President's Essay
It is my pleasure to address the employees of Messiah University at the start of each academic year in what is known as my State of the University. Below is an excerpt of my address; I invite you to read it in its entirety at messiah.edu/president.
This summer, 40 students and music educators Joy Meade and Timothy Dixon along with Dean Peter Powers, celebrated their arrival at the Santiago de Compostela cathedral after walking 65 miles along the Camino de Santiago in Spain.
We, too, are pilgrims on a journey, committed to educating our students toward maturity of intellect, character and Christian faith in preparation for lives of service, leadership and reconciliation. Before we consider the mileposts guiding our path, we must review the context for our journey.
In an article for The Atlantic, social psychologist and author Jonathan Haidt parallels today’s contentious society to the Biblical account of Babel. Noah’s descendants—despite receiving God’s command to spread out and fill the land (Gen. 9:1, 7)—settled, constructed a city and built a massive tower to make a name for themselves. Displeased, God confused their language so they could not understand each other and “scattered them abroad over the face of all the earth” (Gen. 11:7-9). Like the people at Babel, we are “disoriented, unable to speak the same language or recognize the same truth … cut off from one another and from the past,” wrote Haidt.
So, how can we live and fulfill Messiah’s mission today? Haidt said, “It is a time of confusion and loss. But it is also a time to reflect, listen and build.” In this Babel-like moment, Messiah can counter societal divides by maintaining gracious Christianity, rooted in intellectual and spiritual humility, and model servant leadership and responsible citizenship. Our journey is not easy, but we move toward a meaningful destination—to incarnate an educational community that nurtures critical thinking, honest dialogue and true belonging for all students and employees. We understand the distinctive value of offering a Christian paradigm for how to think and act in a complex, multicultural and pluralistic world.
Milepost 1: Biblical reconciliation
An essential element of our journey is toward a communal vision of biblical reconciliation. Last year, we sponsored events and pursued many conversations around a campus theme of “Reconciliation: God’s Language to Heal a Broken World.” This year, we look forward to courageous dialogue and thoughtful action: fulfilling the goals of the 2023 Diversity Strategic Plan, listening to guest lecturers address timely topics such as interfaith conversation and cooperation, participating in Martin Luther King Jr. Week, supporting student and employee service efforts and engaging difficult topics in and outside our classrooms.
Milepost 2: Promoting the common good
Messiah’s commitment to promoting the common good is an essential element of our Christian witness. From the early decades of Messiah’s founding, the expectation of “love thy neighbor” has included tangible actions by the University as evidenced in the care for refugees and others who are displaced, including the recent resettling of a refugee family in a university house on the edge of campus.
Milepost 3: Learning for life
We are committed to learning for life and the program and partnership development required to fulfill the educational and professional needs of learners of all ages. We have redefined the term “Messiah students” to include individuals at different ages and stages of life. This commitment helps strengthen our financial profile and is consistent with our mission to provide holistic educational experiences for myriad deserving audiences.
Progress in this area includes developments for Messiah’s non-credit-bearing workforce development and continuing education effort; a partnership between Messiah and NAIOMT to provide continuing education for health care professionals; continuing education training program for house parents and early childhood education staff at the Milton Hershey School; development of new undergraduate and graduate academic programs; and certificates that respond to societal needs and equip students to lead and serve.
Our ongoing journey requires each of us to persist as we educate our students to lead and serve and love our churches, our communities, our nation, our world. That is our destination! May there be joy as we journey together, occasionally stumbling but always moving forward, confident in God’s faithfulness to Messiah University!