The Beginning

My cell phone had rung on a Monday around 7 PM about two months ago.  I had anticipated the call, even though I wasn’t sure what I would hear.  The amplitude of my tremor had kicked up a notch as I answered the call. It was the Chairman of the Board of Governors of Trinity Western University.  It was a short conversation.  The process that had begun only a few days earlier had just concluded.  A unanimous decision of the Board, fully supported by the then-President, confirmed that I had just been appointed the next University president “in the interim.”  I thought I understood those three words.  But, like that day more than seven years ago when I was diagnosed with Parkinson’s disease, the implications of the words could not have been fully known.

Today.  July 1, 2013.  It’s 5:30 AM.  Too early to be awake under normal circumstances.  But these are not “normal circumstances.”  The “Interim” has begun.  Today, I officially begin serving as the Interim President of TWU.  Despite weeks of preparation, days of planning and many hours of contemplation, discussion and prayer, I don’t feel ready.  How could I?

From a number of perspectives, even the idea of me serving in the role of president of a university is laughable.  I have never done anything remotely similar.  I am certainly not an academic.  I have never been the chief executive officer of a large business, let alone a complex institution of higher learning with hundreds of employees and thousands of students.  What about the fact that I have a degenerative, incurable disease?  My appointment generated a variety of congratulatory responses, but almost all of them expressed surprise.  Somewhat typical was one email comprised of three words, “Are you nuts!”  Perhaps I am.

On the other hand, there appears to be some logic to my being chosen, thin though it may be in the eyes of some people.  Despite the fact that 41 years have passed, I did serve as Trinity’s student body president in 1971/72 (mind you, then it was a two-year junior college with a student population of 10% of what it is now).  As a lawyer I led a legal team that fought against strong opposition for the rights of the University through to the Supreme Court of Canada in 2001.  And in recent years I had been part of a group of alumni who started an independent TWU Alumni Association, of which I had the honor of being the president.  I suppose having been the recipient of an honorary doctorate from TWU in 2012 justifies some passing consideration.

Truth be told, the one prerequisite for the job that I am confident I have is something that every leader of any organization must have to be effective; passion.  Passion to serve, passion for the cause/mission, passion to be part of a calling that is challenging, even demanding, in its scope.  As with many other TWU alumni, faculty and staff, I find myself saying the words rarely spoken about any university: “I love this place.”  But more, I am especially blessed by my wife, Renae, (whom I met at Trinity and married almost 40 years ago) who shares that passion.  And because we do, we support the school in whatever way we can (Renae volunteers virtually full-time in the Alumni Department).

So the “Interim” begins.  Someone who didn’t know me very well suggested that I simply take a figurehead role.  My personality is not well suited for titles with no responsibility.  And without over spiritualizing or self-aggrandizing, I feel that to be called to leadership, whether for the interim or otherwise, is not something to be undertaken lightly.  No, despite having a very capable executive team, talented faculty and committed staff, I don’t believe the role that I have been asked to assume is perfunctory.  To merely “march in place” would be wrong, at least for me, and not in the best interests of the University.  The “interim” length of time that lays ahead, however long that may be, demands a special kind of leadership, the kind characterized by trustworthiness.  That is, men and women who can be trusted to lead in a manner consistent with the mission of the University: “to develop godly Christian leaders: positive, goal-oriented university graduates… serving God and people in the various marketplaces of life.”

‘Trust’ is a very important word to me.  Distrust, skepticism and even cynicism are like a cancer that has eaten away at our society.  We don’t trust our government, our banks, our media or any big business.  Even our assessments of churches and most things religious are characterized by a substantial dose of suspicion.  Anyone representing authority is questionable.  Unfortunately, there appears to be plenty of evidence to support these conclusions.  However, in my opinion, lack of trust leads to ineffective and self-preservationist leadership and a society increasingly resistant to having faith in anything or anyone.  As a well-respected US politician, Henry Stimson, said, "The chief lesson I have learned in a long life is that the only way you can make a man trustworthy is to trust him; and the surest way to make him untrustworthy is to distrust him.”

The path ahead, “in the interim,” will be challenging, even overwhelming.  And in some respects, the personal theme I have chosen to adopt is far too sweeping.  Given my Parkinson’s disease and other weaknesses, I am inadequate in my own strength.  Inevitably, I will fail to some extent (hopefully, to be forgiven and try again).  But, accepting Philippians 4:13 and II Corinthians 12:9 and 10 as true, I am committed to “Building a Culture of Trust.”  I cannot do this alone.  It plays out in every interaction, every relationship, and every decision.  It is a goal worth pursuing, even for the “Interim.”

“Everything is interim. Everything is a path or a preparation for the next thing, and we never know what the next thing is. Life is like that, of course, twisty and surprising. But life with God is like that exponentially. We can dig in, make plans, write in stone, pretend we're not listening, but the voice of God has a way of being heard. It seeps in like smoke or vapor even when we've barred the door against any last-minute changes, and it moves us to different countries and different emotional territories and different ways of living. It keeps us moving and dancing and watching, and never lets us drop down into a life set on cruise control or a life ruled by remote control. Life with God is a dancing dream, full of flashes and last-minute exits and generally all the things we've said we'll never do. And with the surprises comes great hope.”

― Shauna Niequist, author of Cold Tangerines: Celebrating the Extraordinary Nature of Everyday Life

So, this blog will, from time to time, chronicle and share my journey “in the interim.”