Bethany Theological Seminary Board of Trustees Meeting Report

The Bethany Theological Seminary Board of Trustees gathered at the Richmond, Indiana campus for their semi-annual meeting March 28-30, 2008. The Board retained its current officers for 2008-2009: Ted Flory, Bridgewater, Vir., chair; Ray Donadio, Greenville, Ohio, vice chair; Frances Beam, Concord, N.C., secretary; Carol Scheppard, Mount Crawford, Vir., chair of the Academic Affairs committee; Elaine Gibbel, Lititz, Pa., chair of the Institutional Advancement Committee; and Jim Dodson, Lexington, Ky., chair of the Student and Business Affairs committee.

The two-plus days of meetings included spirited discussion and deliberation about many significant items related to the Seminary’s mission and program. Faculty and administration joined the Board for an evening meal followed by a time of creative visioning about the Seminary’s mission. Board chair Ted Flory described the conversation as a discussion about “how we might refocus that mission around Church of the Brethren core testimonies in order to meet the needs of the denomination and wider church, and the world, for the 21st century.” President Ruthann Johansen added, “What the Church of the Brethren core testimonies have to offer to the world as well as to the church in this time is an important element of our discernment.” No decisions were made other than a consensus to continue the conversations and build on the creative energies that were ignited during the meeting.

The Board approved the promotion of Daniel W. Ulrich to Professor of New Testament Studies at Bethany Theological Seminary. Dr. Ulrich is an ordained minister in the Church of the Brethren, and a graduate of Bridgewater College and Bethany Theological Seminary. He earned his Ph.D. in Biblical Studies from Union Theological Seminary in Virginia. He began teaching at Bethany in 1994 as an adjunct instructor and joined the faculty in 1996 as Assistant Professor of New Testament Studies. In addition to his work in teaching, he served as Associate Dean and Director of Distributed Education from 2002-2006.

Ulrich holds a professional development certificate in Distance Education from the University of Wisconsin-Madison. He is the author of several articles and publications, including Two or Three with Jesus: Stories of Discipleship according to Matthew 18, co-authored with Janice Fairchild and published by Brethren Press. Carol Scheppard, chair of the Bethany Board’s Academic Affairs committee, noted that Ulrich is deserving of the promotion. “Dan is a solid, even leader,” she said. “The review committee contacted friends, students, alumni/ae, denominational leaders and New Testament scholars, and received very thoughtful and positive responses. We know well what he has done over the years in the teaching and administrative responsibilities he has carried for the Seminary.”

The Board heard a progress report on the preservation of three special book collections owned by the Seminary: the Abraham Cassel Collection, the Huston Bible Collection, and the John Eberly Hymnal Collection. The preservation project is funded by a grant from the Arthur Vining Davis Foundation. The collections include the theological library of 19th century Brethren Abraham Cassel, as well as many rare volumes on radical pietism and early sectarian works. Custom-made protective covers are being created for each book, and the collections are stored in the climate-controlled archival section of the Earlham College Lilly Library. Titles will be included in the search engine WorldCat on the worldwide web, as well as on a web page maintained by the Brethren Journal Association.

The Board approved 16 candidates for graduation on May 3, 2008, pending successful completion of their studies.

The Academic Affairs committee reported that several documents are in progress to address the recommendations of the Association of Theological Schools (ATS) and the Higher Learning Commission of the North Central Association of Colleges and Secondary Schools (HLC), related to Bethany’s 2006 re-accreditation. An initial assessment plan will be submitted to ATS in April 2008, a recruitment plan to the HLC by October 1, 2008, and a comprehensive assessment plan for review by the HLC by 2010-2011.

The Board heard from Academic Dean Stephen Breck Reid that 51% of seminary students in the U.S. are women, and during the 2007/2008 academic year, 57% of Bethany students are women. A new course titled Women in Ministry will added to the curriculum in the 2008/2009 academic year, taught by Tara Hornbacker, associate professor of Ministry Formation.

