In Focus

by Janna Perrien '01

As the chapel worship band exits, the stage lights dim. A screen eases down from the ceiling and students begin to clap, laugh, and whistle as scenes from a recent box office hit play. Jon Wallace has made his movie clip mark on APU chapels. His mix of major motion pictures and Bible-based principles leave students cheering every time they see the lights go down. But it is more than his visual aids that make the APU community eager to hear more; it is his love and understanding of students.

On April 4, there were no video clips playing, but students cheered nonetheless for Jon Wallace as he stood in the Felix Event Center and officially accepted his new position as the 16th president of Azusa Pacific University.

President. The word denotes a sense of superiority and supremacy. But the Wallace we know as students is neither. His leadership has not been based on executive endeavors to climb the ladder, but rather on wholehearted service and care for students. Despite the presidential appointments and paperwork, will he still remain connected with students?

Brent Gudgel '02 and Tim Johnson '03 witnessed first-hand how the new presidency would affect Wallace's outlook on students. Working on a video for the inaugural road tour, they shadowed Wallace throughout the day's events, beginning at 7 a.m. and ending at 10 p.m.

"I'd never met President Wallace before that morning, so my first impression of him was when he was driving us over to West Campus, long before the ceremony," Johnson said. "He stopped the car and pulled over to the sidewalk to ask a girl who was walking if she needed a ride to class. Even though he was about to be inaugurated as our next president, he was still thinking about students."

Gudgel believes he saw that same genuine care shown to hundreds of other attendees who came in contact with Wallace throughout the day. "I saw him give about 400 hugs that day, and believe me, they were all sincere," he explained. "He made every person feel like they were really important."

With testimony like this, it seems Wallace's concern for students is as evident as ever. Eager to find out for myself, I scheduled an appointment to talk with him about his presidential perspective on students. Sipping iced tea in his office, I learned of his passion to empower and support students. It began in 1978 when Tim Purga, then dean of students and current board member, challenged Wallace (then the assistant dean of students) with this: "If you can't get up every morning loving students, you can't work here."