Farewell to President Lindsay

A Defining Decade

The Lindsay Legacy

In October of 2020, President D. Michael Lindsay announced his decision to step down at the end of the 2020–21 academic year, concluding a decade at the helm. As an institution, Gordon College is in a good place for a smooth transition—blessed to move forward with gratitude for the dedication and perseverance of Dr. Lindsay (and his young family) to serve Gordon through seasons both challenging and celebratory, and in appreciation of the many good things that have transpired over this last decade.

Dr. Lindsay’s arrival in 2011 coincided with the sea change already underway within higher education, and especially within Christian liberal arts institutions—an inexorable shift in the demographics of college-age students and non-traditional learners, a polarization in rhetoric and engagement on contentious social and political issues, and the acute challenge of keeping the cost of a private education within the reach of the students and families it has always served. The charge given to Gordon’s eighth president (one of the youngest in the country at the time) was to prepare Gordon for these seismic shifts with new strategies for necessary innovation and financial stability. The result would move the College toward a firmer foundation for future vitality—to be more affordable, more adaptable and yet still firmly anchored in Christ as a distinctly Christian college. Many of the achievements under Dr. Lindsay’s leadership through this past decade will define the College’s legacy for years to come.

2011

The College welcomes the largest

incoming class in Gordon’s history

to date.

The Business Leaders Breakfast is created to engage the business community. The Gordon Commission is drafted to articulate the College’s vision to stretch the mind, deepen the faith and elevate the contribution.

Pictured above: The eighth cohort of Gordon Presidential Fellows, a program that offers exceptionally talented students the opportunity to develop their leadership potential through unique exposure to senior leaders, substantive work assignments and horizon-broadening educational opportunities.

2012

The Gordon Presidential Fellows program is launched.

Gordon’s annual Celebration of Faithful Leadership and the George F. Bennett Award are created. College debt is restructured to save over $500,000 per year.

DEEP FAITH spiritual emphasis week is established.

The Richard F. Gross Distinguished Lecture Series is initiated and annually brings luminaries to campus. The NEXT Summit is created for Christian educators around the world.

216 Grapevine Road is acquired and later houses La Vida’s offices.

2013

Gordon is named the safest private college campus in the U.S.

The Center for Entrepreneurial Leadership (CEL) is founded—the first such center at a Christian college. The first cohort of students takes part in global internships around the world.

A national study of women in leadership among evangelical organizations is sponsored.

Tuition increase falls below Gordon’s peer averages for the first time in a decade.

A strategic partnership with Mackenzie Presbyterian University in Brazil is forged.

2014

The first four of six First-year Fellows programs are created to give focused opportunities to incoming students. The creation of the Highland Games honors Gordon’s Scottish heritage. The Council of 125 is launched, which shapes the current 20/20 Project strategic plan.

A strategic partnership with Hang Seng University of Hong Kong opens new opportunities.

The Multicultural Initiatives Office is formed to care for Gordon’s diverse student body.

2015

Master of Arts in Leadership program is launched. More than 100 evangelical leaders from North America gather on campus for a conference by the Lausanne Creation Care Network.

The Shalom Statement is developed as a blueprint for the affirmation of human dignity and the flourishing of all within the Gordon community.

2016

The Shields House in Beverly Farms is donated to the College. A grant from the Massachusetts Life Sciences Center underwrites the creation of an anatomy and physiology cadaver lab.

Pictured above: Rebecca and Michael Lindsay with longtime friend of the College Sherry Tupper at the Celebration of Faithful Leadership in 2017. Tupper’s generous donation made possible significant improvements to facilities and food offerings in the Lane Student Center dining hall, which was renamed in her honor.

2017

The Global Honors Institute is launched as the institutional umbrella for Gordon’s honors offerings. Gordon Plus gives current Gordon students the opportunity to start graduate programs early.

A 12-month payment plan is introduced to ease the financial planning burden on families.

The quiet phase begins for the Faith Rising comprehensive campaign—the College’s most ambitious and successful fundraising venture ever. (Read more on page 10.)

2018

Gordon launches the Master of Science in Financial Analysis program.

The Gordon College Foundation is reinvigorated for managing the College’s real estate and business development opportunities.

The Career and Connection Institute is created and contributes to a rise in College-brokered internship placements by 78 percent over the last 10 years.

Pictured above: On October 4, 2019, in celebration of the College’s 130th anniversary, the public phase of the Faith Rising comprehensive campaign launched.

2019

The Work Ahead initiative is launched to prepare for the workplace of 2030.

A nursing program partnership with Curry College is established. Gordon College celebrates its 130th anniversary with the public launch of Faith Rising and the announcement of a $75.5 million gift, the largest ever given to a Christian liberal arts college.

The School of Education is started.

The Gordon Global online learning initiative launches with a $10 million endowment gift. The Bay Area Initiative begins brokering internship opportunities in the San Francisco Bay Area. College academic offerings are restructured to prepare for Gordon’s Next Chapter.

Cheryl Bachelder | Former CEO, Popeye’s Michael Bontrager | Founder, Chatham Financial; Former VP, JPMorgan Chase Andy Crouch | Author, Musician, Speaker Marvin and Sharyn Ellison | President and CEO, Lowes; Executive Director, The Ellison Foundation Ann Fudge | Former Chairman and CEO, Young & Rubicam Brands Pat Gelsinger | CEO, VMware Keith and Kristyn Getty | Modern Hymn-writers John Kerry | Former United States Secretary of State Todd Komarnicki | American Playwright and Novelist Gina McCarthy | Former EPA Administrator Rich McClure | Former President, UniGroup, Inc Michael Messenger | President and CEO, World Vision Canada Rosalind Picard | Founder and Director, Affective Computing Research Group, MIT Media Lab Diego Ruiz | Vice President for Global Public Policy and Government Affairs, PepsiCo Myron “Mike” Ullman | Chairman, Starbucks Corporation Rosa Whitaker | President and CEO, The Whitaker Group N.T. Wright | Leading New Testament Scholar

2020

COVID-19 pandemic forces all classes to innovative Digital Live format.

Student retention is the highest in several years.

The School of Graduate, Professional and Extended Studies offers new learning opportunities to a broad range of students. A grant-funded program with GordonConwell Theological Seminary allows students to earn a B.A. and M.Div. in five years. Gordon announces the “Game Change” initiative and drastically reduces tuition by 33 percent.

Pictured: As part of the Work Ahead initiative, President Lindsay speaks with Rosa Whitaker, president and CEO of The Whitaker Group, president of Mercy Ships and first-ever assistant U.S. trade representative for Africa.

15% 15%

growth in overall enrollment

69% 69% 263% 263%

growth in annual overall giving

growth in the College’s endowment

ACCOLADES

Princeton Review’s Best Colleges, Best Northeastern Colleges and Guide to Green Colleges U.S. News and World Report’s Best National Liberal Arts Colleges Kiplinger’s Best College Value John Templeton Honor Roll for Character-Building Colleges Money’s Best Colleges Barron’s Profiles of American Colleges, very competitive Forbes magazine’s List of America’s Top Colleges