Why Sterling?
A Conversation with Sterling’s 11th President
by Karin T. Swihart
From left: Jon, Elizabeth, Sarah, Dr. Maurer, Joellen, and Daniel. Karin Swihart
At last the search is over. They have arrived. I sat down with our new president to get some answers to those burning questions we all have. As we talked I found out some intersting details - he was a goalkeeper at the University of Cincinnati and he loves suspense/ thriller movies. But mostly, I wanted to find an answer to the question, “Why Sterling?” Why did Dr. Maurer move his family from Deerfield, Ill., to come to Sterling College? Why did he decide that Sterling was the place for him? Karin Swihart: What do you see as your life’s passion? President Maurer: I see it is as advancing the gospel. I didn’t grow up in a Christian home, so when I came to Christ, a whole new world was opened up to me. I am also built in such a way that I pay very close attention to time. What I mean by that is that I really believe our time here on earth is very short. By the age of twenty, I kind of mapped out a broad plan for the next 50 years. A defining moment for me was during my freshman year at the University of Cincinnati. I went to an Urbana Mission Conference where Billy Graham gave the closing address. He talked about how excited we all would be at the end of this conference and how many of us would want to go straight back to our campuses, pack our bags and head to the mission field. Instead, he counseled us against that and told us we should go home and get our preparation done well. He gave us the illustration of Donald Grey Barnhouse, pastor of Philadelphia’s 10th Presbyterian Church in the early part of the 20th century. Barnhouse was asked the question: if he knew Jesus was to return in three years, what would he do? Barnhouse replied that he would spend two and a half years in preparation and six months preaching the gospel. That comment changed my life. I thought that if Barnhouse would spend five-sixths of his time in preparation for one-sixth of active ministry, surely I could set aside some portion of my life for preparation. I set aside my 20s as a de4 • Spring/Summer Fall 2008 2009
cade of preparation. Everything I did in my 20s was focused on ministry preparation for the ages of 30-70. So ultimately, my passion is to use my years well. My passion is to maximize the gifts and abilities God has given me for His purposes, for His Kingdom, for His Glory, during my short stay here. KS: What do you see as the gifts the Lord has blessed you with to utilize for His Kingdom? President Maurer: That’s always a difficult question to answer. Early on it didn’t seem very glamorous to me, but I think the Lord has given me some gifts in administration. For many years I have had the gift of leadership affirmed and encouraged in me. Communication has been an area of affirmation as well over the years. So I think those are probably at the core. KS: What do you do in your leisure time? President Maurer: I really love reading. I also love sports. Athletics was a fundamental part of my first twenty-two years. It’s still a great love, but it’s very different now. I enjoy the outdoors. I enjoy hiking, backpacking and biking. I love hanging out with my kids. Maybe that isn’t a “hobby,” but being with my kids in their development is more than duty, it’s love. KS: Do you have a favorite movie? President Maurer: Wow, I can date myself here. I don’t have a favorite movie, but there are certainly films that have spoken deeply to me over the years. I love thrillers, but none of them is my favorite. It’s just my favorite genre, but I would say The Untouchables is a favorite. Gandhi had a real impact on me. It’s a Wonderful Life is an absolutely brilliant film. I love Hitchcock films. He was an amazing filmmaker. I think the Bourne series is really well done, but that’s just candy. But, I like it.