wfn.org | DHE Board of Directors To Discuss Leadership

["Communication Ministries" <wshuffit@cm.disciples.org>]

Development During Spring Meeting
Date: April 10, 2002
Disciples News Service
Christian Church (Disciples of Christ)
E-mail: news@cm.disciples.org
Web: http://www.disciples.org

Contact: Brad Lyons, Director of Communications 
(314) 991-3000 - blyons@dhedisciples.org 

02a-26

	ST LOUIS  -- When following an unfamiliar trail, it helps
to have a guide who knows the terrain. As the Division of
Higher Education examines how it can help nurture
transforming future leaders for the church, the DHE Board
of Directors will hear from three trailblazers who are
known for their abilities in transforming institutions and
people during its April 12-14 meeting here.

	"We believe it would help us to hear from leaders who have
either transformed an institution or who have built a
successful organization from scratch," DHE President Dennis
Landon said. "There are no clear rules for identifying
transforming leaders, but we know them when we see them. We
feel our guests at this meeting will help us understand
what DHE and Disciples-related institutions can do to shape
a more faithful future for the church." 

	Three leaders will join a conversation with DHE directors
on leadership development: 

	* John Moore, president of Drury University in
Springfield, Mo., has served since 1983 as president of the
institution related to the Christian Church (Disciples of
Christ) and the United Church of Christ. A Missouri native,
Moore earned his undergraduate and master's degrees in
history at Yale University before earning his doctorate at
Harvard University. He was the Assistant Commissioner of
Education for the state of Missouri prior to his tenure at
Drury. Moore helped to lead Drury through a period of
institutional reshaping in the early 1990s that has led to
increased enrollments from both Disciples students and
students of other denominations. 

	* Holly McKissick has served as pastor of St. Andrew
Christian Church in Olathe, Kan., since its founding in
1990. St. Andrew has undergone a decade of rapid growth and
is known as one of the more dynamic congregations in the
church. A native Texan, McKissick earned her Master of
Divinity degree from Brite Divinity School. She serves on
administrative boards for the Division of Overseas
Ministries and the Disciples Divinity House at the
University of Chicago, and her past service includes the
General Board and Administrative Committee of the Christian
Church (Disciples of Christ), the Council on Christian
Unity, the Disciples Peace Fellowship, and the Disciples
Caucus for Clergywomen.

	* Wallace Ryan Kuroiwa is the Team Leader for the United
Church of Christ's Economic Justice Ministry Team. Part of
UCC's Justice and Witness Ministries, the team addresses
economic justice issues related to globalization, health,
poverty, hunger, education, labor relations, and economic
development. Kuroiwa assisted in the recent re-visioning of
the North American Pacific Asian Disciples (NAPAD). A
native of Hawaii, Kuroiwa earned his doctorate from Emory
University.  

	The board is also hoping to learn how to create other
leaders like Kuroiwa, McKissick, and Moore. 

	"What we hope to do is learn about the experiences that
each of these leaders has had - ask them, 'what made you
the way you are' - and see how the church and our
institutions can provide similar experiences," Landon said.
"How have you lived your lives, how were you shaped by, and
in spite of, your education, who were your mentors - these
are just some of the important questions we have for our
guests." 

	Other items on the DHE Board's agenda are: 

	* Awarding College/University Grants for 2002.
Disciples-related colleges and universities are eligible
for one-time grants to fund special programs that will
serve both their students and the church at large. This
year, approximately $40,000 will be distributed through
this program. 

	* Selecting the T.A. Abbott Award winner for 2002. The
T.A. Abbott Award recognizes a faculty member at a
Disciples-related college or university who excels in the
classroom and demonstrates commitment to the integration of
Christian faith and learning. 

	* Official election of three new directors to the board.
New members of the DHE Board are Miriam Cruz, Washington,
D.C.; Paul Rivera, Valley Stream, N.Y.; and Madge Vasquez,
Austin, Texas. All three will be in attendance at the
upcoming meeting. 

	* Reviewing the denomination's Model Executive Search
Policy, guidelines to be considered when a
Disciples-related institution is in the process of calling
executive officers. 

	* In financial matters, discussion of the proposed changes
in the denomination's funding structures, the annual review
of the audit of 2001 financial activities, and discussion
of contributing to a fund to pay for emergency needs of the
denomination. 

	* Revising policies on sabbaticals and parental leave.

	* Reviewing the division's communications plan in the
context of the denomination's changing communications
network. 

Fourteen universities and seven theological institutions in
12 states are in covenant with the Christian Church
(Disciples of Christ), serving more than 24,400 students.
In addition, three schools and three theological
institutions maintain historical or associate ties with the
denomination. DHE is also affiliated with more than 80
campus ministries programs across the country.	

                                                        --
end --