The moment of revelation came unexpectedly. It was summer 2006, and I had invited an external consulting firm to provide The Salvation Army’s Booth College in Winnipeg with some advice regarding our efforts to encourage more students to enrol. At the end of the initial consultation, the consultant concluded by saying, “The fundamental challenge that Booth College faces is that it doesn’t know what it is, what it wants to be and where it wants to go.” Those words hit hard, especially since I had been deeply involved in the college since it opened in 1982.

That moment proved to be a turning point in the life of Booth College as it impelled us to take action. When our board of trustees received my report a few weeks later, they responded immediately and enthusiastically to the challenge. The board quickly arranged for a retreat to create a focused vision for the future of the college. The vision we received pictured Booth College as a “growing Christian university college of choice.” Once the board adopted this new vision as policy, it became my responsibility, as president of the college, to implement it.

The faculty and staff of Booth College have embraced this vision with passion. We have developed a strategic plan to guide the transformation of Booth College over several years. We are taking the first steps toward the implementation of our new mission statement and the realization of our dream for Booth College.

What’s Different?
One might rightly ask, “What is so different about this new direction for Booth College?” To answer this question, I want to focus on several elements of the phrase “a growing Christian university college of choice.”

The first key word is “growing.” We see Booth College as an institution that is growing, both in terms of enrolment and its impact. Over the past two years we have more than doubled the number of new students entering the college in the fall. This growth will continue as we add new programs that will attract new students. But the growth we seek is not only numerical; it is also a growth in the impact that our students and graduates have on the world. We want our graduates to be articulate, informed and effective agents of transformation in our world.

The second expression that describes our future is “university college.” We plan to transform Booth College so that its programs, courses and ethos characterize a small, focused university. We will create new faculty positions and academic programs that will appeal to more students. At the same time, we will continue to offer programs designed to serve the leadership needs of The Salvation Army in our own territory and internationally.

Third, we refer to ourselves as a “Christian university college” because we want to make it absolutely clear that Christian faith stands at the centre of college life. There is no compromise on this point. Booth College, as a Salvation Army institution, will always stand clearly within the Army’s Wesleyan theological tradition. We want Booth College to become a place where faith, learning and service come together in a vital partnership.

Finally, we speak of a “growing Christian university college of choice” because we are committed to quality in everything we do. We want Booth College to become one of the finest Christian universities in Canada. We want our faculty and students to be of the highest calibre. We want our programs to be recognized as challenging and effective. We want to ensure that students of Booth College are able to move into graduate programs at universities across the country. We want our focus on Christian faith to be thoughtful, passionate and strong. We want faculty and students to come here because they know that we are committed to the highest standards of educational quality and to the integration of faith, learning and service.

New Opportunities
What will Booth College look like in the coming years?

1.We will offer a wider range of degree programs for students. Building upon the strong foundation of our bachelor of social work program, we are going to create new degree programs in religion, English and film studies, behavioural sciences (psychology and sociology), business, sciences (beginning with biology) and other fields. This will take time, but we plan to launch several of the new programs in the next two years.

2. We will create a vibrant co-curricular program on our Winnipeg campus. This will provide a fertile environment for our students to develop their Christian faith and service. Increased opportunities for worship, athletics, special lectures, cultural events, concerts, travel, urban service learning and other focused activities will create a milieu in which faith, learning and service are woven together.

3. We will continue to partner with the College for Officer Training to offer a degree program for cadets and officers across the territory. We will strengthen this program so that it better prepares officers for their varied ministries. In addition, we will continue to develop and offer innovative certificate programs that support the transforming ministry of Salvation Army personnel.

4. We will expand our involvement with the international Salvation Army to develop indigenous leadership in the developing world. We have been working internationally for several years, but we now have opportunities for further development. In co-operation with our territory and the international Army, we will identify areas where we can make the greatest contribution and pursue them.

Making Vision a Reality
We will only accomplish these initiatives if we remain attentive to the leading of God and receive his blessing. In my short time as president of Booth College, I have seen countless signs that God is blessing the college. Doors closed for years are now opening up to us. The support of friends, The Salvation Army, and government and educational officials appears to be coalescing.

This is a marvellous time of grace in the life of Booth College. Our college team is committed to making this dream a reality. There is a singleness of purpose and we are ready to move forward.

We need more students and faculty who will embrace this vision of Booth College. We need Salvationist students and Salvationist faculty who will see their involvement here as an opportunity to create a Salvationist university for the future.

Having envisioned the future of Booth College, we know that we can’t make the vision a reality on our own. As Booth College seeks to be a “growing Christian university college of choice,” we ask for your prayers and other support. With your assistance and God’s blessing, I anticipate that in the years to come we shall look back on the summer of 2006 as a defining moment in the life of Booth College.