Seminary and historical society partner in campaign for museum

Schmucker Hall, or "Old Dorm," the oldest building on the campus of Lutheran Theological Seminary at Gettysburg, has been the home of the Adams County Historical Society since 1961. The society leases the building for $1 per year.

The historical society's collection includes an estimated 1 million photographs, books, and artifacts related to the county's history and to the Battle of Gettysburg, the Civil War engagement that took place in 1863, damaging the building significantly.

The historical society and the seminary are in the middle of a joint effort to rehabilitate the building, converting it into a modern museum about the Civil War battle, medical care in the war, the Underground Railroad, and the history of the seminary.

In 2008, the state of Pennsylvania awarded a $175,000 planning grant to the project, which is being administered by the historical society.

Changes at the top

Katharine Rhodes Henderson

■ The board of directors of Auburn Theological Seminary has elected the Rev. Katharine Rhodes Henderson to be the next president of the seminary, beginning July 1, 2009. Currently executive vice president, she has been part of Auburn's staff for 15 years.

Henderson is also parish associate at the First Presbyterian Church in New York. She is a graduate of the College of Wooster, Union Theological Seminary, and Teachers College of Columbia University.

She succeeds Barbara G. Wheeler, president since 1979. Wheeler will continue as director of the seminary's Center for the Study of Theological Education, which publishes its original research on graduate theological education in the influential Auburn Studies series. Wheeler has been director of the Center for the Study of Theological Education since its founding in 1991.

Auburn Theological Seminary was founded as a Presbyterian theological school in 1818. In 1939, the seminary moved from Auburn, New York, to the campus of Union Theological Seminary in New York City. Today Auburn focuses on lifelong learning and research but does not offer degree programs.

James H. Barnes

■ James (Jay) H. Barnes III became the fifth president of Bethel University on July 1, 2008. He succeeded George K. Brushaber, who retired after having served as president since 1982.

Barnes is a graduate of Wheaton College, the University of Connecticut, and Loyola University of Chicago. Before being named president, he served for 13 years as executive vice president and provost of Bethel's College of Arts and Sciences, College of Adult and Professional Studies, and graduate school. Prior to that he was vice president for student development at Messiah College in Grantham, Pennsylvania.

Barnes and his wife, Barbara, are members of Calvary Baptist Church in Roseville, Minnesota; they are the parents of three adult children. Bethel University was founded in 1872 and is affiliated with the Baptist General Conference, which is also known as Converge Worldwide. The university enrolls approximately 6,000 students.

Retiring president Brushaber is a member of the board of directors of In Trust Inc.

Gordon Drake

■ On November 17, 2008, Bishop Robert Bennett, head of the Anglican Diocese of Huron, installed Dr. Gordon Drake as the fifth principal of Canterbury College in Windsor, Ontario. He succeeded the Rev. Canon Donald Hull, who had served as fourth principal since 2003. Drake, a fellow of the Royal Society of Canada, was head of the University of Windsor physics department and treasurer of Canterbury College's board before accepting the position as principal of the college. He had served on the board of directors since 2002.

Canterbury College, an Anglican school, is one of three denominational colleges affiliated with the University of Windsor. It serves as a residence for visiting scholars and international students and offers theology, Bible, and ministry courses for clergy and lay leaders. Canterbury College also offers a doctor of ministry degree in cooperation with Ashland Theological Seminary.

Charles Conniry

■ Dr. Charles Conniry was recently named vice president and dean of George Fox Evangelical Seminary in Portland, Oregon. He succeeded Dr. Jules Glanzer, who departed after six years as dean to become president of Tabor College in Hillsboro, Kansas. Conniry had directed the doctor of ministry program at the seminary since 1998.

A graduate of Fuller Theological Seminary, Conniry was formerly a professor at Bethel College in San Diego and spent 15 years as a pastor. He and his wife, Dianne, have three children.

