President charts roadmap for growth, culture shift during academic year kickoff

Held Sept. 16 and 17, the two-day morning meetings, designed to bring employees together each year before the start of school, also featured institutional updates from Provost April Summitt announcing new academic programs, an associate provost’s position for diversity, equity and inclusion, new faculty, academic advising changes, and recognition of academic community outreach efforts. English professor Lora Geriguis led an accreditation assessment session and activity and Human Resources Director Elina Bascom presented faculty and staff employment milestone awards, announced new benefit opportunities and presented an electric scooter raffle prize by riding it across the stage.

Recognitions were also given to former interim president Richard Osborn, as well as to Lawrence Geraty, president emeritus, both of who provided guidance as Arthur moved into his new role.The meetings began each day with devotional talks respectively by Iki Taimi, lead pastor of the La Sierra University Church and Jason Decena, campus chaplain.

"There’s a great thing happening at La Sierra University and the world should know that it’s happening here." -- President Christon Arthur

On the first day, Dr. Bradford Newton, president of the Pacific Union Conference of Seventh-day Adventists and chair of La Sierra’s board of trustees welcomed employees back to campus with a short talk that gave insights into experiences in his youth moving from public school to an Adventist school where Sabbath observance and certain lifestyle values were the norm. “When we grow up with it, sometimes we don’t realize the gift that we have,” Newton said, adding, “but we have a great gift, and you are that gift,” people who make a difference in the key moments of a young person’s trajectory.

In closing he noted, “I just want to tell you how much I appreciate you. La Sierra is a home where I feel when I come here, I’m with people who understand what it means to have a church tent that is big [enough] to embrace the diversity of who we are.”

During his address on Sept. 16, Arthur also unveiled plans for investments in marketing by launching a search for a vice president of strategic marketing and communications, of the university’s receipt of another Title V grant, the extension of full tuition benefits to hourly staff members as well as a decision to form a staff senate that will incorporate staff voices into the university’s shared governance model. He called for a shift in the university’s culture to one that recognizes its unique, high value and that embraces all people. As part of a culture of service and action, Arthur also called on campus members to strive to serve the university’s publics from a position of service at the convenience of constituents.

“There’s a great thing happening at La Sierra University and the world should know that it’s happening here,” Arthur said.

Arthur prefaced his address by first leading faculty and staff in an exercise called a ‘Healing Circle’ designed to promote wellbeing and connectedness. “Pain is a shared human experience,” Arthur said. “We should take a moment and pause and do some reflection of how we try to make sense of our own pain. Whatever that painful situation might be, we should take a moment to try to process that.”

Guided by prompts displayed on monitors, faculty and staff wrote short, anonymous messages on sticky notes that reflected on challenges and triumphs as well as stressors they have encountered in the workplace and throughout their lives over the past year and beyond. They were also asked to reflect on ways they could replenish energy levels, support each other and engage in self-advocacy going into the new school year. The sticky notes were placed on two walls labeled ‘Hurts’ and on a central wall labeled ‘Healing.’

Arthur segued into the exercise with insights into the resolute faith of Horatio Spafford, composer of the hymn “It is Well with My Soul,” written in the wake of the loss of his four young children and the destruction of his business; he recounted a story about a traumatizing and pivotal moment of discrimination experienced at a young age by Stacey Abrams, former Georgia state representative and gubernatorial candidate.

“Pain is a shared human experience and in a sense we are all wounded by it,” Arthur said.

Arthur also drew inspiration from Exodus 19:6 in which God called upon Israel as they left Egypt to become a kingdom of priests rather than warriors, fighters, or champions. “Let’s reclaim the priesthood,” he said, “priests who care, priests who bridge, priests who mediate, priests who comfort …Let us be a community of priests. Why? Because we are all wounded healers. Let us get in the habit of using healing as part of that priesthood ministry.”