The Board learned that Connections, the Seminary’s distributed education track for the Master of Divinity degree, will have a new orientation structure beginning with the 2008/2009 academic year. An intensive weekend retreat, followed by Bethany’s two-day orientation, will replace the two-week August class that previously served as entry into the program. The new weekend retreat will serve as the first class session of the hybrid weekend intensive Exegeting the Call and Culture of Ministry. The retreat will take place Friday through Sunday, August 22-24, 2008, followed by new student orientation on August 25-26. An additional advantage of this change is that eliminating the previously required two-week August intensive opens up an additional elective class option in the academic programs of Connections students.

Jonathan Shively, director of the Brethren Academy for Ministerial Leadership, shared an update on the Sustaining Pastoral Excellence programs funded by Lilly Endowment, Inc.: Advanced Foundations for Church Leadership and the Vital Pastor program. Financial support from Lilly Endowment, Inc. will end in 2009. Plans are currently being developed to obtain continuing funds. Steve Clapp of Christian Community is working with the Academy to survey Church of the Brethren pastors about the impact of the Sustaining Pastoral Excellence programs. Their responses will inform the shape and direction of future continuing education initiatives.

The Board learned of three teaching and administrative appointments for the 2008/2009 academic year. Joshua Brockway has been named to a one-year half-time position in Brethren Studies. Brockway is a 2001 graduate of Manchester College, a 2004 graduate of Bethany, and currently a Ph.D. student at Catholic University of America. Thomas N. Finger has been called as Scholar-in-Residence. He has taught at Eastern Mennonite University and Seminary, Associated Mennonite Biblical Seminary, Northern Baptist Theological Seminary, and Garrett-Evangelical Seminary. Scott Holland, associate professor of Theology and Culture and director of Peace Studies and Cross-Cultural Studies, has been named acting director of the M.A. program.

The Institutional Advancement committee reported on the Bethany Ambassador program. To date, 100 persons have agreed to serve as Bethany Ambassadors in their congregations. The first communication in the form of an electronic newsletter was sent to Bethany Ambassadors during the last week of March.

The Board approved 2008/2009 academic year budgets for Bethany operations, the Brethren Academy for Ministerial Leadership, and Brethren Journal Association. The Bethany operations budget is $2,406,280, an approximate $186,500 increase.

The Board gave significant time to a discussion regarding the partnership between the Susquehanna Valley Ministry Center (SVMC) and the Seminary. Donna Rhodes, executive director of SVMC, shared a history of SVMC. The discussion focused on procedural and programmatic issues and explored ways to clarify and strengthen the partnership.

The Board recognized with appreciation the service of Christine Larson, Delora Roop and Jonathan Shively during a dinner meeting. Christine Larson, reference librarian for Earlham College, Earlham School of Religion and Bethany, will leave her position at the end of this academic year to pursue graduate studies at St. Mary’s University of Minnesota. Delora Roop, coordinator of the Office of Institutional Advancement and receptionist, will retire this summer after 25 years of service to the Seminary. Jonathan Shively has accepted a position with the Church of the Brethren General Board as executive director of Congregational Life Ministries, effective July 1, 2008.

Many of the Board members participated in the Inaugural Forum that immediately followed the meeting. The Forum, titled Hearing Scriptures of Peace, celebrated the recent call of Dr. Ruthann Knechel Johansen as president and the role of the Seminary as a resource for the church and the world. The Forum featured plenary sessions by Dr. Scott Appleby, a historian of religion from the University of Notre Dame who has lectured widely on religions and peacemaking; Rabbi Rachel Gartner, campus minister at Earlham College; and Dr. Rashied Omar, scholar of religions and Muslim imam from South Africa. The Forum also included worship services, small group sessions, and paper presentations by three Bethany students. Webcasts of the plenary sessions, paper presentations, and some worship services are available for view and/or download on the Bethany website, http://cobwebcast.bethanyseminary.edu.

(Posted 4.8.08)