Church Divinity School of the Pacific (CDSP) has announced that five full-time staff positions would be eliminated as part of “a response to mounting financial pressures and changes in the educational needs of The Episcopal Church.” The restructuring does not affect the number of faculty positions at the Berkeley, Calif., seminary.
“In the past two days CDSP has said goodbye to five good and faithful staff members,” said Donn Morgan, president and dean, on May 29. “They are leaving not of their own volition, nor because of performance issues, but because of our school’s need to bring its budget into a more realistic place, to try to get closer to matching revenues with expenses.”
[blockquote] Ms. Drescher said that an adapted version of the Lutheran seminary program will offer both “consistency of training and responsiveness to the local context†as an increasing number of Episcopal dioceses explore the ministry of all the baptized.[/blockquote]
Translation: We won’t veer from the toxic liberal course that got us here.
Hopefully, one of the staff cut is the hermeneutics prof that is responsible for Katherine Jefferts Schori (if he or she is still around).
They must be following the Seabury “Paschal Mystery” model of “We’re not really closing, despite the fact we’re closing” model of higher education.
“The Rev. Ruth Meyers will replace the Rev. Louis Weil as professor of liturgics for the fall 2009 term”
So wait… Ruth Meyers from dead Seabury is going to dying CDSP? Nice…. I wandered around Seabury just recently as I was in the area. In the chapel I noted that they’re putting in a huge new stained glass window and that Ruth Meyers is the contact person. If that project is still going forward while the seminary lies moribund, then I’m speechless. Why not be a witness to Christ’s radical, transforming, searing, and indeed world-confusing love in Evanston/Northwestern University and the midwest in general? It is staggering the possibilities for that place. But alas. Nope… too busy “empowering” folks to talk about such things; too busy worrying about “the ministry of all the baptized” or the “baptismal covenant” for the trifling and outmoded work of evangelism.
A note to CDSP: check out Seabury sometime and see your bright future….
No. 3,
Well, as a fairly recent Seabury grad, I can say they had been planning that stained glass window for 10 years+. In fact, probably 15 years now, as it was dreamed up in the mid-90’s as I understand it.
I doubt it will ever happen. It was of dubious fruition when I was there 3 years ago; I doubt its ever going to happen now.
In fact, now that you mention it, I wonder where the money raised for that window is or has gone. I know at least one graduating class while I was there that gave their senior gift to that project.