Basically, I have been in bed, sick with the flu for the past couple of days. I have had a fever for about 48 hours now. I expect it should break soon, if this sickness follows the pattern of our youngest son, who who had it a couple of weeks ago.
I have thought about crafting some responses, and creating some dialogue about what is going on at Seabury. I am also aware, however, that right now, every response that I make will likely create more questions. I suppose there is some wisdom in only communicating what we know, rather than what may be. Moreover, most of my time and energy right now is directed toward the school where it should be.
As some of you may know, I have been appointed as a member of the Planning Committee. In this role, I have been asked to keep the committee's work confidential. Gary and his staff will communicate major recommendations and decisions as they become available.
Something has emerged out of some of my conversations with students. The students seem very interested in being proactive in this situation. My plan, before I took sick, was to meet with leaders among the students and work out what can be done. Hopefully, I we can get some meetings on the table soon.
OK, I'm loosing energy now. This is the first time I have been upright for a while. More later...
Below is a memo from Gary Hall, the Dean and President at Seabury. This is a public document that has been distributed to the faculty, staff, and students of the seminary. Seabury is not closing, but this is a big, big development in our life together.
February 20, 2008
To: Students, Faculty, and Staff of Seabury
The Board of Trustees of Seabury-Western Theological Seminary spent two days at its regular February meeting in discussion of the immediate opportunities and challenges before the seminary. There are, first, enormously creative opportunities facing seminaries today. Many areas of the church are developing new ways both of doing and preparing for ministry. And multiple church groups continue to call for a new range of educational services from our institutions of theological education: continuing education for clergy, lay education, distance learning, and consulting services for congregations and dioceses.
At the same time, all the seminaries of the Episcopal Church face real economic and missional challenges. The stand-alone residential model developed in the nineteenth century is becoming unsustainable for most of our institutions. Bishops, congregations, and seminarians have fewer resources to allot to the education of seminarians. And the cost of theological education has resulted in an unprecedented level of student debt.
Like many other Episcopal Church institutions, over the past two decades Seabury has both confronted and thought hard about how it can adapt to the challenges and opportunities of the present moment. We have come to the realization that we cannot continue to operate as we have in the past and that there is both loss and good news in that. We believe that the church does not need Seabury in its present form; there are a number of other schools who do what we have traditionally done as well as we do. But we also believe that the church very much needs a seminary animated by and organized around a new vision of theological education—one that is centered in a vision of Baptism and its implications for the whole church, one which is flexible and adaptive and collaborative in nature. We are committed to Seabury’s historic and ongoing ministry as a vital center of theological education, reflection, and congregational study. We are enthusiastic about the prospect of doing this in a new and, we hope, more economically feasible and pedagogically innovative way. At its heart, Seabury will always be a school in service of the mission of God as proclaimed and enacted in the life, death, and resurrection of Jesus Christ.
At our regular February meeting, the Board adopted the following resolution:
The Board, having heard a report by the Dean as to the state of Seabury and the rapidly changing and expanding needs for theological education in the Episcopal Church, and being deeply mindful of its mission responsibilities for the operation of the seminary, and the uses of the seminary’s resources, hereby resolves:
1. The Dean is directed to prepare and present to the Board, on or before the next scheduled meeting, a detailed plan for the future operation of Seabury, including a financial plan that brings expenses in line with revenues. The report will also include recommendations for the immediate future of current programs.
2. The Dean will be assisted in developing the plan by a Planning Committee to be made up of eight members, of whom six will be officers and/or trustees, who will be named by the Dean and Board Chair, and two will be faculty members named by the faculty. Should the faculty not choose its representatives on or before Monday, February 25, 2008, the Dean may make the appointments as he deems necessary.
3. In developing the plan, the Dean or his designees may explore potential partnerships with appropriate institutions.
4. The Dean and the Planning Committee may hire consultants they deem necessary to assist them in their deliberations.
After consultation with the faculty, students, and staff, the Planning Committee met on Tuesday, February 19, 2008. The Planning Committee asked the board’s Executive Committee to clarify its understanding of the long-range educational mission of Seabury, and it proposed two resolutions which the Executive Committee passed in the following form on Wednesday, February 20, 2008:
The Executive Committee affirms that Seabury will no longer offer the M.Div. as a freestanding 3-year residential program. This does not preclude offering the M.Div. in other formats.
The Executive Committee accepts the 3 following recommendations of the Planning Committee:
1. That Seabury will immediately suspend recruitment and admissions to all degree and certificate programs in this time of discernment.
2. That Seabury will enable all current D.Min. students to complete their programs.
3. That Seabury will assist all current M.Div., MTS, MA, and certificate students to find alternative arrangements for the completion of their programs as may be required.
The Planning Committee will continue its schedule of weekly meetings so that it can produce a financial and programmatic plan in time for a special board meeting to be called in April. In the meantime, Seabury’s administration is at work talking with potential partner institutions both to enable the school to move forward in the future and to enable all those affected by these decisions to make the transitions they may be required to make as plans emerge.
Our hearts and minds are filled with a multitude of emotions. At the center of our immediate concern is the well being of our students, faculty and staff. Accordingly, most of our energies are focused on the internal community at this time, however, we will be informing our alumni/ae, donors, and the wider church within the next several days. Please keep us in your thoughts and prayers as we move into this new understanding of our mission.
The Very Reverend Gary R. Hall, Ph.D.
Well, I obsessed over it and looked at it until my eyes were bulging, but my book is now in the hands of the publisher. It is finished. Whew!
Now, it’s time to turn my attention to some other projects. I have been incredibly productive over the month of January. I have written 9 “small”’ essays during the month, and I finished the revisions on my book. I think it is safe to say that I LIKE SEMESTERS. Having all of January without classes makes a huge difference!
I have also noticed that I am no longer getting the afternoon sleepies—a huge obstacle when you are trying to be in uber-production mode. The reason? Michelle and I got a new bed last fall as an anniversary/Christmas present to each other. It is firm… very firm. In fact, the mattress was so firm that I was waking up with numb body parts in the middle of the night. So this January, we bought a down memory foam mattress cover from Bed Bath and Beyond. Unbelievable! What a difference. Now I know why I was getting the afternoon sleepies. I wasn’t getting enough restorative sleep at night.
So, what is the answer to being productive in January? At least for me, it boils down to having time and sleep. Imagine that!
One final push this weekend and the book will be out of my hands. I still don't know if I am going to be able to watch the Super Bowl. We'll see. We have some friends coming over, but I may be up in my room working on the final edits. Thank God for TIVO!