To the Northwest Nazarene University Board of Trustees,

I am going to make this brief, as I know you are probably currently receiving many letters such as this.

I want to express my concern over the way the university has handled the situation surrounding the termination of Dr. Thomas Oord, as well as other matters which have come to light since said termination was made public.

1.    Although an apology has been publicly issued in a letter from the president for the way Dr. Oord was fired, I’ve yet to hear of any move toward restitution. It has been recognized that this matter was handled unprofessionally and without following proper protocol, at best, and I am, therefore, calling for the reinstatement of Dr. Thomas Oord to his former position.

2.    Since this matter was first made public, Dr. David Alexander has been slow to respond in a satisfactory manner to those with valid and thoughtful questions. As an alumna, I find it disturbing that he has been allowed to continue responding to the public in an unprofessional manner without censure. This issue has now left the confines of NNU, and those in the larger community can now see that either the president is willfully lying to the public about the current events, or the majority of the faculty, who have overwhelmingly expressed their distrust of the current administration through their vote of no confidence, are lying. I’m inclined to believe that Dr. Alexander is not doing his best to be honest with those he owes an explanation to.

3.    We have yet to receive satisfactory answers to questions that have been asked repeatedly regarding the firing of Dr. Thomas Oord. It is time for transparency and honesty. It is time to restore the faith of the community in the administration, and the school as a whole. Currently I could not, in good faith, feel comfortable donating financially to the institution. I would also not feel comfortable recommending that new students seek admittance. First, changes must be made, and questions must be answered.

4.    Censure Dr. David Alexander. I believe that many of Dr. Alexander’s actions have been detrimental to the mission and health of the university. I would call for you to suspend him as the acting president, and appoint an interim president until a full investigation has been conducted in regards to his involvement with Capital Education, as well as his dismissal of Dr. Thomas Oord.

Thank you for your time. I appreciate your consideration of these concerns. Blessings on you during this difficult time for our beloved university.

Sincerely,

Kristine R. Noteboom