledge and skills needed for successful careers?
At our Opening Program, our new Vice President Academic, Earl Davey, reminded us that CMU is a place that equips students to see the world as it might yet be, with voices that are imaginative, insightful and inspired of God. This may not appeal to some, who may focus more narrowly on certain kinds of success in these uncertain economic times. Yet I am convinced that we need people who are inspired by God to imagine a world different from what is, and who then live in a way which contributes to that world becoming a reality.
To change the paradigm, in other words.
