New Columbia Union president pledges to look for solutions

Spence tours Takoma Park campus Monday to meet staff, faculty and students

Spence made his first official visit to the Seventh-day Adventist college in Takoma Park on Monday to meet with staff, faculty and representatives of the student body.

‘‘I have a strong opinion for how the school should go,” said Spence, 55, in an interview Tuesday. ‘‘... We need to have a sustainable model that is relevant and current to what our students are looking for.”

Spence said he took a lot away from his first meeting with students.

‘‘I am impressed with their connectivity, their dedication, their concern that student activities and the entire environment is meeting their needs,” he said. ‘‘... I think we made the connections there and I really hope we can generate interest to address some of their concerns.”

As for the faculty, many of whom have been unhappy with the college’s administration in recent months, Spence acknowledged that they ‘‘want to see some changes.”

‘‘I get the sense that they have probably been felt left out of many of the processes and the future of the college,” he said. ‘‘And it’s essential that they play a key role in contributing and inputting into the future of the college.”

Spence comes to Columbia Union during a time of financial uncertainty. The school has a $5 million debt and its board of trustees drew criticism earlier this year for its decision to rescind an offer to sell its student radio station for upwards of $20 million.

Spence said he does not plan to sell any of the school’s assets, but is not ruling anything out.

‘‘We need to consider fundraising,” he said. ‘‘And then we may need to consider assets and how we may manage that. But just initially selling off assets and throwing money into a process that is not efficient is not the way to go.”

He also said he would not rule out reconsidering the fate of WGTS, the school’s Christian music radio station, which was retained after a barrage of protests from listeners, alumni and trustees.

‘‘I would like an opportunity to sit with the board of WGTS and see what their strategic plan is before I make a full determination on that,” he said. ‘‘I still need to acquire a little more data to address that question. But it’s still one I need to address.”

One financial solution the school considered was a change from a liberal arts school to a health sciences college. Spence said many students and faculty have expressed a desire to remain a liberal arts school, and he said he agrees that liberal arts are a vital component to students’ education.

‘‘Personally, I see liberal arts as part of the educational package that a student needs to have in order to be relevant and functional in the workplace,” he said. ‘‘And I hope I can bridge the gap so it’s not an either-or.”

Spence emphasized that as a faith-based institution, Columbia Union should seek to teach Christian values.

‘‘The educational process should be Christ-centered, based on the life and teachings of Christ, and I think we can impact the value center of students,” he said. ‘‘... That’s one of the things that I think CUC will contribute to. It’s not only teaching them how to read and write and figure, but an inbred value system that teaches them how to contribute to humanity.”

A native of Jamaica, Spence previously served as academic dean at Baptist Health System School of Health Professions in San Antonio, and Anne Arundel Community College in Arnold. He has a wife and two children.

Students and faculty on Monday said their new president made a positive impression on them in preliminary meetings and that they were looking forward to seeing how he’d perform.

‘‘He’s a very good speaker,” said sophomore Ryan Jackson. ‘‘And I hope he puts his words into action.”

‘‘For being his first time on campus,” said sophomore Heidi Lohr, ‘‘I thought he knew what he was talking about, although he doesn’t know all the specifics.”

Serhii Kalynovs’kyi, chairman of the physics and engineering department, said that he was impressed with what Spence had to say.

‘‘I think, generally, he passed the test. He is not very familiar with our specifics, as it was obvious, but he seemed to be capable of handling them. ... I’m encouraged by the fact that he has both community college experience and denominational experience. He could do very well.”