A Commitment to Our International Andrews Family

Friends,

As we finished our Martin Luther King Jr. Day celebrations in Newbold Auditorium, I was reminded of one of Dr. King’s powerful statements about his dream for a more just society: “I have a dream that my four little children will one day live in a nation where they will not be judged by the color of their skin but by the content of their character.”

Those words, more than five decades old, are urgently and painfully relevant to the society we now live in. As recently as last week, an immediate national and international uproar unfolded after news reports indicated that our nation's president, Donald Trump, had disparaged the quality, character and potential of immigrants from El Salvador, Haiti and Africa.

Those reported remarks are racist, painful and destructive. More importantly, those crude sentiments and perspectives do not reflect the values of our Andrews University community. We would like to make it clear that racist remarks of any kind, from our students, staff, faculty or administration, will not be tolerated, encouraged, accepted or overlooked.

I and we believe that Andrews University is consistently enriched and improved by our students who come from literally everywhere in the world—an international family of students, faculty, staff and administration that helps us daily understand the pain, reality and potential of God’s kingdom.

As a result, we deplore any beliefs and attitudes that run counter to our God-centered call to create and nurture a beloved community whose neighbors are not defined by geography. These neighbors of ours are instead defined simply by their status as children of God—children who make their home everywhere in the world, including here in Berrien Springs and in all the other institutions and homes around the world where our students study.

For those who can attend Andrews on our Berrien Springs campus, we are humbled and honored to welcome every student, including those from Haiti, El Salvador or the countries of Africa which were the targets of last week’s racist remarks. In fact, we seek to welcome students from every corner of this earth to be educated and inspired to help ultimately Change the World for God.

To do anything less at Andrews University would be to deny the call and purpose God has given our beloved community.

I welcome your reflection, prayer and productive action in helping to assure that this Kingdom Value—a God-centered and unwavering commitment to the equity and strength of each human—ultimately infuses and transforms our world, our societies and those who are leaders, both political and spiritual.