PRESIDENT’S PERSPECTIVE
Looking ahead
T
he spirit of momentum at Warner Pacific University this year is palpable. I’m blessed each day to see how WPU faculty, students and thousands of alumni engage to strengthen our community, create new occasions for outreach and offer hope to hundreds of new students on our campuses and throughout our community. Our faculty members are creating and re-creating programs to offer students of all ages new opportunities for learning. Our long-range planning team is actively creating strategies for the coming years based on our time-honored mission and values. We’re expanding online programs to make a WPU education more accessible to more people, particularly working professionals. You can see evidence of change and growth all around—from our new nursing labs to our new Knights logo. Even the fresh look of this magazine is a signal of progress. Still, this work comes with significant challenges. And, as I look to the possibilities for Warner Pacific University and our road ahead, I am both humbled and energized. Eugene Peterson, a remarkable teacher, advocate for justice and Bible scholar who passed away last year, paraphrased the letter of Paul to the Church at Phillipi in The Message. I relate to this passage in verses 12 to 14 of chapter three:
Looking back, it is encouraging to see how God has led us, but I’d like also to use this occasion to look forward. This year, we’ve launched new programs in finance, human resources, criminal justice, nursing and education and opened a new school of technology in central Portland. sourceU is a cooperative effort with Portland’s top code school, Epicodus, and the innovative team of cybersecurity professionals and educators at Riperia to offer programs in cybersecurity, mobile and web development, and digital product design. Our aim is to offer an exceptional education to students whose opportunities in these growing fields have been limited at best. We’re thrilled to open windows and doors to students online and on-ground, helping them achieve goals and bright futures. These investments undergird our commitment as a Christ-centered university to transform lives not only by strengthening the minds of women and men through rigorous study, but also through everyday encounters expressing the immense love of Jesus to each student. Thank you for boldly running with us toward the future through your prayer and financial support. You make possible our work of educating mission-driven leaders who change the world. In Christ,
“I’m not saying that I have this all together, that I have it made. But I am well on my way, reaching out for Christ, who has so wondrously reached out for me. Friends, don’t get me wrong: By no means do I count myself an expert in all of this, but I’ve got my eye on the goal, where God is beckoning us onward—to Jesus. I’m off and running, and I’m not turning back.” This issue of Experience comes at a time of celebrating our history on several fronts. 2019 marks the 80th anniversary of our first graduates; it’s the 60th anniversary of our name changing to Warner Pacific. This is the 20th year of a revitalized athletic program on campus. It’s been 10 years since my inauguration as the 7th president of Warner Pacific, and it’s the conclusion of our first year as a university. We have much to celebrate and many reasons to rejoice! God’s provision for Warner Pacific University is immense.
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Andrea Cook, Ph.D. President Warner Pacific University