After 26 years of faithful service, Rev. Dr. Riley Coulter is retiring from his role as Chancellor of Ambrose University.
Dr. Coulter has been instrumental in shaping the institution that Ambrose has become, and the students, staff, and faculty of Ambrose are deeply grateful for his immense contribution to our community.
President Gordon T. Smith underscores the significance of Dr. Coulter's role when he states that "if it weren't for Riley's superb and skillful leadership there would be no Ambrose University today."
A history of service
Dr. Coulter's connection with Ambrose goes back to the years before the university was established. He began his career as a pastor in the Church of the Nazarene one of Ambrose's founding denominations serving congregations in Chilliwack, BC; Regina, SK; and Victoria, BC.
Then, in 1990, he became President of Canadian Nazarene College (CNC), a tenure that continued for 18 years, during which the institution changed its name to Nazarene University College (NUC).
While he was president of CNC/NUC, Dr. Coulter led the institution through a series of critical decisions that helped it to thrive and adapt: he supervised the sale of the CNC college campus in Winnipeg; the moving of faculty, staff and students to Calgary; the developing of Liberal Arts degree programs accredited by the province of Alberta (which was a first in the history of CNC); the securing of provincial funding for these programs; and the partnering and merging of Nazarene University College with Alliance University College (AUC) to create Ambrose University College - now Ambrose University.
Since 2008, when our new campus was established, Dr. Coulter has served as the Chancellor of Ambrose.
A commitment to partnership
The early years of cooperation between The Church of the Nazarene and The Christian and Missionary Alliance (CMA) were critical ones for Ambrose. Previously independent faculties and leaders were learning to work together for the benefit of both denominations, and during this time Dr. Coulter's steady leadership and his skills in looking to the future and building consensus were invaluable.
When the Ambrose University Board of Governors hosted a luncheon in Dr. Coulter's honour this past April, one of the most influential lay leaders in the CMA and former Chair of the Board of Governors, Alex Baum, offered a tribute highlighting Dr. Coulter's commitment to partnership, reading from Matthew 5:9 in The Message:
"You're blessed when you can show people how to cooperate instead of compete or fight. That's when you discover who you really are, and your place in God's family."
"Riley, you are a peacemaker and you are blessed."
Leading with grace, wisdom, and courage
Campus Chaplain Terry Fach, who has served on faculty with Dr. Coulter since the CNC days, offered this tribute:
"Riley, thank you for leading us with grace and wisdom and courage. Thank you for loving and caring about Nazarene churches and pastors and congregations and doing whatever you could do to see them flourish. Thank you for serving the cause of Nazarene higher education in Canada. And thank you for your legacy and example of servant leadership for the sake of Christ and the Kingdom."
While Dr. Coulter is retiring as Chancellor of Ambrose, his legacy will continue in the lives of the faculty, staff, and students whom he has inspired and shaped.
"We are so grateful for the leadership that Dr. Coulter gave that led to the formation of Ambrose University," says President Smith, "and we wish him well in his future endeavours."
