College and Seminary News

The traditional February Meetings at Maryville College will be held February 15 and 16 this year and will feature speakers Rick Ufford-Chase, General Assembly Moderator, and David Young, PCUSA national staff photographer. Theme this year is “Crossing Borders”. In addition to being Moderator, Ufford-Chase is co-founder and co-director of BorderLinks, a binational organization addressing concerns and needs of migrants on the U.S.-Mexico border. He is a co-moderator of Presbyterian Peace Fellowship and a founder of the Samaritans in southern Arizona. David Young is a former chemistry professor at Maryville College who has been a member of the PCUSA national staff since 1983. He is known for his t h o u g h t - p r o v o k i n g photographic portrayals from venues around the world.. Held annually since 1877, February Meetings have offered an annual opportunity to reflect on the Christian faith and the authentic life.

King College in Bristol, TN, is celebrating the successful close of their $50 million Building Meaningful Lives campaign. King President Greg Jordan said, “Using existing land plus campaign funds, we constructed an inviting new gateway and boulevard, a baseball diamond, two soccer fields, tennis courts, a new men’s dormitory and a 68,000 square-foot Student Center Complex. These investments have increased our usable campus space by approximately a third.” Academic offerings were also expanded as a part of the campaign, as the college established the Schools of Business, Education, Economics and Nursing, the Peeke School of Christian Mission and the Center for Professional and Graduate Studies. Additionally, the college enhanced its School of Arts and Sciences, upgraded facilities and equipment, and increased scholarship support and endowment programs. During Fall 2004, record enrollment brought the overall campus population to a new high of more than 800 students.

At Louisville Seminary, Dr. Nancy Ramsay, Harrison Ray Anderson Professor of Pastoral Theology, has accepted the invitation of the Board of Trustees of Brite Divinity School at Texas Christian University to serve as their first woman dean and vice president of academic affairs. She will begin her duties at Brite in June of 2005. (See story on page 19 of this issue). A studentinitiated HIV/AIDS awareness event was held on December 1, 2 and 3 on the LPTS campus, including the AIDS Memorial Quilt Display, an Ecumenical Worship Service, a Candle Light Vigil, and an HIV/AIDS Awareness and Prevention Panel. On October 28, Louisville Seminary suspended classes for a Teach-In on Living Peace in our Culture of Violence. The all-day event began with worship at 7:30 a.m. followed by a full array of offerings to guide participants as they wrestled with questions of violence, at home and abroad.

Tusculum College’s emphasis on developing students with skills and inclination to positively engage themselves in civic life has brought the College recognition in a new book produced by the Pew Partnership for Civic Change. The book notes…”Education for effective citizenship is at the heart of Tusculum’s mission, philosophy and curriculum.”

Christian educators are encouraged to enroll in the January class at Columbia Theological Seminary on Worship and Sacraments. The Rev. Kimberly Long will lead the class, which begins on Tuesday, January 19 and concludes on January 22. Program fee is $250 and housing and meals are available on campus.