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Pacific searching for new university chaplain |
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By: Andrew Mitchell - News Editor
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Thursday, February 08, 2007 |
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 In the day-to-day work at Pacific, an integral member of the student life staff will be noticeably absent. A mainstay at Pacific for seven years, Chaplain Joy Preisser retired from Pacific in January, leaving one of her co-workers, Peggy Rosson, to head the search committee to replace the commiserative chaplain. Though plenty of notice was given, it still presented a challenge.
“We’ll never find anyone like her,” Rosson said candidly. Rosson, the Assistant Dean of Students and member of the Academic and Outreach Support Services, has a delicate and contemplative task before her.
As the Dean of Students, Joanna Royce-Davis, put it, Pacific’s ideal candidate would share the same basic beliefs as those of Chaplain Preisser, but who would also build on what was started, taking the position to the next place.
Royce-Davis does not simply wish to find an “exact clone” of Chaplain Preisser. She would warm up to someone who has the same appreciation for diversity and multi-faith programs.
It is clear that Chaplain Preisser will be missed all around campus.
“When she was working with a student or a group of students, they were the only things that mattered at that moment,” Rosson said. “She was very respectful. You felt cared for when you were with her.”
 Royce-Davis seconds those sentiments.
“How many hours do you have?” she joked during an interview before listing things she will miss about Chaplain Preisser.
“I think what I’ll miss most is her generous care for the campus community,” Royce-Davis said. “She continually took the stance of a learner.”
Chaplain Preisser helped cultivate connections between students, faculty, and the administration.
“No one else is going to have the combination of talents that she had,” said Rosson.
The job of Chaplain on campus is multi-faceted. On the one hand, the chaplain oversees the business of the chapel including events like weddings. Managerial duties go hand-in-hand with other services, like crisis counseling and social justice. The chaplain advises the social justice community and Interfaith Council, while acting as Pacific’s liaison to local and regional interfaith communities.
“You also need to be comforting to people who are questioning their faith,” Rosson said. This is an extremely fragile time in a person’s life, Rosson added. The chaplain provides a safe place for those individuals.
“It’s a very emotionally draining kind of work she does,” Rosson explained.
Royce-Davis reflected on how often Preisser was involved in school tragedies over the years.
“The amount of crisis the individual is present for and responds to” is part of what makes the job one of complete dedication and compassion, according to Royce-Davis.
Using past experiences and the direction Pacific wants to chart in the future, the search committee will locate a suitable candidate for the position.
“We’ve been looking for someone who wants to work with people of other faith traditions but who has a strong faith tradition of her own,” Rosson said. “It is hard to find that.”
Three finalists have been chosen to come to campus for open forum interviews. Royce-Davis and Rosson encourage students to attend and get to know the potential chaplains.
“The three candidates share some similar things but are also quite different,” said Royce-Davis. All have had past experience with college students and young adults, but each has a distinct style.
One candidate is currently an assistant chaplain at Yale University. Another is a campus minister. The third is on the district staff for the United Methodist Church.
The candidates were told to write a response on what they thought of interfaith diversity. The responses they give will be closely scrutinized and will weigh heavily in the final decision.
“I’m really interested in the responses we’ll get,” Royce-Davis said.
The void that Chaplain Preisser leaves at Pacific will be difficult to fill.
“For Joy, she was a wonderful colleague,” Rosson said, her eyes beginning to water. “She had incredible empathy with people and a wonderful sense of humor.”
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