Press Releases
News Release: For Immediate ReleaseUTAH IN DANGER OF LOSING GRADUATE THEOLOGICAL EDUCATIONUTAH’S ONLY THEOLOGICAL SEMINARY MUST RAISE MONEY OR MAY HAVE TO CLOSE ITS DOORSSalt Lake City, April 13, 2005 – In spite of record growth over the past four years, Salt Lake Theological Seminary is facing a financial crisis that may force the school to sell its building and close down. This would mean the end of graduate theological education in the state of Utah and would be a blow to higher education in the entire Intermountain West. “Enrollment has been steadily increasing since we bought our current campus building almost four years ago, but the costs of running the school have been increasing also,” says seminary president Dr. Don McCullough. “We have mounting debt and a monthly shortfall between income and expenses. To keep the school alive, the Board of Directors has determined that we need to raise $500,000 before the current semester ends on May 12, or the future of the school may be in jeopardy.” The financial crisis comes as a result of the school’s growth in students, programs and facilities at a time when the economy is still recovering from the terrorist attacks of September 11, 2001. Student tuition accounts for less than 20% of the seminary’s income. The school now has an accumulated debt of approximately $300,000 and a shortfall of approximately $20,000 a month. The seminary has a 20-year history of education in Salt Lake City. Originally founded as an institute of biblical studies in 1984, the school only achieved seminary status in 1998, making it one of the youngest seminaries in the Western United States. Students from many traditions including Protestant, Catholic and Orthodox attend the seminary, pursuing graduate degrees to serve as pastors, chaplains and youth workers or other faith-based vocations. The seminary’s Bridges training program has been widely appreciated for its emphasis on sharing the Christian faith with LDS friends and neighbors in a caring, respectful manner. “The loss of this seminary would severely impact the religious diversity of the local community,” says Salt Lake City Mayor Rocky Anderson. “An economically sustainable community requires a welcoming, hospitable environment where all ideas are encouraged. Salt Lake Theological Seminary is a unique institution of higher learning and an important part of the community in Utah. Its loss would be a tragedy.” The seminary is a crossroads where many members of the local community come to explore God’s calling in their lives. “As an interdenominational seminary, we play a special role in uniting and serving members of the community,” says McCullough. “This is the one place in Utah where students from different backgrounds and traditions can come together at the graduate level to study the big questions of life from a Christian perspective.” Christian education has a long history in the Utah. In fact, the first public education in the state was initiated by Protestant ministers, who started church schools in the early 1870’s. By 1890, over one hundred church-sponsored schools were operating throughout the region, and two-thirds of all students receiving secondary education in Utah were attending them. Salt Lake Theological Seminary is an important element in that heritage of education Rev France Davis, pastor of Calvary Baptist Church, sees the seminary as an institution that fills a much needed role. “For most of my 32 years in Salt Lake City, we have not had a place for ministerial education and formal training,” Rev Davis says. “Ministers have come and gone without the least opportunity to improve their skills with theological training. Those who have managed to get some training have had to leave the state to do so. Thus it is exciting to have the seminary here in Salt Lake City providing a much needed opportunity for ministerial and lay training A diverse group of religious, civic and educational leaders are lending their voices in support of the seminary including Mayor Rocky Anderson; Community Advocate Pamela Atkinson; Dan John, Diocesan Director of Religious Education; Rev Michael Imperiale of First Presbyterian Church; Bishop Niederauer of the Catholic Diocese of Salt Lake; and Dr. Clifton Sanders, Dean of the School of Science, Engineering and Mathematics at Salt Lake Community College. The seminary will hold a press conference on Sunday April 17 at 2:00PM in the Chapel on the 3rd floor of the campus, located at 699 East South Temple. For more information, please call the seminary at 581-1900.
About Salt Lake Theological SeminarySalt Lake Theological Seminary is an inter-denominational graduate school of biblical and theological studies, engaged in the training and development of Christian leaders. The seminary offers Masters and Doctoral degrees for professionals preparing for ministry or already actively engaged in ministry work, as well as various Diploma and Certificate programs for students studying at the non-graduate level or for personal enrichment. Classes, courses, seminars, workshops and conferences are also offered to meet the needs of the broader Christian community. More information can be found on this web site. ### For more information contact: |