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Exclusive Interview with Dean Cornies
Wednesday, September 15th, 2010
What led you to Redeemer?
I belong to an organization called the Canadian Association of Christians in Student Development, which connects Christians working in Student Life across Canada. I saw the Redeemer posting through that group. A few people from that group sent me emails saying things like “This has your name on it!” and “When are you applying?” When I came for my interview I heard Syd Hielema speak in chapel. What he spoke about and the way he articulated his faith in God really connected with me and I thought “Yes, this is a good fit.” Also, I had had the privilege of getting to know many of the Student Life staff at Redeemer over the years and had a deep respect for who they are and what they do. The direction that Student Life at Redeemer is headed in is exciting and I felt I would connect well with the mission and the approach of Student Life here and be able to contribute.
The major question I wrestled with in terms of coming to Redeemer was how to balance work and home life. My husband and I spent a lot of time on our front step wrestling that through. At one point we drove onto Redeemer’s campus and as soon as we did we both felt a palpable sense of deep peace. That was a turning point. We didn’t know how everything would work out, but we both had a sense of peace that held as the process continued, and here I am.
What exactly does the Dean do?
That’s harder than you might think to answer. Student Life can be a bit ambiguous. A lot of Student Life is behind the scenes, so it’s harder to define. It’s not like a job that has an upfront emphasis. At a Student Life conference at Canadian Mennonite University a few years back, the president there described Student Life as being like the Holy Spirit in the sense of aspiring to be breath, or glue that builds bridges. There’s a lot of bridge-building that goes on, a lot of communicating; trying to make sure that things don’t pull apart, that things are brought together.
Special projects come up. Part of the role of the Dean is to figure out what the gaps are and how to fill those gaps. Recently Scotiabank agreed to give some money towards awards for community service work that students are involved in. As a result, we needed to focus on volunteering for awhile so that we could articulate to Scotiabank what we are doing at Redeemer in terms of volunteering. I can’t predict what specific opportunities will come up like that, but having space in my job to respond is an important piece of what I do. The other main component of my job is dealing with student issues.
A main goal that I have in all aspects of my role is, in so far as I am able, to pull people together, respect the people involved and make sure that we can try to move forward together if at all possible to further Redeemer’s mission. It doesn’t always work that way, but that’s the goal.
In the introductory email that we received from Mr. Wikkerink he described your strengths as “leadership development, integration of co-curriculum with curriculum, sustainability and growing community.” What does that mean?
I see leadership development as essentially growing more into the fullness of who God has made us to be- figuring out what our contribution is and striving to fulfill that with excellence. At Redeemer there is a sense that everyone has something to contribute. We are strategizing ways of strengthening that direction and opening up opportunities for that kind of development.
In terms of co-curricular and curricular integration, I was at a Student Life conference in June where the speaker Susan Komives was saying that we have all kinds of words to describe different kinds of learning, but students know that learning flows in and out of the classroom, and students don’t need obscure words to define it. That being said, when you have different groups doing different things not intentionally partnering together, sometimes things can pull apart. Dr. Krygsman is very interested in pursuing an intentional, whole education: making sure that those two aspects of educational experience- in and out of the classroom- are integrating in a way that makes sense; so that they’re not working against each other, but working together towards the same goal. There are a lot of initiatives that are being considered at present. We’ll see what emerges.
Sustainability is a passion of mine. In the broadest sense of the word, I believe in sustainable living. More specifically, I’ve spent some time considering how to be more environmentally friendly in Student Life. I’ve toured geo-thermal residences, grey-water residences, campus community gardens, local food programs, public transportation initiatives, energy usage education and general consumption patterns.
In terms of growing community, I am learning a lot about what “Christian community” actually means. There are a number of ways that you can approach that question. Right now I am reflecting on monasticism through the ages and what those Christian communities might be able to teach us here at Redeemer in terms of being community together.
What do you hope to accomplish at Redeemer?
Redeemer is known for its community and I really hope to build on that strength: that as a community we would grow deeper and stronger and fuller into what God has for us, that’s really my core hope.
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