Letter to Simpson Board of Trustees

See instructions for writing your own letter to the board here.

April 22, 2014

Dear Board of Trustees of Simpson University,

I am Rachel Kuhn, Simpson student from 2004-2009, graduated with a BA in Communications. While attending Simpson, I never held any official leadership positions, but I was heavily involved with the Gatehouse Community, Commuter Life, and outreach to our north-state community through Trinity Alliance Church, Chico Street Ministry, Fellowship of Christian Athletes at Shasta High, and InterVarsity Christian Fellowship at Shasta College and College of the Siskiyous. Upon graduation, I entered full-time ministry with InterVarsity, cultivating a community of missional students from both Shasta College and Simpson intent on reaching out to Shasta College and Shasta County. I served in this capacity for five years before moving to Honolulu, Hawaii in July 2014 where I continue to serve with InterVarsity.

My engagement with ministry throughout my time as a Simpson student and as an alumna in Redding for a total of 10 years gives me a unique vantage point on Simpson’s influence and reputation in the Redding area. I am gravely concerned. The events that have transpired over the last 4 years including the disgraceful firing of Dr. Sarah Sumner, the dismissal of President Larry McKinney, resignation of 75 faculty and staff, fundraising for the nursing building and baseball field in spite of mounting debt, and the reports from the Redding media questioning whether Simpson is a business or a church have set off an alarm of warning! As news of these and other disconcerting events at Simpson reach alumni around the world, many are shocked and appalled. Where is Simpson University headed? Are we following the trend that Harvard, Yale, and many other formerly Christian institutions made toward secularization and liberalization? Is anything being done to stop this downward spiral?

I call upon you, Board of Trustees, as the ultimate governing authority over Simpson University to investigate the grievances itemized by the current students who engaged in public protest in the second week of April. These grievances include: the discontent of the C.A.B., Title IX exemption, lack of clear vision, lack of trust between students and administration, budget concerns, method of athlete recruitment, faculty contracts, and the lawsuit. I urge you to meet with them and hear them out. I urge you also to remember the words of concerned Tozer students and staff expressed thoughtfully and consistently. For far too long, our voices have gone unheard.

I also urge you to remember our roots. Remember the self-sacrificing, revival- instigating, mission-sending legacy of our denomination founder, A.B. Simpson, for whom our University is named. Remember the clear voice of truth and fierce fire of righteousness of A.W. Tozer for whom our young fledgling seminary has been named. Remember the purpose of the young Bible school established in 1921 to equip and send out missionaries to the uttermost parts of the earth, prepared to sacrifice all, including their very lives so the gospel could reach those who had not heard. Remember the 93 years of our institutional legacy as the Gateway to World Service, training and releasing world-changers into all levels of society.

And when you remember, consider what our future will be if we continue to act like we’ve forgotten these things and become salt without saltiness, worth nothing except to be discarded. Open the ears of your hearts to listen, come before the Lord in prayer, and take proper action to guide us back to exemplifying our core values of Community, Excellence, Accountability, Integrity, and Service. May God lead us all to repentance, purification, and restoration, so that our University can again be a reflection of His Kingdom on the earth.

With sincerity, prayers, and hope for a brighter future for Simpson University,

Rachel Kuhn