wfn.org | CHURCH LEADERS AND PSCE TRUSTEES

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19-Oct-95

95386           CHURCH LEADERS AND PSCE TRUSTEES  
                 EMBROILED OVER PROPERTY DECISION 
 
 
                         By Julian Shipp  
 
LOUISVILLE, Ky.-- Numerous concerned Presbyterians and trustees of the 
Presbyterian School of Christian Education (PSCE) are embroiled in a 
conflict over whether or not to sell campus property to Baptist Theological 
Seminary at Richmond (BTSR), which now uses some of  PSCE's facilities. 
 
     According to Deona Houff, PSCE director of communications, BTSR is 
offering $1.9 million for Watts Hall (a dormitory), the property from Watts 
Hall to Brook Road, and one-half undivided interest in Lingle Hall (a 
multipurpose building housing food services and a campus bookstore). 
Closing would occur around July 1, 1996. According to Houff, the purchase 
price includes $500,000 to be committed toward approximately $1 million 
worth of renovations to Lingle Hall.  Any future construction on the 
school's campus would have to pass architectural and zoning restrictions. 
 
     After lengthy discussions over several months, a decision is expected 
during the Nov. 8-10 PSCE board of trustees meeting in Richmond, Va. The 
BTSR board approved the proposal during its Oct. 15-18 meeting. 
 
     Supporters of the proposed transaction describe the deal as a 
"win-win" situation for both PSCE and BTSR. 
 
     "PSCE gets a much needed increase in our small endowment and a 
long-awaited, significant decrease in our maintenance burden," said Dr. 
Wayne G. Boulton, PSCE president. "This in turn will allow us to focus on 
our true mission, which is the church,  people and programs. 
 
     "And BTSR gets a permanent home in an ideal location," Boulton added. 
"Union Theological Seminary, PSCE and BTSR can remain neighbors with The 
School of Theology at Virginia Union University in the Richmond Theological 
Consortium." 
 
     "It appears to me to be a good move, a wise move, a matter of 
stewardship," said Freda A.  Gardner,  a General Assembly Council member, 
PSCE board member and alumna from Princeton, N.J. "From the information 
I've seen, [the proposal] does not close any doors for the future of the 
school, and I'm in favor of it." 
 
     Signers of a statement opposing the appeal say they want the Baptist 
seminary to receive support and experience growth, but without the sale of 
property. They say the Presbyterian Church is at a point where broadly 
interpreted educational ministry is very important and new leadership 
strategies are needed to meet this challenge. 
 
     Their statement, which appears as a paid advertisement in the Oct. 16, 
1995, issue of "The Presbyterian Outlook," states, "We are deeply concerned 
for the future prosperity and effective service of the Presbyterian School 
of Christian Education. We believe that you share this concern.  We are 
convinced that disposing of irreplaceable land and buildings can be 
disastrous." 
 
     The ad appeals to people to 
 
       have faith that when Presbyterians know PSCE's end, they will 
respond with adequate support 
 
        believe that PSCE's greatest days are ahead and that more, not 
less, space will be required 
 
       commend and support the participation of the Baptist Theological 
Seminary in the Richmond Theological Consortium.    
 
     "As I see it now, PCSE has experienced major financial crises before 
-- this is not the worst it has had -- and [the school ] has come through 
them," said Aubrey N. Brown, Jr., former editor of "The Presbyterian 
Outlook." "And I think that if the [Presbyterian] church knew what the 
consequences are [to] giving up almost half of the campus and thereby 
locking in both future growth and development, I think [it] would raise the 
money and provide what is needed to take care of the situation." 
 
     "[The PSCE board] has just sort of rushed into a sort of short-term 
effort to survive without looking at the needs of the church [to] see if it 
could not develop programs it could use to [solve its financial problems]," 
said Sara Little, a former PSCE faculty member and elder at Grace Covenant 
Presbyterian Church in Richmond, Va. "It is really sad to me that PSCE did 
not turn to the [Presbyterian] church for monetary help as the situation 
got worse and worse." 
      
     Signers opposing the sale of property include three former Assembly 
moderators: the Rev.  Robert W. Bohl  of Fort Worth, Texas; Isabel W. 
Rogers,  a senior PSCE board member from Richmond, Va.: and the Rev. Albert 
C. Winn of Atlanta. 
 
     Other opposing signers include longtime ecumenical leader Margaret 
Flory of Brevard, N.C.; the Rev. Donald L. Griggs, a former PSCE faculty 
member from Livermore, Calif.; Lynn A.  Turnage, a former PSCE faculty 
member from Montreat, N.C.; Emile L. Dieth Jr., a former PSCE board chair 
from New Orleans; and Alice Jones Thompson, a former PCSE board trustee 
from Virginia Beach, Va. 
 
     Pastors opposed to the property sale include the Rev. Joanna M. Adams 
of Atlanta; the Rev.  Vernon R. Hunter, of Mobile, Ala.; the Rev. Theodore 
J. Wardlaw of Atlanta; the Rev. Dean K.  Thompson of Charleston. W.Va.; the 
Rev. G. Carswell Hughs of Knoxville, Tenn.; the Rev. William P. Wood of 
Charlotte, N.C.; and the Rev. Louis H. Zbinden Jr. from San Antonio, Texas. 
 
     According to PSCE property documentation, the school has been working 
for more than 10 years to establish a solid financial base following the 
reunion of the Presbyterian Church (U.S.A.) Direct ecclesiastical support 
for PSCE dropped from 47 percent of its operating budget in 1983 to the 
present level of around 7 percent. 
 
     PSCE addressed these changes in its funding structure with a series of 
cost-cutting measures that culminated in 1992 in a $1 million budget cut 
and the elimination of 15 faculty and staff positions. Despite these 
measures, PSCE continued to have high operating costs given the number of 
students enrolled (operating costs are currently estimated at $4.1 million 
and enrollment is 136).  These costs were partially offset by renting 
unused space to BTSR, which began operating in 1990. 
 
     BTSR's interest in establishing a permanent home led to an in-depth 
assessment of its property needs with the help of Stonebridge Associates, a 
firm specializing in the property needs of educational institutions. The 
study concluded that not only did PSCE have considerable excess space, but 
the high cost of operating and maintaining this space diverted emphasis 
from the institution's programmatic objectives. 
 
     Stonebridge Associates further recommended Watts Hall was the best 
candidate for sale and urged PSCE to consider joint use of other 
properties, specifically Lingle Hall, as a means of further reducing its 
maintenance and operating costs. 

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  Presbyterian Church (U.S.A.), Louisville, KY 40202
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