Higher education
Gettysburg, Luther & Odyssey join forces T
he Lutheran Theological Seminary at Gettysburg (Pa.); Luther
Seminary, St. Paul, Minn.; and Odyssey Networks will work together on an existing distributed learning master of divinity program at Luther, as well as a new religion and media concentration for the master’s in reli- gion program at Gettysburg. Both degree programs involve sharing faculty. Two-thirds of course- work will be carried out online, and one-third of instruction done through campus-based intensives. It’s the kind of effort requested in “Renewing the Seedbed,” a recent ELCA study that calls for creative col- laboration on theological education. In a joint statement, Michael
Cooper-White, president of Gettys- burg, and Richard Bliese, president of Luther, called the collaboration “unexpected.” That’s because “the usual think-
ing has been that cooperation among seminaries will go on in [geographi- cally based seminary] clusters,” said Rollie Martinson, Luther’s academic dean who leads the effort with his counterpart at Gettysburg, Robin Steinke. “While clusters are good for certain kinds of shared work, they can’t contain all of the shared work.” Steinke agreed, adding, “Mission needs are urgent. ... We wanted [to] bring faculty and church leaders to the table to ask bigger questions than sim- ply how do we balance the budget or get more money from various expres- sions of the church.”
In a climate where mainline semi- naries struggle with declining enroll- ment, an economic downturn that makes it difficult for students to relo- cate, and an increasing debt load for seminarians, cooperative efforts are often “done out of deficits or to econ- omize,” Martinson said. “That is not
44 The Lutheran •
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the case here. This is about two semi- naries working out of their assets.” Martinson credited much of the
proposal to Steinke, “an incredible churchwoman who was eager to have partners in this imaginative work,” he said.
That work includes the media con- centration, which could begin as soon as fall 2012. This will help students “think theologically about the new social space,” where one must “get the website up and running, tweet or join Facebook to reach confirma- tion students, or [podcast] sermons,” Steinke said. That’s where Odyssey Networks comes in, said Eric Shafer, an ELCA pastor who serves as senior vice presi- dent of the multifaith coalition dedi- cated to promoting tolerance, peace and social justice through the produc- tion and distribution of media. Odys- sey may provide internships, appren- ticeships or “visiting faculty [with] expertise in film, television, the Web and mobile,” he said. Mary Brown, Odyssey’s director
for philanthropy and an ELCA pastor, said it is Odyssey’s “first cooperative education project with a seminary, college or university.” Cooper-White and Bliese said the schools are “committed to shar- ing our discoveries and exploring broader collaboration.” The schools have “already begun planning faculty development that will be open to [all ELCA] seminaries,” Steinke said. Gettysburg, founded in 1826, is the
oldest continuing Lutheran theological school in North America, with 220 stu- dents and 16 full-time faculty. Luther is the largest ELCA seminary, with 796 students and 45 full-time faculty. M
Elizabeth Hunter Hunter is an associate editor of The Lutheran.
F. Gregory Campbell, president of Carthage College, Kenosha, Wis., will retire in August 2012. Dur- ing his 25 years at the helm, the full-time student body grew from 800 to 2,500, the faculty doubled in size, and curriculum changes emphasized classical approaches to arts and sciences education. Col- lege finances are well in the black, with budget surpluses every year since 1988 and rising gift income. Campbell came to Carthage after holding administrative and/or fac- ulty positions at the University of Chicago; Yale University, New Haven, Conn.; and the University of Wisconsin at Milwaukee. “When I arrived at Carthage in 1987, I thought, ‘This is a school with great potential,’ ” he said. “There is even greater potential today.” Campbell and his wife, Barbara, members of St. Mary Lutheran Church, Keno- sha, will “seek fresh adventures.”
Jay Alanis was named director of the Lutheran Seminary Program in the Southwest, a program of Wartburg Theological Seminary, Dubuque, Iowa, and the Lutheran School of Theology at Chicago. Alanis, who earned a master of divinity from LSPS and a doctorate from LSTC, became the program’s interim direc- tor in 2009. He previously served as a congregational pastor, an attorney and an accountant. LSPS prepares pastoral leaders for ELCA Hispanic communities, primarily through the ELCA’s Theological Education for Emerging Ministries program. It is also exploring cooperative arrangements with ELCA partners, including the Episcopal Church. Stanley N. Olson, Wartburg presi- dent, said leaders hope LSPS can find long-term financial stability through these new efforts and gifts from donors committed to Hispanic ministry. M
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