Liberty University cuts staff from divinity school as seminary enrollment drops

From Christian Post-

For example, Episcopal Divinity School of Cambridge, Massachusetts, announced in 2017 that they were merging with Union Theological Seminary after reporting a net loss of about $7.9 million in assets since 2015.

The Rev. Kelly Brown Douglas, the first dean of "EDS at Union," said in a statement released in May 2017 that she was "excited for the challenge" and that "this isn't the typical bad news of a small seminary closing."

"This is the news that this place believed enough in its mission that it went out and found a way to carry that mission forward in a viable fashion, and found a way for the mission to grow," Douglas said at the time.

"EDS is going to continue. The EDS community has found the platform to do that, and they have found a partner in Union that shares their mission. I feel privileged to be a part of this next chapter in EDS' life."

More here-

https://www.christianpost.com/news/liberty-university-cuts-staff-school-divinity-enrollment-drops.html

Boston University creates new denominational program for Episcopalians

From Episcopal Cafe-

Perhaps sensing a gap in the wake of Episcopal Divinity School’s departure for New York City to join with Union Theological Seminary, Boston University School of Theology (BUSTH) has announced the formation of a new Episcopal denominational learning community.

In collaboration with the Episcopal Dioceses of Massachusetts, the intent of the learning community is to form a community of students, faculty, and staff dedicated to nurturing and preparing Episcopal students for future leadership and service in and through the church. The Anglican Episcopal Community of Learning (AECL) is a specialized program that aims to provide the best possible education in an ecumenical community that values the unique gifts, histories, and ministerial legacies of the denominations represented.

More here-

https://www.episcopalcafe.com/boston-university-creates-new-denominational-program-for-episcopalians/

EDS sets the record straight

From Episcopal Cafe-

In an earlier post we reported that there was some confusion emanating from the Cambridge city council concerning the campus property being sold by Episcopal Divinity School.  Local media had reported that the sale had “hit a snag” because some of the campus is owned or co-owned by Lesley University.  EDS Board Chair Gary Hall has since offered a statement to clarify the situation for concerned Episcopalians and local residents.

Statement from Board Chair Gary Hall on EDS Property

 A pair of stories regarding the property that Episcopal Divinity School owns in Cambridge have caused some confusion, particularly a story on the Curbed Boston website suggesting that the sale of the property had hit a “serious snag.” That isn’t the case. Indeed, the brokers with whom EDS is working have not yet circulated any offering materials regarding the Cambridge property that EDS will be offering to sell. Here is how the confusion occurred:

More here-

https://www.episcopalcafe.com/eds-sets-the-record-straight/

Episcopal Seminary That Stopped Giving Degrees Amid $7.9M Asset Loss to Join Union Theological Seminary

From Christian Post-

Episcopal Divinity School of Cambridge, Massachusetts, a theologically liberal seminary founded in 1974, will move its personnel to Union's campus.

EDS spokesman Jim Naughton directed The Christian Post to a May 19 statement that noted the Rev. Kelly Brown Douglas will be the first dean of what is being called "EDS at Union."

In comments that were part of the statement, Douglas explained that she was "excited for the challenge" and that "this isn't the typical bad news of a small seminary closing."

"This is the news that this place believed enough in its mission that it went out and found a way to carry that mission forward in a viable fashion, and found a way for the mission to grow," stated Rev. Douglas.


Read more at

http://www.christianpost.com/news/episcopal-seminary-stopped-giving-degrees-amid-7-9-million-asset-loss-join-union-theological-seminary-184732/#zUQ800G1bt5Okpe1.99

Episcopal Divinity School, Union Theological Seminary agree on collaboration

From ENS-

Episcopal Divinity School (EDS) and Union Theological Seminary announced May 19 that they have signed an agreement that will allow EDS to continue as an Episcopal seminary through a collaboration with Union at its campus in New York City beginning in the fall of 2018.

“We had three goals when we began to plan this news phase in EDS’s life,” said the Rev.  Gary Hall, chair of the EDS board. “We wanted to continue providing Episcopal theological education within an accredited, degree-granting program, deepen our historic commitment to gospel-centered justice, and provide financial strength and stability for EDS’s future. Today, I am delighted to say that we have achieved all three.”

