Date: December 11, 2025
For the next two months, the Dean’s Commentary will feature text by VTS & GTS faculty members writing about what they are currently teaching, reading, or writing about.
In addition to the daily rhythm of “class, chapel, lunch,” faculty at VTS regularly include faculty meetings into their schedule. At the beginning and the end of each semester these meetings are all-day long and provide opportunity for leisurely discussion and planning, and taking time to reflect and pray together.
Yesterday the VTS faculty met as usual and much of the conversation was devoted to future planning. Thinking ahead about future faculty hires, we continued to consider possibilities for progressing faculty searches next year in order to ensure that learning and teaching at VTS is robustly supported. Thinking about next year’s academic programming, we edited lists of courses and heard an excellent presentation on a student information system that we will fully implement next fall. We also had an helpful review of the programs running out of Lifelong Learning.
At the end of the day, we paused for some reflection and celebration of past accomplishments. John Knight hosted a reception highlighting faculty books published in 2025 and then we joined for a festive dinner in the Welcome Center.
As usual at the end of such days, I was deeply moved by the wisdom (and humor!) of the VTS faculty and their faithful and dedicated expression of their vocation.
Melody D. Knowles, Ph.D.
Senior Vice President for Academic Affairs and Chief Academic Officer
Associate Professor of Old Testament
Virginia Theological Seminary and The General Theological Seminary