Businessman N. R. Narayana Murthy is credited with saying, “When you run a part of the relay and pass on the baton, there is no sense of unfinished business in your mind. There is just the sense of having done your part to the best of your ability. That is, it. The hope is to pass on the baton to somebody who will run faster and run a better marathon.”

I can proudly rejoice with President Mathews that God has chosen him to lead in the next chapter of the Nyack story. As Mr. Murthy states, I have the sense of having done my part to the best of my ability. I do pass on the baton with confident expectation that President Rajan Mathews will run faster, run a better marathon and give all the glory to God.

While I am so glad to congratulate you on becoming the president of Nyack College, I also congratulate the trustees for having made an excellent choice. In my two meetings with you since your appointment, I have been very impressed by the caliber of man you are and the great array of gifts and experiences you bring to the ministry of the college. I believe there is much synergy between our colleges that will bless the kingdom of God as we continue to enroll complementary classes of students.

Please know that you have our full support and prayers as you take Nyack College and Alliance Theological Seminary into a great future.

As is the current reality with faith-based institutions of higher learning, Nyack continues to face great challenges. Yet, with you, I believe that before us are even greater opportunities. I am confident that Mr. Mathews is well suited for this role, possessing the insight, experience, and innovative posture needed to carry Nyack/ATS into its next fruitful season of training and equipping an eager and diverse generation of students for Christ-honoring service in both ministry and marketplace. I’m also pleased to observe that my brother walks with a humble gait, knowing where the real source of provision and wisdom must be drawn. There is never a moment for the church of Jesus to act independently of His Spirit and guidance, but now above all times we must seek Him from a posture of reliance and expectancy.

You are now added to the list of Nyack’s prestigious presidents who have all left their mark on this world. The history books of man cannot begin to record the changed hearts of people in eternity. You now join us in making an eternal difference in the lives of men and women who train and study to be better equipped to take “the whole Gospel to the whole world.” I’m excited to begin writing Nyack’s next chapter alongside you.

Welcome to the Metro District family! We are so excited that you have begun your tenure as the 13th president of Nyack College and Alliance Theological Seminary. God has called you for this time and for this season in Nyack’s history. While your appointment is an historic one for us as an institution, your gifts and skills are, clearly, what we need to move us forward.

Know without a shadow of a doubt that the Metro District of The Christian and Missionary Alliance gives you our full support. Further, as a member of the Board of Trustees, I look forward to working together with you to see Nyack College and Alliance Theological Seminary soar into the bright future that the Lord has for us.

Your distinct, God-given gifts and leadership style will be an immense blessing to the university and the community. God will continue to write the story of Nyack College and Alliance Theological Seminary with you as a key part of its next chapter. I am glad you are at the helm!

Thank you for your dedication to Christian higher education. As you transition into this new role, please let me know if you have suggestions for how the CCCU can support your campus more effectively; we are here to serve you. Congratulations!

In Scripture, singing a new song involves gratitude to the Living God for a recent and remarkable display of his mighty power. Truly we have such a display before us. God has powerfully intervened, skillfully matching your godliness, Rajan, your gifts, training, generosity, leadership experience, financial acumen, and missional vision with the purpose, heritage, resources, global impact, kingdom opportunities and current challenges of the College and Seminary.

So, it is here: the remarkably exquisite match between you and Nyack deserves singing a new song! So, congratulations, Rajan, congratulations, Nyack College and Seminary: God has demonstrated his mighty power!

At the heart of so much of what plagues today’s colleges in this country, there seems to be a loss of courage to even ask questions of meaning and of character. There’s a soul vacuum, you could say, where students’ emotional, spiritual, and moral sides are not finding room to breathe in their college experience, to explore, to mature. Nyack, I think, in both its unusual degree of diversity as well as in its founding mission, is in a unique position to lead by example. To privilege caring for others over and above a competitive quest for prestige; to demonstrate what it is to honor neighbor over and above oneself and to build communities from here that are defined by this radical love and hospitality; to steep in a practical wisdom, that knows the grit of the streets and broken systems and the transcendent beauty of the Creator who delights in redeeming that grit and brokenness.

Institutions like Nyack College are vital in shaping our city’s young people, and the leaders at their helm offer wisdom, compassion, and support to people of all backgrounds across the five boroughs. Under your professional, academic, and spiritual guidance, Nyack College will continue to offer a strong foundation for fellowship and growth to its talented students. As you reflect upon Nyack’s legacy of global engagement and academic excellence and your role in this proud institution’s future, I am delighted to add my voice to the chorus of well-wishers celebrating you today. I look forward to the many ways that your leadership will serve Nyack College for years to come.