Date: September 8, 2026
It is a joy to welcome everyone to the beginning of a new academic year. Yesterday’s Labor Day picnic was, as always, a delightful occasion – a chance to gather, renew friendships, and enjoy the spirit of community that makes VTS such a distinctive place. It provides a fitting transition into the semester ahead. The beginning of the academic year once felt like a return after a long summer pause. Increasingly, however, that is not quite our reality. The Seminary remains active throughout the summer, and important work continues even when the regular academic calendar is quieter.
This summer included doctoral-program activity on campus, grant-related programming, and the August term. For several departments, summer is among the busiest periods of the year. Facilities makes invaluable use of the relative quiet to maintain and improve the buildings and grounds on which our common life depends. Finance enters the demanding season of the audit, carrying out work essential to responsible stewardship. Many colleagues continue planning, teaching, writing, hosting, and preparing for the year ahead. We are grateful for all that has sustained VTS over the summer.
The return of the Middlers and Seniors also changes campus life. Juniors have enjoyed a quieter campus; now classrooms, meals, worship, and community life take on a fuller rhythm. Learning to live faithfully amid change is an important part of formation at VTS. May God bless us all this semester and throughout the new academic year.
The Very Rev. Ian S. Markham, Ph.D.
Dean and President of Virginia Theological Seminary and the President of The General Theological Seminary.