Derek Halvorson

Powerful Mission, Ineffective Leadership INEFFECTIVE LEADERSHIP: In the years I worked at the college, I saw a dramatic decline in the effectiveness of leadership at the highest level. The office of the president in particular appears consistently indecisive, slow to act and react, lax at anticipating challenges, and reticent to address significant issues even when directly confronted. -LACK OF VISION FROM LEADERSHIP: Even when asked, the highest level of leadership at the college appears unable to articulate a clear vision and strategy for the future of the college. In the ever-changing landscape of higher education, this is a massive liability for the institution. -DYSFUNCTIONAL MANAGEMENT DYNAMICS: At multiple levels of leadership there were (and appear to still be) dysfunctional relationships that enable VP-level and director-level leaders to manage departments ineffectively, unhealthily, and without accountability. These dysfunctional, power-laden relationships can easily lead to institutional abuse and are also a major liability for the institution. -LACK OF WILLINGNESS TO INNOVATE: Leaders in the college and among the faculty appear unwilling to embrace innovative means of bringing a Covenant education to more students. This insistence on residential education alone is another liability for the college, which is confirmed by consistently declining enrollment numbers. Insistence on residential-only education also remains a powerful barrier to access for lower-income students, which ought to concern Christian men and women who are eager to bring a Covenant education to as many interested students as possible.