Chancellor's Installation

Dr. Duane L. Kilty, September 22, 2006


"Members of the Board of Trustees, delegates, friends, alumni, administration, faculty, staff, and especially students – thank you for being here for this wonderful celebration. Gene Habecker, thank you for kicking me out of the nest at Huntington College 15 years ago, and for bringing me back to Taylor University Fort Wayne. I have been truly blessed to have you as a brother in Christ.

"As someone who is new to the Taylor Fort Wayne family, I want to thank Fort Wayne Bible College and Summit Christian College for their faithfulness to God, and their courage and determination to continue this great place. Throughout my comments I will often refer to Taylor University Fort Wayne as TUFW. For those of you who may not be aware, this campus is an integral part of the Taylor University family that consists of the main campus in Upland, TUFW, Taylor University Broadcasting Incorporated, or TUBI, most of you know TUBI by the WBCL call letters, and the William Taylor Foundation that provides estate planning and planned giving services for Taylor University.

"I am humbled and privileged to be part of this great tradition that began as Fort Wayne Bible College; was continued as Summit Christian College, and now lives strong as Taylor University Fort Wayne. Ours is a wonderful heritage.

"A former Nobel Peace Prize winner said it well:
     For all that has been – THANKS!
     For all that will be – YES!

"People have asked me if I am ready. My answer is always the same, I was ready in February. Keep in mind that the position was not posted until March and I didn't interview until June 1. But over the past several months, God worked so dramatically and evidently, preparing my heart to be Chancellor. I was so convinced that God was at work that I began recording all that was in my heart; much of what you are about to hear comes from what I wrote beginning in February.

"God has blessed me with a vision of what this place could look like in the year 2016, the year we celebrate 170 years of faithful ministry for Taylor University. Today, I want to share my vision with you. We refer to this as Vision 2016 for the overall University and TUFW Vision 2016 for this campus. Dr. Habecker, for the past year, has been engaging all of Taylor University in a conversation about what the university might look like, with God’s help and leading, in the year 2016. During the few months I have been at TUFW as Chancellor, we have been discussing Vision 2016 as it relates to the Fort Wayne campus. As I share these ideas with you, keep in mind that they need to be processed. There needs to be much discussion by faculty and administration, and of course, the Board of Trustees will have to approve our plans before we move forward.

"As I begin, I want to tell you my bottom line. You should not be surprised that a former chief financial officer has a bottom line. Here it is, Jesus instructed us that, 'The harvest is plentiful but the workers are few.' I want to send out well-educated, trained shepherd leaders, who are deeply in love with Jesus, who will help ensure the harvest; women and men who have been changed in profound ways as a result of being at this place.

"I chose Psalm 139: 23-24 and Matthew 22: 37-40 to be read today because they are especially meaningful to me. These are the verses God gave me to pray back to Him as He was calling me to this place. For me, they represent what I want our students to be when they graduate; women and men who regularly ask God to search their heart and remove anything that might keep them from loving Him with all of their hearts, souls, and minds. I also want them to understand and practice loving their neighbor as themselves. This is my bottom line.

"Taylor University has a clear understanding of identity, and it is within that overall identify that TUFW stands. All we do at TUFW will be directed at achieving the overall University’s mission to be a Christ-centered educational institution, and an evangelical, interdenominational covenant community committed to advancing life-long learning and ministering the redemptive love of Jesus Christ to a world in need. Every program, existing or new, will be tested against the University’s core values which are to be:

  • Biblically anchored
  • Christ-centered
  • Biblical faith and learning integrated
  • Whole person focused
  • World engaging
  • Servant leader motivated

"This is who we are and who we will always be. We will stand firm.

"It is no secret that this campus, TUFW, has struggled financially over the years. The essence of the problem, TUFW’s lack of a clear identity and distinctiveness, is now our very opportunity for a vibrant future in ministry. This campus is poised to be truly exceptional. TUFW has an opportunity few Christian universities have, to provide programs that are truly unique and make a significant contribution to the people, churches, agencies, government, and businesses of the City of Fort Wayne, and to all of Christian higher education. If we have the courage to follow God and be truly unique and distinctive, we believe we have a future. If we have the courage to follow God and move forward; we believe our future is unlimited.

