As promised, I am continuing to receive ‘shout outs’ from any employee. It is lovely when a staff member wants to recognize others for their hard work. So, today, we are hearing from David Buresh, our cataloger and rare book curator. He says this: “I’d like to do a staff Shout Out! to Jim Fitch, […]
Very many congratulation to the Rev. Dr. Altagracia Pérez-Bullard, whose book Equipping the Saints to Serve the City: Multicultural Education for Lay Leaders’ Inclusive Ministry (Claremont Press 2025) is now available; you can buy it here. It is an important, powerful, and intensely practical book. The focus is urban ministry (inevitably diverse) and the need to […]
We settled into Chapel to listen to a fine sermon from Jackson Davey yesterday morning. The fourth quarter had started. Slowly we ease into the journey to the end of the academic year. The Spring Break pause is good and important because the last semester is often very full and complicated. It is full because, […]
The headline might give some people in the VTS community some concern. But just to reassure you, I am not referring to a visit to VTS. Our work in this respect is over. Instead, I am heading out for four days to be the chair of an ATS visit at another Seminary. Accreditation is important. […]
There is something a little odd about having a portrait unveiled three years away from retirement. I confess I was very ambivalent. There are enough white, elderly men adorning the walls of this Seminary. But when I was asked by donors whether I would like one done, I heard myself saying “yes please, I would […]
Spring Break is a good moment to make a fundraising trip. The result is that Institutional Advancement is organizing a Roundtable in Houston, Texas. Tonight we will be at Trinity Episcopal Church. Friend making is key to the future of the Seminary. As major universities are learning, income streams are vulnerable. An endowment is in […]
Student Government is an act of service to the community. We are grateful to all those who add this responsibility to their lives. I am looking forward to working with the new elected leaders to ensure that the Seminary continues to be a place of formation for the Gospel. Student Body Government Karen Klein -President […]
This week is spring break. It is that pause in the semester that enables faculty and students to refresh. For many students, this is when they travel home or go and see friends. I learned at lunch yesterday that some are planning a trip to New York to see a show. While most of the […]
This has been the season of budget meetings. The parameters of the Budget are set by the Board of Trustees. This sets the draw rate from the endowment, any adjustments to fees, and the hoped for COLA. Then the administration gets to work. Typically, each department head meets with Senior Vice President Ballou and me. […]
As you can imagine, our alumni have a wide range of accomplishments in ministry, research, and pedagogy around the country and the globe. Outside of this range of work, alums are creative in how they express and share their faith with the broader community. Rev. Jennifer Andrews-Weckerly (VTS, 2009) is the winner of a recent […]