Dear Board of Trustees,
We the undersigned are contacting you in order to inform you of our concerns as members of the Simpson University community. We are bringing our concerns to your attention because we believe that it is your responsibility as the Board of Trustees to hold our university accountable to its stated policies, vision, values, and mission. Simpson University identifies itself as “a Christ-centered learning community committed to developing each student in mind, faith, and character” and we feel that it is our responsibility to inform the Board of Trustees that we are not convinced that this ideal is being upheld fully within our community.
As our university enters into a stage of transition this summer, we are asking that the Board of Trustees take the time to evaluate the validity of our concerns and to search out the truth about whether or not our school is upholding its values. We are asking that students, staff, alumni, and faculty be given the opportunity to publicly voice concerns that they may have regarding the well-being of Simpson University without fear and in confidence that their testimonies will be listened to. We have further asked that anyone who signs this letter also write a short personal letter to the Board of Trustees explaining why he or she has signed the letter, or what his or her personal concerns are. These you will find attached to this letter, and we ask that you, as the Board of Trustees, seriously consider these testimonies. We do not believe these concerns to be exhaustive, but rather indicators of a few key concerns within our community.
We ask that the Board of Trustees investigate the validity of these concerns.
***For those of you interested, here are the stated mission, vision, and values of the university, so you can see if these align with what you have experienced on our campus.
Identity StatementSimpson University, a school of the Christian and Missionary Alliance, is a Christ-centered learning community with an enduring commitment to world service and faith-infused education in professional studies and liberal arts.Mission StatementSimpson University is a Christ-centered learning community committed to developing each student in mind, faith and character for a lifetime of meaningful work and service in a constantly changing world.VisionSimpson University’s passion is to be the university of choice for students who aspire to achieve their chosen life goals through a Christ-led, transformational and innovative education.Core ValuesStatement of Commitment: We profess the supremacy of Jesus Christ as Lord of all. In faith, we submit ourselves to His authority and His Word, and seek His wisdom. We will reflect His character in our daily lives. Simpson will be a Christ- honoring university, and we embrace the Core Values below, which inform our identity and drive our Vision for the future.Community- We are a covenantal community. We commit to creating a learning community that is intentionally and faithfully hospitable and welcoming;inclusive and diverse; practicing justice, fairness and respect for all people; compassionate, kind and loving; reflecting the heart and image of God in all that we do.Excellence- We commit to excellence inteaching,scholarship,recruitment,leadership,management,stewardship, and interpersonal interactions and to continuously improve in all our practices.Accountability- We commit to individual and corporate responsibility for our actions, decisions, communications, and performance and welcomeevaluation and feedback.Integrity- We commit to honor God and each other through openness, honesty and ethical conduct in all matters.Service– We commit to honor God by modeling Christ’s example of service to all humanity. Our calling as aChristian universityis to be a “gateway to world service” and a place where the Great Commission is lived out.MottoGateway to World ServiceUpdates
April 15, 2015
The Board has not responded to our letters yet but their silence proves we must keep the pressure on. Send your personal letter to the Board members today to ensure they cannot ignore our concerns. Post this link on Facebook and text three friends to bring more people into this conversation.
April 15, 2015
The momentum behind this letter is clear and undeniable. Send your own personal account to the Board of Trustees today so they understand the urgency of our concerns. Post this link on your Facebook page and text three friends to keep the pressure on.
20 Comments
I am appalled at the way that the leadership has led the school. The former president and board chair both sat in front of a large group of us Tozer Seminary students and lied to our faces about their treatment of Dr. Sarah Sumner. Honestly the leadership of Simpson University has been abysmal at least as far back as 1999, my freshman year as an undergrad student. Despite having incredible instructors and peers my whole time at Simpson, I carry no pride as a Simpson Graduate (B.A. and M. Div.) because of the blatant abuse of power that has been ongoing.
I stand by the words of this letter as well as those expressed by Leigh Williams. Simpson's stated values of community, integrity, accountability, excellence and service are sorely missing. He who has ears to hear, let him hear!