"What I mean by 'moving forward' is actually stronger than it sounds. The words that come to mind are charging, or surging forward. TUFW has a window of opportunity to change and be all that I believe God is calling us to be, but it is a small one, a very small one, nonetheless, IT IS A WINDOW OF OPPORTUNITY THAT WE MUST SEIZE. We must be aggressive. WE MUST MOVE FORWARD.

"As we move forward, or should I say, as we charge forward, we must go where God is going. God must be in every part of this. We must rely on His leading every step of the way. I am reminded of Psalm 127, verse 1: "Unless the Lord builds the house, its builders labor in vain.”

"We see a campus that is truly and uniquely distinctive, and built around three pillars, 'spiritual formation,' 'applied learning' and 'community leadership development,' which are intentionally and significantly included in each course. Additionally, we see cutting edge technology used in the classroom. The three pillars, resting on Taylor University’s overall core identity, will define the TUFW campus.

"Spiritual formation has always been important to this campus. Applied learning has described the TUFW campus for the last few years. The third distinctive, 'community leadership development,' is being added. The campus is uniquely positioned to serve and be served by the rich environment of the Fort Wayne community. As Taylor University pursues its overall global engagement strategy, the dynamic educational and ministry opportunities presented by the diverse city of Fort Wayne can be TUFW’s special contribution to the larger University vision. Community leadership development will equip students with the knowledge, skills, and values necessary for them to be agents of restoration and development within the spiritual, economic, social, political, cultural, emotional, physical, moral, judicial, educational, and familial contexts of the community.

"Emphasis on 'community leadership development' will enable students to provide leadership for the complex realities they find themselves in during the 21st Century, whether in church, civic or corporate arenas. TUFW students will graduate and be as comfortable talking to a homeless person as they would the mayor, a CEO, or a leading pastor. In 2016, after 10 years of meaningful engagement, we see the city of Fort Wayne forever changed, turned upside down for the cause of Christ.

"Over time the composition of our student body, our faculty, and our staff must better represent the rich diversity this city offers. Today we do not, but in 10 years we will.

"For those of you who are less familiar with TUFW, our approach to 'spiritual formation' intentionally invites the Holy Spirit into the learning process. Students are often asked to read a portion of scripture related to the topic being studied and pray and ask the Holy Spirit to speak to them in an effort to see Christ through the academic discipline. We are convinced that if we ask the Holy Spirit for guidance, we will see Christ in all that we study.

"A prime example of 'applied learning' is found in our business programs. Currently, we are working with Makarios International to assist in the development of new revenue streams to support their mission’s work in the Dominican Republic. Makarios is a faith-based non-profit dedicated to educational development in impoverished regions of the world.

"TUFW business and marketing students are developing a strategic plan to import coffee from the Dominican Republic for 'fair-trade' sale to coffee houses in the US. Students will have the opportunity to travel to the Dominican Republic during the upcoming year. The project will have a real economic impact on the people living in the Dominican Republic. Students in this BBA program earn a degree, develop a resume and have a story to tell to future employers.

"We see a vibrant spiritual life on campus, with chapel, organized and led by a full-time campus pastor, being the heartbeat. We see students who actively use the prayer journals that we give them each year, who annually read the Bible through, who memorize our weekly memory verses, and who chronicle their spiritual journey while at TUFW. We see students whose primary desire is to love Jesus.

"TUFW’s part of the University-wide Vision 2016 includes having ten 'stellar' program areas, in addition to the two programs, Elementary Education and Social Work that are jointly accredited and exist on both campuses. We anticipate enrollment growth and the appropriate facilities based on our program needs. We will be working with the presidents of our neighborhood associations to prepare a campus master plan that ensures the safety of our students, campus viability, and our desire to be a responsible member of this neighborhood.