George Fox Evangelical Seminary began in 1947 as the Western School of Evangelical Religion and changed its name to Western Evangelical Seminary in 1951. Founded by the Evangelical Church and the Northwest Yearly Meeting of Friends, it is now nondenominational. In 1996, the seminary merged with George Fox College, and in 2000, the name was changed to George Fox Evangelical Seminary.

■ Dr. Seenam Kim is the new president of International Theological Seminary in El Monte, California. He succeeds Dr. Joseph T. Tong, who retired after 13 years as president and was named professor emeritus of philosophical and systematic theology. Before his appointment as president, Kim was professor of Old Testament and vice president of academic affairs at the seminary. He is a graduate of Chong Shin Theological Seminary in Korea, Fuller Theological Seminary, and the University of California at Los Angeles.

International Theological Seminary, a nondenominational school in the Reformed tradition, was founded in 1982 by Korean church leaders active in the Los Angeles region. With English as the language of instruction, the seminary serves international students from several countries.

Kevin F. Burke

■ In 2008, Jesuit Father Kevin F. Burke was appointed acting president of the Jesuit School of Theology at Berkeley. He succeeded Father Joseph P. Daoust, who departed to become head of Jesuit institutions in Rome. In his new post, Father Daoust will be the provincial superior for the Gregorian University, the Pontifical Biblical Institute, the Pontifical Oriental Institute, Vatican Radio, and the Vatican Observatory.

Father Burke had been academic dean at the Jesuit school since 2006. Before that, he taught systematic theology at the Weston Jesuit School of Theology. A native of Wyoming and a member of the Missouri Province of the Society of Jesus, he was ordained to the priesthood in 1986.

Established in 1934 as Alma College in Los Gatos, California, the Jesuit School of Theology at Berkeley changed its name in 1969 when it joined the Graduate Theological Union, a consortium of theological schools adjacent to the University of California.

Earlier this year, the president of Santa Clara University, a Jesuit university in Santa Clara, California, announced that the Jesuit School of Theology will become a "regional campus" of Santa Clara University. Although the school of theology will remain in Berkeley, its name will be changed to the Jesuit School of Theology of Santa Clara University.

Lynn Jost

■ In 2008, the board of trustees of Mennonite Brethren Biblical Seminary named Dr. Lynn Jost as acting president of the school. He replaces Dr. Jim Holm, president since 2003, who resigned in August 2008 after informing the board of an extramarital relationship. (Board chair Jack Falk explained the board's response to the resignation in the November 2008 issue of the Mennonite Brethren Herald.)

Jost had been academic dean and associate professor of Old Testament at the seminary since 2006. Before moving to Mennonite Brethren, he taught biblical studies for 13 years at Tabor College in Hillsboro, Kansas. Jost and his wife, Donna, have two adult children.

Affiliated with the Mennonite Brethren churches in the United States and Canada, the seminary was founded in 1955 in Fresno, California. In 1975 the Canadian Mennonite Brethren became partners and joint owners of the school, which now has additional campuses in British Columbia and Manitoba.

David Williams

■ In 2008, the board of trustees of Taylor University College and Seminary appointed David Williams as the seventh president of the school, which is located in Edmonton, Alberta. He succeeded Marvin Dewey, who was president from 1997 until 2007 and is now a management consultant.

A graduate of Dallas Baptist College, Denver Seminary, and Drew University, Williams taught for 17 years at Colorado Christian University. In 2004 he was named academic vice president at Taylor University College. He and his wife, Jeanne, have two sons.

The school was founded as the Christian Training Institute in 1939 under the auspices of the North American Baptist Conference. Later it was known as North American Baptist College and North American Baptist Seminary. The name Taylor University College and Seminary was adopted in 2002 in honor of J. Hudson Taylor, founder of the China Inland Mission.

Earlier this year, Taylor University College and Seminary announced that the "university college" branch of the institution will close on June 30, 2009. The decision to end Taylor's residential undergraduate education came after negotiations to affiliate with the University of Alberta failed. The college's Web site also cited the province of Alberta's economy and the global downturn in markets as reasons for the closure. The school's graduate division, Taylor Seminary, will remain in operation.