Simpson calls itself a University yet we are not being offered the well rounded education that we deserve. We should be trusted with many theories and perspectives without being told which is "right" or "wrong". Simpson is no longer a Bible College; therefore, our students should be treated as intelligent individuals who can handle logically struggling to reconcile theories and perspectives with their own worldview without feeling that they must comply with the C&MA's world view. As an institution deemed as a university, Simpson should not be afraid of true education.
My experience at Simpson was positive because of one reason: the faculty. When the university becomes such an environment that the professors feel they must leave to protect themselves (which some have already done and more will do in the future), then Simpson will lose it's greatest appeal and will simply close. To me, the greatest grievance on this list is concerning the Title IX exemption which is simply an abhorrence and an affront to God. Change this one thing and let the student and faculty body know you are interested in keeping the university alive.
This school is slowly dying and we love it too much to not say anything. May God help guide us all and give us direction in these future changes. I sign this for CAB, for my friends who have been burned by the "redemptive" discipline system, for those who feel pushed out of our community, for those who go unnoticed and unheard at this university.
I am praying that God will move in our campus starting with this letter! Thank you everyone who is participating and leading this!
My experience at Tozer was invaluable. God used the faculty, students, and education to shape my life and my ministry. God blessed me in many ways through my experience at Tozer seminary. I wish I could enthusiastically influence others to receive the same experience at Simpson and/or Tozer. I wish that I could say with pride that I receive my degree from Tozer. Instead, I am embarrassed. The actions of the board have blemished my experience. It seems as though the board believes that the laws of this land supersede obedience and alignment with God's ways. It is disappointing to watch the lack of courage of the board to respond. While I understand their cautions, there are more important things at stake than a lawsuit. So I ask the board, what is more important to you? Your mission or your success?
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Dear Board of Trustees,
We the undersigned are contacting you in order to inform you of our concerns as members of the Simpson University community. We are bringing our concerns to your attention because we believe that it is your responsibility as the Board of Trustees to hold our university accountable to its stated policies, vision, values, and mission. Simpson University identifies itself as “a Christ-centered learning community committed to developing each student in mind, faith, and character” and we feel that it is our responsibility to inform the Board of Trustees that we are not convinced that this ideal is being upheld fully within our community.
As our university enters into a stage of transition this summer, we are asking that the Board of Trustees take the time to evaluate the validity of our concerns and to search out the truth about whether or not our school is upholding its values. We are asking that students, staff, alumni, and faculty be given the opportunity to publicly voice concerns that they may have regarding the well-being of Simpson University without fear and in confidence that their testimonies will be listened to. We have further asked that anyone who signs this letter also write a short personal letter to the Board of Trustees explaining why he or she has signed the letter, or what his or her personal concerns are. These you will find attached to this letter, and we ask that you, as the Board of Trustees, seriously consider these testimonies. We do not believe these concerns to be exhaustive, but rather indicators of a few key concerns within our community.
We ask that the Board of Trustees investigate the validity of these concerns.
***For those of you interested, here are the stated mission, vision, and values of the university, so you can see if these align with what you have experienced on our campus.
Identity StatementSimpson University, a school of the Christian and Missionary Alliance, is a Christ-centered learning community with an enduring commitment to world service and faith-infused education in professional studies and liberal arts.Mission StatementSimpson University is a Christ-centered learning community committed to developing each student in mind, faith and character for a lifetime of meaningful work and service in a constantly changing world.VisionSimpson University’s passion is to be the university of choice for students who aspire to achieve their chosen life goals through a Christ-led, transformational and innovative education.Core ValuesStatement of Commitment: We profess the supremacy of Jesus Christ as Lord of all. In faith, we submit ourselves to His authority and His Word, and seek His wisdom. We will reflect His character in our daily lives. Simpson will be a Christ- honoring university, and we embrace the Core Values below, which inform our identity and drive our Vision for the future.Community- We are a covenantal community. We commit to creating a learning community that is intentionally and faithfully hospitable and welcoming;inclusive and diverse; practicing justice, fairness and respect for all people; compassionate, kind and loving; reflecting the heart and image of God in all that we do.Excellence- We commit to excellence inteaching,scholarship,recruitment,leadership,management,stewardship, and interpersonal interactions and to continuously improve in all our practices.Accountability- We commit to individual and corporate responsibility for our actions, decisions, communications, and performance and welcomeevaluation and feedback.Integrity- We commit to honor God and each other through openness, honesty and ethical conduct in all matters.Service– We commit to honor God by modeling Christ’s example of service to all humanity. Our calling as aChristian universityis to be a “gateway to world service” and a place where the Great Commission is lived out.MottoGateway to World ServiceUpdates
April 15, 2015
The Board has not responded to our letters yet but their silence proves we must keep the pressure on. Send your personal letter to the Board members today to ensure they cannot ignore our concerns. Post this link on Facebook and text three friends to bring more people into this conversation.
