Westside Story Newspaper – Online The News of The Empire – Sharing the Quest for Excellence
By Alyssa Hall
When he was younger, Grenada native, Christon Arthur remembers his mother telling stories about her childhood and how she was kicked out of school in third grade. Not because she was a bad child or not intelligent, but because she was a girl and her school thought she should be at home and domesticated.
Arthur was very close to his late mother, whom he called his inspiration for pursuing the field of education. From a young age Arthur was determined to become a teacher so that what happened to his mother would never happen to anyone again.
Since July 1, 2024, Arthur has served as La Sierra University’s sixth president. He is the university’s first Black president since the school was founded in 1922. La Sierra University is a private, Seventh-day Adventist university. Prior to his appointment at La Sierra, Arthur was the provost of Andrews University in Michigan.
“Being the first anything could be daunting, could be challenging, but at the same time, it’s an opportunity,” Arthur said.
“This is Southern California. One of the more progressive parts of the country. La Sierra, is one of the more progressive universities within the private sector, and then it took us 103 years? You see it as an opportunity to be able to do good work, and to say, you give us the chance, and we will surpass your expectations,” Arthur continued.
Arthur’s journey to success wasn’t without trials, but as he looks back, he’s happy they occurred. When Arthur was a high school teacher in Grenada, there was a position open for principal that he and his colleagues were certain he was going to receive. However, it went to another individual and Arthur was devastated.
“I was sure I was going to get it. Before the end of the year, I got a call from this person saying, ‘we see your work. We see you. We know what you do. We want to provide you a scholarship to go to graduate school,” Arthur recalled.
But, if Arthur had received that job, he would have never attended graduate school and gone on to complete his doctorate, and then become a faculty member at Tennessee State.
“Not getting that job was the biggest blessing [that] ever happened to me. ” Arthur said.
As the Trump administration dismantles programs that promote diversity, equity and inclusion, and others that threaten the identities of marginalized communities, Arthur wants to assure staff and students that La Sierra University is a welcoming place to all, “There’s a place for you,” he said.
“I want that to sort of be, not simply a tagline, not a narrative. I want it to become part of our core. You’re welcome here…we have this grand table, and there’s a place for you at the table.” Arthur explained.
In the last seven months as president, Arthur has been laying the foundation, building relationships and having meaningful and impactful conversations with the community including the Riverside County Office of Education and The 100 Black Men of Inland Empire, Inc.
Arthur shared that he has been in conversation with the 100 Black Men because the group stands for Black excellence and he wants to be a part of combating the negative and stereotypical image that society sometimes has of Black people.
“I want La Sierra to be part of that story, so that our young people can know there’s a place for you at La Sierra University. There’s a place for you to come and to thrive,” Arthur said. “So, we [are] creating those relationships, creating those pathways to say to young people, ‘there is an alternative path, and we’ll help you find it and help you thrive.’”
When it comes to the future, La Sierra University is working on their strategic plan for the next three years. According to Arthur, articulating the university’s core purpose, values, and what makes them unique and distinct is important. Part of their strategic thinking is to increase their student population to 5,000 students in 10 years. The university’s fall 2023 enrollment numbers were 1,614.
“For fall 2025, we have this slogan, this tagline, this goal, fall 2025 and all 500 new freshmen. It will be the largest freshman class in 14 years,” Arthur said.
“We’re going to stretch ourselves. And sure, they’re ambitious [goals], but they’re attainable. If you can reach your goal without stretching, it’s probably not a lofty enough goal. Your goal should keep you up at night,” Arthur continued.
