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Trinity Western University President's Update

"TWU has demonstrated great faithfulness and resilience in the past. We have proven to be people of faith, grace, and courage, and I am confident that, together, we will continue our faithful work of providing a life-transforming Christian liberal arts education for our students.
 
...May we enter the Fall semester with hope, looking with great anticipation towards all the good that the Lord will work among us." 
 
— President Mark Husbands 


Dear TWU Community: 

We are about to commence the 2021 Fall semester. A full and exciting semester lies ahead for each of us. It is a privilege to serve you as the University President, and I would love to take this opportunity to share with you a few things for which we can be genuinely thankful.

 
 

Pursuing reconciliation with Indigenous Peoples 

In a June Board of Governors meeting, Dr. Phil Laird and I offered the Board a paper expressing why, as Canada’s Premier Christian University, we have a moral responsibility to develop a vital and positive relationship with the Indigenous Peoples of Canada. Pursuing reconciliation calls us to both grieve the historical wrongs committed by our predecessors, and commit to walk well together in the future. 
 
I am delighted to announce that the Board has approved several landmark decisions, including: 

  1. The formal recognition that the land in the Township of Langley on which Trinity Western University resides is the unceded traditional territory of the Sto:lo, Kwantlen, and Katzie First Nations. 

  1. That TWU should apply to become a recognized partner with NAIITS (formerly the North American Institute for Indigenous Theological Studies), a well-established Indigenous Learning Community. 

  1. That TWU should establish a “Truth and Reconciliation Taskforce” to propose measures to be carried out between 2021 and 2026 toward reconciliation with the Sto:lo, Kwantlen and Katzie people.  

The recent progress in TWU’s Indigenous relations would not be possible without the decade-long, faithful work of University Siya:m Patricia Victor, along with countless colleagues who have demonstrated support and positive leadership on this important issue. On behalf of the University, we are grateful to Patricia Victor for her vision, resilience, and godly leadership.

 

September 30 to be a dedicated day of learning to recognize National Day for Truth and Reconciliation 

As a first step in this new chapter, we invite the entire TWU community to a Day of Learning on September 30, the National Day for Truth and Reconciliation. Our University Siya:m and Provost offices are working to design a wonderfully rich educational experience for faculty, staff and students. Please save the date, as more details will be forthcoming. 
 

Trinity Western’s first PhD program 

Jesus expected his disciples to proclaim the kingdom of God and to heal (Luke 9:2). From the birth of Christianity, fellow believers have dedicated themselves to care for the sick and dying — often at great sacrifice. Not only did the early church champion medicine and care for the sick, but in 369 CE, St. Basil of Caesarea founded the very first hospital.

Given the remarkable legacy of Christian commitment to health care, it is with great joy that I have the privilege of announcing that Trinity Western has received the provincial government’s approval to offer its very first PhD degree, in Nursing. This milestone in TWU’s history affirms our strength in fostering high-quality academic work, scholarship, and teaching.  

This significant stage in our history would not have been reached without the impressive work of our colleagues in the School of Nursing. Congratulations, especially, to Dr. Sheryl Reimer-Kirkham and Dr. Barbara Astle — you have pioneered a pathway to greater frontiers for the entire University.  
 

Advances in scholarship & research 

This summer, TWU was selected among 29 competing universities to be awarded a prestigious Supporting Structures grant of $230,000 to advance STEM research. The project, generously funded by the John Templeton Foundation and the MJ Murdock Charitable Trust and run by the Council for Christian Colleges & Universities (CCCU) and its UK subsidiary, Scholarship & Christianity in Oxford (SCIO), is designed to enable science-affirming Christian liberal arts universities to strengthen their long-term engagement with scientific research and enhance diversity among their STEM faculty. 
 
TWU is only one of nine institutions to be selected and the only institution in Canada to receive the award. Congratulations to Dr. Richard Chandra and many faculty members for their great work in expanding the breadth and calibre of TWU’s research activity and for championing the gifts and contribution of faculty of colour. 
 

Helping our graduates launch successfully 

When you walk through our Reimer Student Centre main floor, you may notice an attractive addition — a place where students, with the support of dedicated staff, are invited to explore the progress they seek to make in life, as they journey through their years at TWU and beyond. 

I am pleased to unveil our Centre for Calling and Career Development. Led by Brian Kerr and a team of life coaches, this new department will guide students to consider who they are, what they believe, and what God has gifted and called them to do in the world. This initiative directly supports our new vision: "Every graduate is equipped to think truthfully, act justly, and live faithfully for the good of the world and the glory of God."  

TWU exists to equip our graduates for lives of significant impact, and we desire to help them flourish in their lives beyond graduation as well. To continue our journey alongside graduates, we have expanded our alumni relations department to become TWU Alumni and Families, led by Clement Wee. Further, the Board has announced that it is welcoming new alumni voices to the governance table. TWU Alumni and Families has been charged to build an Alumni Board of Ambassadors, who will work closely with the University to encourage lifelong relations with present and future alumni/ae, and to ensure that the voices of alumni are well represented.  

Spaces for learning and collaboration 

With the help of a very generous family, we have been able to substantially remodel the Devries Centre. This beautiful renovation, newly named as the DeVries Centre, will allow us to better support learning, community, and residence life, and provide an impressive new home for the School of Education

To provide greater campus safety and access for students, staff, faculty and visitors, over the past 24 months, TWU has invested over 1.1 million dollars into accessibility upgrades — improving buildings and enhancing locations throughout the Langley main campus. I would like to commend Aklilu Mulat, Jo Jansen and the campus facilities team, for their work in transforming the campus this summer. 

Finally, as you may know, recently our province announced new measures to help protect public health and safety. I am impressed by the level of professionalism, empathy and care demonstrated by our campus community, as teams joined hands to solve student concerns and help them navigate changing policies.  

TWU has demonstrated great faithfulness and resilience in the past. We have proven to be people of faith, grace, and courage, and I am confident that, together, we will continue our faithful work of providing a life-transforming Christian liberal arts education for our students. 
 
For all the above reasons and many more, it is my joy and honour to lead this University. May we enter the Fall semester with hope, looking with great anticipation towards all the good that the Lord will work among us. 
 

Grace and peace,


See also — TWU graduates prepared for lives and careers of significant impact: Introducing the 2021 Trinity Fellows:​
 
TWU News


About Trinity Western University

Founded in 1962, Trinity Western University is Canada’s premier Christian liberal arts university dedicated to equipping students to establish meaningful connections between career, life, and the needs of the world. It is a fully accredited research institution offering liberal arts and sciences, as well as professional schools in business, nursing, education, human kinetics, graduate studies, and arts, media, and culture. It has four campuses: Langley, Richmond-Lansdowne, Richmond-Minoru, and Ottawa. TWU emphasizes academic excellence, research, and student engagement in a vital faith community committed to forming leaders to have a transformational impact on culture. Learn more at www.twu.ca or follow us on Twitter @TrinityWestern, on Facebook and LinkedIn.

For media inquiries, please contact: media@twu.ca