April 15, 2015
The momentum behind this letter is clear and undeniable. Send your own personal account to the Board of Trustees today so they understand the urgency of our concerns. Post this link on your Facebook page and text three friends to keep the pressure on.
20 Comments
I began writing letters like this in 2012. While I am very proud to be a graduate of A.W. Tozer Theological Seminary, I am ambivalent at best, ashamed at worst, to have the name "Simpson University" on my diploma. Because we, the Tozer students, never received a satisfactory response to our own concerns, I will just link to a doc written to the Chair of the Simpson Board in 2012.
I am appalled at the way that the leadership has led the school. The former president and board chair both sat in front of a large group of us Tozer Seminary students and lied to our faces about their treatment of Dr. Sarah Sumner. Honestly the leadership of Simpson University has been abysmal at least as far back as 1999, my freshman year as an undergrad student. Despite having incredible instructors and peers my whole time at Simpson, I carry no pride as a Simpson Graduate (B.A. and M. Div.) because of the blatant abuse of power that has been ongoing.
I stand by the words of this letter as well as those expressed by Leigh Williams. Simpson's stated values of community, integrity, accountability, excellence and service are sorely missing. He who has ears to hear, let him hear!
Simpson calls itself a University yet we are not being offered the well rounded education that we deserve. We should be trusted with many theories and perspectives without being told which is "right" or "wrong". Simpson is no longer a Bible College; therefore, our students should be treated as intelligent individuals who can handle logically struggling to reconcile theories and perspectives with their own worldview without feeling that they must comply with the C&MA's world view. As an institution deemed as a university, Simpson should not be afraid of true education.
My experience at Simpson was positive because of one reason: the faculty. When the university becomes such an environment that the professors feel they must leave to protect themselves (which some have already done and more will do in the future), then Simpson will lose it's greatest appeal and will simply close. To me, the greatest grievance on this list is concerning the Title IX exemption which is simply an abhorrence and an affront to God. Change this one thing and let the student and faculty body know you are interested in keeping the university alive.
This school is slowly dying and we love it too much to not say anything. May God help guide us all and give us direction in these future changes. I sign this for CAB, for my friends who have been burned by the "redemptive" discipline system, for those who feel pushed out of our community, for those who go unnoticed and unheard at this university.
I am praying that God will move in our campus starting with this letter! Thank you everyone who is participating and leading this!
My experience at Tozer was invaluable. God used the faculty, students, and education to shape my life and my ministry. God blessed me in many ways through my experience at Tozer seminary. I wish I could enthusiastically influence others to receive the same experience at Simpson and/or Tozer. I wish that I could say with pride that I receive my degree from Tozer. Instead, I am embarrassed. The actions of the board have blemished my experience. It seems as though the board believes that the laws of this land supersede obedience and alignment with God's ways. It is disappointing to watch the lack of courage of the board to respond. While I understand their cautions, there are more important things at stake than a lawsuit. So I ask the board, what is more important to you? Your mission or your success?
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I began writing letters like this in 2012. While I am very proud to be a graduate of A.W. Tozer Theological Seminary, I am ambivalent at best, ashamed at worst, to have the name "Simpson University" on my diploma. Because we, the Tozer students, never received a satisfactory response to our own concerns, I will just link to a doc written to the Chair of the Simpson Board in 2012.