Date: February 14, 2025
Happy Valentine’s Day to you all. I hope you remembered those you love and that you discovered today that you were loved.
We had one more shout out from Kurt Ellison, who said this: “I will shout out to John Knight, Rachelle Sam, Caryn Cabaniss, Victoria Elie, and Dan Coleman for their welcome and friendly support as I get accustomed to the ways of VTS, their support has been amazing.” Thank you Kurt. And if there are others who want to give a shout out to a colleague or department in the future, then do send them to me. I will collect them up and do an occasional commentary from time to time incorporating all the ‘shout outs’.
For many of the staff, this is the start of a three day weekend. However, for the rest of us, to navigate the complexity of the calendar and ensure that we can observe parts of Holy Week and Easter, we are required to have classes. The academic calendar is a time consuming piece of intricate management. There is of course that basic obligation to get sufficient classes in to cover a particular class, but then, on top, there are Quiet Days, liturgical events, convocation, the commemoration of the Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King Jr., examination days, and so the list goes on.
The academic calendar goes through a complex process of drafting and approval. The heart of the work is in AASL (Academic Administration and Student Life). Then it goes before PAM (Policy Administrative Meeting – the administrative faculty) and then to the full Faculty. We do all this because it is important to get it right.
I am grateful to the Rev. Dr. Ross Kane and his team who lead the process. Thank you. As we mark this weekend, we remind ourselves afresh how much is involved to enable the operation of the Seminary to continue.
The Very Rev. Ian S. Markham, Ph.D.
Dean and President of Virginia Theological Seminary and the President of The General Theological Seminary