Thursday, April 1, 2010

General Theological Seminary suspends dean search, faces financial crunch


From Episcopal Life Online-

Facing what some have termed a financial crisis, the board of trustees of the General Theological Seminary has suspended its search for a new dean and president and is looking for ways to cover the expense of the 2010-2011 school year.

Meanwhile, at the request of the trustees, Presiding Bishop Katharine Jefferts Schori will convene a small group of advisors outside of General to address the seminary's financial concerns. The group is meant to provide "fresh eyes and will serve in an advisory capacity," according to the Rev. Dr. Charles Robertson, canon to the presiding bishop.

A roundtable discussion will take place this spring in an effort to "offer additional possibilities for General's board of trustees to consider," Robertson said in a news release due to be posted here.

The members of the group have not yet been chosen and their names will not be released prior to the meeting, he said.

Dean and President Ward Ewing announced in December that he would retire when his successor was hired. The trustees decided March 29 to hire an interim executive director, according to seminary spokesman Bruce Parker. The duties of that position and how it might affect Ewing's plans to retire have not yet been determined, Parker and Ewing said.

The decisions came during a special meeting of the Manhattan-based seminary's board of trustees, six of whom are elected by the Episcopal Church's General Convention.

Earlier in March a consultant for the search process told the trustees' executive committee that the seminary faced a projected shortfall in operating funds, a news release from the seminary said.

More here-

http://www.episcopalchurch.org/79901_121229_ENG_HTM.htm

No comments: