A TIME OF TRANSITION

As everyone knows, we are in a time of transition. I am an interim president intent on advancing the mission of York University while we wait for what's next. Change. We all know that it's inevitable and many of us, me included, can be uncomfortable with it. But there are some ideas I want to reflect on that make dealing with change more palatable.

First, one of my favorite passages is James 1:17, which reads, "Every good and perfect gift is from above, coming down from the Father of the heavenly lights, who does not change like shifting shadows." James spoke these words to a people in the midst of trial, maybe even some turmoil. Our campus, like the entire world, has seen some of both over the decades. It comforts me that God is higher than all of the trial and turmoil, and he desires to bless us, His children. I can say with confidence that I wait in eager expectation for what God will do next on this campus, even if that means a change.

Second, you've heard the saying, "The more things change, the more they stay the same." We recognize the old adage in play all around us, all the time. How many of you have returned for homecoming to find classmates with changed hair (either gray, balding or both) but carrying the same wry sense of humor and deep sense of friendship that you knew as classmates? It's both comforting and curious to me that no matter what decade our alumni experienced York College in, there are common threads even though we are now York University. The stories I have from the 90s sound remarkably similar to ones I hear told from the 60s, 70s and 80s and it makes me so grateful to be just one link in the 134-year chain.

Many people wonder, "Is York still the place I remember?" You'll hear different responses to that question, but I want to give you mine. When I witness a student, who came here not knowing Jesus, be baptized into Christ, I think to myself, “This is the York I remember.” When I see faculty and staff talking with students while sitting on the benches in front of McGehee… When I see students from different backgrounds supporting one another in theater or musical productions as if they’ve known each other their entire lives… When I see the entire crowd at daily chapel surrounding one of our people in prayer… This is the York I remember. Is York different? Yes, it's different but it’s also very much the same. The culture around us is rapidly changing, but York University hangs on to distinctions that make us who we are. I was recruited in the late 90s to the “York Experience” and through all the changes, I still see it. I see it in our seasoned professors like Dr. Kite and Dr. Roush as much as I see it in brand new employees like Dean of Students Katie Miles and Dr. Jared Pack, who step out of their offices and homes each day focused on living out our mission “to transform lives through Christ-centered education and to equip students for lifelong service to God, family and society.”

In Him,

Jared Stark

Interim President Vice President for Advancement