Date: January 22, 2025
Yesterday I was delighted to represent VTS and GTS in the installation of the new Dean and President of the Seminary of the Southwest.
Seminary of the Southwest based in Austin, Texas, is an important, strong, and vibrant seminary. Under the leadership of the Rev. Dr. Cynthia Kittredge, the Seminary flourished. And now Dr. Bader-Saye, the academic dean at SSW since 2013, steps into the leadership role.
There has been considerable change among the Episcopal Seminaries since I became Dean 17 years ago. Then EDS was still in Boston; Bexley and Seabury were two separate seminaries, and Seabury still had a campus. CDSP had a strong presence in San Francisco. Trinity School of Ministry was counted among the Episcopal seminaries. GTS was not in an affiliation with VTS. Seminaries tend to anticipate wider trends in a denomination and much of this change comes out of weakness.
The interest of VTS is to support the wider ecology of seminary education in the Episcopal Church. This was the reason why the Board supported the affiliation with GTS thereby ensuring a continuing presence in New York and the continuing vitality of that witness. Today, I will pray for Scott; we want SSW to thrive because we want our tradition in the United States to survive.
The Very Rev. Ian S. Markham, Ph.D.
Dean and President of Virginia Theological Seminary and the President of The General Theological Seminary