Date: August 24, 2026
Today, Senior Vice President Nicky Burridge, Chief of Staff Taryn Habberley, and I will make the journey to New York. This is the day when Vanderbilt University formally opens the Close with a view to welcoming a hundred-plus undergraduates to New York next week. Technically, Vanderbilt University is the tenant, and The General Theological Seminary is the landlord. They are tenants that we warmly welcome. One of their responsibilities has been to create a stunning campus by literally putting millions of dollars to renovate this extraordinary historic Oxford College that was built in the middle of New York in the 19th century. We are grateful that they’ve done this work well.
I’m grateful to Senior Vice President Michael DeLashmutt for his monitoring and involvement in the renovation of the Close. There’s been a lot of work for him to do. He has had to navigate the construction around the residential weeks as part of the hybrid at General. He has done this work well.
It was always impossible, even with the resources of Virginia and General combined, for us to renovate a campus that needed so much work, from stormwater management to accessibility. This was simply beyond the scope of any seminary. Vanderbilt University has done this work well, and tonight we will celebrate with Vanderbilt its opening of the new campus. The joy of all this is that General will have this campus as well. We continue to have year-round offices, apartments, and all our needs met for our residential weeks. For all this and more, we’re grateful for this moment.
The Very Reverend Ian S. Markham, PhD
Dean and President of Virginia Theological Seminary and the President of The General Theological Seminary