“This is an historic moment,” said the Rev. Serene Jones, president of the Union faculty and Johnston Family Professor for Religion and Democracy at Union. “We are honored that EDS has chosen to partner with us and are certain that the stewardship of our deepest commitments will be fulfilled in the years ahead.”

More here-

http://episcopaldigitalnetwork.com/ens/2017/05/19/episcopal-divinity-school-union-theological-seminary-agree-on-collaboration/

and here-

https://www.bostonglobe.com/metro/2017/05/19/episcopal-seminary-announces-new-affiliation/95lrbkxrOuPzwXbKf0dqGN/story.html

Episcopal Divinity School trustees vote to pursue affiliation with Union Theological Seminary in New York

From ENS-

The Board of Trustees of the Episcopal Divinity School Feb. 24 voted to pursue an affiliation with Union Theological Seminary that would create an EDS entity to provide Episcopal theological education and other programs at Union’s campus in New York.

The Board of Trustees of Union Theological Seminary has voted enthusiastically to support Union’s leadership in bringing negotiations with EDS to a successful conclusion.

“We are excited to begin negotiations toward an agreement that will allow EDS to achieve the three goals we set for ourselves when we began the process of assuring the seminary’s future,” said the Rev. Dr. Gary Hall, ’76, chair of the EDS board. “EDS will continue to provide theological education within an accredited and degree-granting program, we will carry out our historic mission to place gospel-centered justice at the center of that education, and we will provide financial strength and stability for EDS’s future.”

More here-

http://episcopaldigitalnetwork.com/ens/2017/02/24/episcopal-divinity-school-trustees-vote-to-pursue-affiliation-with-union-theological-seminary-in-new-york/

EDS Chairs on Transition

From The Living Church-

In a letter dated Sept. 13, the Rev. Gary Hall and Canon Bonnie Anderson write to community members of Episcopal Divinity School:

We’re writing today, as we did last month and as we’ll continue to do this academic year, to update you on our progress toward developing a sustainable plan to conserve the seminary’s resources for future mission.

First, we want to be sure that you saw the good news, released just before the Labor Day long weekend, that the Rev. Dr. William C. Nelsen has joined EDS as interim president. We hope you will be as pleased as we are that such an experienced leader and pastor has joined EDS at this pivotal time. As you may remember, former Interim President Francis Fornaro submitted his resignation at the board meeting in July and made it effective in mid-November, as per the terms of his contract. He asked us, however, to be relieved of his responsibilities as soon as possible, and in order to honor that request, we quickly began the search that brought Interim President Nelsen to us on September 2. We kept Interim President Fornaro apprised of the progress of our search process and notified him well in advance of Interim President Nelsen's start date. We are grateful to Interim President Fornaro for his seventeen months of service to EDS; he will, of course, be paid his full salary and benefits through his contractual resignation date of November 19, and will be teaching a course on campus this fall.

More here-

http://livingchurch.org/eds-chairs-transition

EDS Chairs Issue an Update

From The Living Church-

In late July, the EDS board of trustees voted to end degree programs in June 2017 in order to conserve the seminary’s resources for its future mission. We’re writing today, as we hope to write periodically in the coming months, to update you on our progress.

Since the meeting on July 21, we have formed two committees. One, the New Directions Committee, will spend the next year considering options for EDS’s future. We are delighted to announce that the Rev. Anne Sutherland Howard ’85 has agreed to chair this committee. Anne, the former executive director of the Beatitudes Society, has been a trustee of EDS since 2015. Anne brings great personal and professional skills to this work. She served as canon to the ordinary in Los Angeles for Bishop Fred Borsch, and continues as preacher-in-residence at Trinity Episcopal Church in Santa Barbara, California. She is adept at working with groups to bring both leadership and consensus to achieving a visionary goal.

More here-

http://www.livingchurch.org/eds-chairs-issue-update

EDS Graduates Protest

From The Living Church-

The 14 members of Episcopal Divinity School’s Alumni/ae Executive Committee are distressed about the school’s plans to stop granting degrees next year.

