Date: November 13, 2023
Last week the Board of Virginia Theological Seminary gathered in New York. Along with some routine Board decisions (receiving the clean Audit Report – congratulations Finance, approving Honorary Degrees, endorsing the ATS Self Study), there were some very significant decisions, of which perhaps the most significant is the new signage.
You might have noticed that existing building signage is being removed and that new signs are coming. This is not simply a style change, but it is also a desire to rename the buildings. The new signs will have new names. Meade Hall becomes Descendants Hall; Sparrow Hall becomes Alumni Hall; Johns Hall becomes Communion Hall; Madison Hall becomes Canterbury Hall; Moore Hall becomes Mission Hall; and Wilmer Hall becomes Potomac Hall. The rationale is that we focus less on honoring people and instead on honoring certain themes and recognizing our link with Canterbury and our location near the Potomac.
It will take some time for us to all become accustomed to these new names. But in the long run, we are continuing to make sure that the campus welcomes all as a place of learning and formation.
The Very Rev. Ian S. Markham, Ph.D.
Dean and President of Virginia Theological Seminary and the President of The General Theological Seminary