The following email was sent to all Concordia faculty and staff. Dr. Krispin outlines the circumstances leading to this decision so I will simply let his official notice stand:
Dear Colleagues,
Last night Dr. Dwayne Harapnuik tendered his resignation as Vice President Academic at Concordia to me, which I have accepted and will forward to our Board of Governors. In this letter Dwayne reflected upon his reason for coming to Concordia, which was to be an agent of change in order to position Concordia to be a thriving university for the future and develop the best learning environment students could have anywhere. This he sought to do with diligence and dedication, albeit finding himself torn between two points of focus: he was given charge over the student services portfolio and directing the academic program of the institution. The divergent interests of student needs and services competed with those of the faculty. Ultimately, Dwayne now recognizes that in his desire to improve the student experience, faculty interests were not always in the fore-front. And while amazing progress was made for our students, progress for our academic planning was much slower. Now, with the advent of a unionized faculty environment, Dwayne felt his goal to be a change-agent at Concordia was going to be on hold for the foreseeable future, certainly on the academic front. To be clear: Dwayne emphasized that he believes that this resignation is in the best interest of Concordia at this time; this is not a career move, but making way so that which has been sown can continue to grow.
I personally know that Dwayne is tremendously gifted, has a passion for student learning and engagement, and will realize these aspirations elsewhere, even as he did at Abelene Christian University and indeed began to do here at Concordia. I pray that our Lord will bless him richly as he embarks on another path, perhaps at another insitution where his talents may be engaged fruitfully.
In His Service,
Gerald Krispin