The letter is dated July 22, one day after EDS trustees voted to grant the school’s last degrees at the end of the 2016-17 academic year.

The group, ranging from the class of 1977 to the class of 2014, includes one bishop: the Rt. Rev. Carol Gallagher, Bishop for Native American Ministries and Assistant Bishop in the Diocese of Montana since 2014. The EDS Alumni/ae Association elected Bishop Gallagher as its representative on the board of trustees. Her term expires in 2019.

More here-

http://www.livingchurch.org/eds-graduates-protest

Controversial Episcopal seminary dean Katherine Hancock Ragsdale to step down

From Christian Century-

The dean of a flagship Episcopal seminary will step down after a stormy tenure, conflicts with faculty, and larger debates over the future of theological education.

Katherine Hancock Ragsdale announced her decision not to continue as dean and president of Episcopal Divinity School in Cambridge, Massachusetts, when her contract expires at the end of June. Ragsdale is the second-ever female chief and the first lesbian to become leader of an Episcopal seminary.

Ragsdale said she had asked EDS trustees “if possible, to expedite the process of naming a successor so that I may explore new opportunities. Of course I will do everything I can to ensure a smooth transition.”

Ragsdale entered as dean in 2009 after the institution sold off $33 million in property to resolve some of its financial challenges, including outstanding debt.

More here-

http://www.christiancentury.org/article/2015-01/controversial-episcopal-seminary-dean-katherine-hancock-ragsdale-step-down

Association of Theological Schools Announces Focused Visit to EDS

From EDS-

EDS President and Dean Katherine Hancock Ragsdale has received a letter from the Commission on Accrediting of the Association of Theological Schools (COAATS).

The COAATS stated that it had become aware of “several events reported to have occurred at Episcopal Divinity School this past academic year.”  As a result, the Board of Commissioners of the COAATS has decided to make a focused site visit to the School this fall.

The Board of Trustees and President welcome the outside perspective that the COAATS will bring.

http://eds.edu/news/association-theological-schools-announces-focused-visit-eds

Conflicts Halt EDS Review

From The Living Church-

Conflict at Episcopal Divinity School (EDS) has derailed a core piece of an incipient strategic review aimed at making the seminary sustainable for the long term.

A team of consultants canceled a governance assessment project in June in the wake of public protest from dissenting faculty, who said they were shut out of planning. The consultants’ decision to withdraw leaves EDS unable to launch the review, which was supposed to lead to a new business model at the Cambridge, Massachusetts, school.

Faculty are “trying to unravel the consultation and delay our going forward,” said the Very Rev. James Kowalski, chair of the EDS board of trustees and dean of the Cathedral of St. John the Divine in New York City. Consultants will not interview faculty and others this summer.

More here-

http://www.livingchurch.org/conflicts-halt-eds-review

EDS Bestows 22 Degrees and Three Honorary Doctorates at 2011 Commencement

From EDS-

On May 19, 2011, at the First Church in Cambridge, Congregational, Episcopal Divinity School conferred 22 degrees, including ten Masters of Divinity, three Masters of Arts in Theological Studies, two Doctors of Ministry, and seven Certificates of Theological Study.

Telling the graduates, “You are not in the religion ‘business’—you are in the transformation business,” Marie C. Wilson, founder and president emeritus of The White House Project, urged them to impart “passion, purpose and meaning” into their ministries in the church and in the world. “I am not here to speak to you. I am here to call you, because this is the ‘fullness of time.’ ”
Wilson was one of three on whom EDS conferred the doctor of divinity, honoris causa, for distinguished and faithful ministries in social justice. The other two were the Rt. Rev. Mary Glasspool, bishop suffragan of the Episcopal Diocese of Los Angeles, and lay Episcopalian Edward Cyril Chase of Cambridge, Massachusetts.