"We believe the unique and distinctive nature of the curriculum will draw students from around the country, our Professional Writing Program already does. Each program will be characterized by:

  • strong enrollment
  • qualified faculty
  • significant experiential educational requirements, such as internships
  • outside validation of excellence
  • distinctiveness from the Upland campus
  • strategic partnerships
  • significant community development requirements

"Each program will be innovative and unique to Christian higher education while incorporating appropriate instructional technology. Each area will include three or four majors. We will commit long-term to programmatic areas, but be nimble with regards to majors.

"A current example of a 'stellar' program at TUFW is Professional Writing, which is the fastest growing major on campus. Students, including freshman, publish pieces regularly. Graduates leave campus with a four year diploma in English, a full portfolio of published manuscripts, and a completed internship in the field of professional writing.

"As we move forward, we must have a vibrant and innovative Ministry Leadership Program. This has been the case in the past; however, what we have done in the past will not work in the future. So we are going to invite a diverse group of leading Fort Wayne pastors to help us answer the question of 'What would a ministry leadership program look like that effectively prepares women and men for urban ministry opportunities in the 21st Century?'

"Vision 2016 includes graduate-level programs; Taylor University already has a strong and rapidly growing MBA program. As masters programs are developed and added, we anticipate some of them being located on the Fort Wayne campus.

"As we move forward, we envision centers, or institutes, of excellence located on either campus. An Institute for Pastoral Effectiveness is an idea that fits TUFW well, and would strengthen pastors and churches.

"We are already working to transform the Center for Lifelong Learning into a vibrant e-Taylor strategy that in addition to our existing two-year programs, will eventually lead to the offering of four-year, and master’s degrees online in a variety of academic disciplines. Our hope is that our e-Taylor strategy will transform the way faculty at TUFW teach by incorporating web-based technology in the physical classroom, enabling faculty to significantly guide students in their learning and engaging them in substantial dialogue. The e-Taylor strategy would also provide more opportunity for students to learn outside of the classroom and be engaged within the community.

"As the tide rises, we would also like to expand the athletics program for women and men. We want the campus to be student-focused and provide outstanding service.

"In 2016, we see a TUFW campus that is fiscally healthy with a strong enrollment and a significant increase in gift income. We envision a day when there are adequate program resources and reserves to meet unanticipated needs.

"Let’s return to the present.

"As I said earlier, our desire is to go with God and totally rely on Him. Whether or not it looks like what I described, TUFW Vision 2016 is huge. It is beyond anything we can do as humans. Our only way forward is to totally rely on God for all things.

"Today, I have an incredible sense of urgency. Relying on God for wisdom and strength, we need to do all we can to increase speed toward sustainable results. TAYLOR UNIVERSITY FORT WAYNE MUST MOVE FORWARD.

"Academic planning for undergraduate programs will be completed by Christmas and presented to the Board in January 2007. Existing programs that can achieve the "stellar” status will be strengthened; those that cannot will be phased out. New programs will be added that are stellar at the outset. Facilities planning will begin in January and will be completed, we hope, by the end of the summer of 2007. In time for the next academic year, each course will be restructured to feature the three distinctives of 'spiritual formation,' 'applied learning' and 'community leadership development,' and include a base-level of instructional technology.

"Remember the bottom line – well-educated and trained shepherd leaders who are deeply in love with Jesus Christ, who will help ensure the harvest. To achieve our bottom line, we will STAND FIRM on our foundation of spiritual formation and biblical anchor points. And with God’s help, we must, WE MUST, MOVE FORWARD, to where God is calling us.

"As you leave, you will receive a prayer journal to commemorate this day. I have been journaling for a number of years and the discipline was especially meaningful to me as God prepared me for this role. Included are the passages of scripture to read each day in order to read through the Bible in one year, a weekly memory verse, and a prayer prompt.

"We intend to provide a new journal to our students each year. My prayer is that students will read their Bible, pray, memorize scripture, and record their spiritual journey. My hope is that this book will be meaningful to each of you also.

"To the alumni of Fort Wayne Bible College, Summit Christian College, and Taylor University Fort Wayne; for all that has been, again, I say THANK YOU. For all that will be, I say YES and thank you, Jesus."