wfn.org | United Theological Seminary to start campus in New York

[NewsDesk <NewsDesk@UMCOM.UMC.ORG>]

Sept. 3, 1998	Contact: Linda Green*(615)742-5470*Nashville, Tenn.
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By United Methodist News Service

United Theological Seminary in Dayton, Ohio, is expanding into a
two-campus institution by establishing a New York presence.

An extension of the United Methodist-related seminary already exists
with United's In-Context Master of Divinity Program in Buffalo, N.Y.,
but by the summer of 1999, the foundation will be laid to expand into a
full-service seminary. 

The expansion announcement was made during the summer session of the
Western New York Annual Conference, when United's president, the Rev.
Michael Nickerson, gave a progress report on the 26 students enrolled in
the master's program at the Buffalo site, located on the West Seneca
campus of Houghton College, according to The Communicator, the
conference newspaper.

The  In-Context Master of Divinity Degree was designed for clergy and
those preparing to enter ordained, full-time ministry but who were not
located near the main seminary. United offers the same degree program on
the campus of the University of Charleston, W. Va.

The Buffalo program began in 1996, after Western New York Conference
officials approached the seminary about the possibility of having a
United Methodist seminary in their area, Nickerson said.

In theological education today, Nickerson said, students have less
geographic mobility; are older or entering a second career; and have
families and large financial responsibilities. Because of job
situations, he said, more and more students attend regional seminaries
regardless of denominational affiliation.

United wants to make "high quality" theological education more
geographically accessible, Nickerson said. Such an education promotes
ministerial formation in three ways: a high academic level; a high level
of faith encounters and experience; and the actual practice of ministry.

Unique to United's second campus, Nickerson said, is its "cohort model"
design. "One of the problems with off-site campuses is that students
never build the community necessary for theological learning," he said.
"We think we've overcome that because we will have a large enough group
for interchange and diversity for enhancement of ministerial formation."

The second campus is to be housed at the current Buffalo site, with the
only difference being the need for full-time faculty, he said. The
master's program already uses the library, classroom and faculty
resources of Houghton College, along with United personnel and adjunct
faculty from other institutions. 

Supporting United's expansion is a $120,000 grant from the Fred and Floy
Willmott Foundation of Rochester, N.Y. The money will be used to
increase the Buffalo site's library resources, hire a part-time director
of contextual education and provide continuing education for area clergy
and laity. A search for a full-time director of the Buffalo campus is
under way, and students are being recruited for fall 1999. As the
program expands, more faculty will be hired.

To promote the expansion and to demonstrate United's commitment to the
clergy and churches in the Western New York Annual Conference, the
Buffalo site will offer a convocation and a series of regional workshops
this fall and winter.

The Sept. 26 convocation at First United Methodist Church, Batavia,
N.Y., will help clergy and lay members gain a perspective of the
Wesleyan heritage of the United Methodist Church and understand how the
tenets of the denomination have been reshaped to address the needs of
the contemporary church and world. Issues of ministry for the next
century also will be addressed.

The regional workshops begin Oct. 17 at Christ United Methodist Church,
Olean, N.Y. and will be centered around the theme of the "Advent Year."
The workshops are designed for those who are exploring the call to
ministry and also to help potential students prepare for their seminary
experience. Other workshops will be held at Gateway Foster Care Center,
North Syracuse, N.Y., on Nov. 7, and at Gateway Conference Center,
Williamsville, N.Y., on March 20.

# # #

United Methodist News Service
(615)742-5470
Releases and photos also available at
http://www.umc.org/umns/