More here-

http://www.prweb.com/releases/2011/5/prweb8462041.htm

Episcopal Divinity School and Bloy House Announce New Partnership

Not sure where this is from but Bloy House is an Episcopal commuter seminary in Los Angeles-

On May 7 the faculty and Board of Trustees of Bloy House and the Episcopal Divinity School announced the finalization of an agreement for a joint Master’s of Divinity program that will allow Bloy House students to complete two-thirds of their education on the Bloy House/ETSC campus and the last third of their education through the distributive learning program of Episcopal Divinity School.

This will allow Bloy House Master’s of Divinity students who choose this academic option to receive their degrees from an accredited Episcopal seminary through online course work and summer and weekend intensives on the campus of EDS in Cambridge, Massachusetts, thereby making it easier for those continuing in employment to finish their degree program.

Strong ties between the two institutions helped facilitate the development of this new relationship. The Rev. Dr. Sheryl Kujawa-Holbrook served as academic dean at EDS before coming to Bloy House and Claremont School of Theology in 2009. The Rev. Dr. Harvey Guthrie is a member of the Bloy House Board of Trustees and a beloved former dean of EDS as well.

Read more:

http://www.digitaljournal.com/pr/311891#ixzz1MhWD0Xa4

Henry Luce Foundation Awards $350,000 Grant to Episcopal Divinity School

From New York/Mass.-

The Henry Luce Foundation of New York awarded the Episcopal Divinity School a grant of $350,000 over a four-year period to fund a dedicated program of interfaith studies.
The grant will be used to enlarge faculty training, expand curriculum, and develop online continuing education in other faith traditions.

The Very Reverend Katherine Hancock Ragsdale, President and Dean of Episcopal Divinity School, said, “We are extremely grateful to the Henry Luce Foundation for this generous grant. It is a major vote of confidence in our mission to produce graduates who are competent in diverse religious traditions and who will be capable of exercising their ministries in multifaith communities.”

“Our priorities for the first year,” said Dean Ragsdale, “are to hire a scholar to teach the history of Islam, and to design and coordinate a program for faculty that integrates field visits to the many interfaith resources in the Boston area. We are particularly interested in hiring a female Islamic scholar, because the public voices about Islam in the current media environment tend to be men.”

More here-

http://www.prweb.com/releases/episcopal-islam/anglican-interfaith/prweb8352106.htm

Episcopal Divinity School Sells Portions of Campus to Lesley University

From Boston-

The Episcopal Divinity School (EDS) has sold select portions of its campus in Cambridge, Mass. to Lesley University, thereby eliminating underused property, reducing operating costs and growing its endowment.

McCall & Almy, a Boston-based commercial real estate brokerage, represented EDS in the transactions.

When first consulted by EDS, McCall & Almy was presented with a 200,000 SF portfolio of residential, administrative and educational buildings on eight acres of land within a few blocks of Harvard Square. With an ongoing budget deficit that posed challenges to the institution's endowment, McCall & Almy presented the Board of EDS with several options for consolidating its assets and reducing its liabilities, with solutions ranging from relocation to identifying potential users for select campus buildings.

More here-

http://bostonrealestate.citybizlist.com/7/2011/4/24/Episcopal-Divinity-School-Sells-Portions-of-Campus-to-Lesley-University.aspx

Social Networking Transforming the Way Churches Interact with Parishioners

From Benzinga-

Churches have over the last two decades faced dramatically declining memberships, but that trend may be reversing with the increasing use of social media.

The Episcopal Divinity School in Cambridge, Massachusetts is a pioneer in social networking among churches. In 2002, it received the first of two grants from Lilly Endowment, Inc. for a Pastoral Excellence Project. The project sought innovative ways to support and develop pastoral leaders, lay and ordained, especially those in remote communities. EDS staff decided to think big: how could they reach across America?

They have developed web-conferencing and DVD's, to transmit important speeches, classes, and courses to those interested in a deeper understanding of theology across the United States. It has transformed the way some teach. Professor Fredrica Harris Thompsett, a globally recognized historian and theologian, says she loves using video as a teaching mechanism, “It's a whole new way of engaging with students.”

Read more:

http://www.benzinga.com/press-releases/11/02/p843287/social-networking-transforming-the-way-churches-interact-with-parishion#ixzz1DStimLnf