Seminary Students Offered More Flexible Program at Emory

Emory University’s Candler School of Theology is improving access to its Master of Divinity (MDiv) degree program by switching to a two-day-a-week class schedule, creating commuter housing options, and offering online and hybrid courses. The changes will begin this fall for first-year M.Div. students.

“This initiative provides students with greater flexibility and accessibility while maintaining Candler’s outstanding academic offerings,” says David Petersen, associate dean of faculty and academic affairs and Franklin N. Parker Professor of Old Testament. “It gives them more time for their academic work and less time commuting.”

Courses Scheduled for Tuesday-Thursday

Under this new approach, first-year students will take required courses on a Tuesday-Thursday schedule and have the option of taking some courses online or in a hybrid online/classroom version. Students who live outside of Atlanta also may be eligible to stay overnight in nearby “commuter” apartments.

The new arrangement, widely endorsed by bishops and district superintendents within the Southeastern Jurisdiction of The United Methodist Church (UMC), is especially appealing to M.Div. students who take part in Candler’s Teaching Parish Program. Students in the program attend Candler while serving as part-time pastors in small churches typically in communities outside metro Atlanta — even as far away as Alabama and Mississippi. They receive a salary and housing as part of their compensation, but their commute to campus for class can be daunting.

“These students have more complicated schedules. Not only are they responsible for the life of the church, but they are under the supervision of their district superintendents,” says Petersen. Accommodating these unique needs will enable more students to enroll in the Teaching Parish Program, he adds.

Part-time Housing Offered

Plans are also under way for Candler-subsidized, part-time housing at a nearby apartment complex for long-distance commuters who need to stay near campus a few days a week. The apartments are furnished and contain two bedrooms, each with two beds, allowing up to four Candler students to share the space.

“We want to provide commuting students an affordable and comfortable place to stay during the middle of the week so they can easily get to their courses, study in the library, and have access to all of Emory’s resources,” says the Rev. Shonda R. Jones, associate dean of admissions and student services.

Online Courses Are New Option

Selecting core courses that are available online and in hybrid versions is another new option for students, with the first courses going live in the 2011-2012 academic year. Additional online courses will be added each year during the next three years.

Michael Joseph Brown, associate professor of New Testament and Christian origins, is in the first faculty cohort that will develop courses for online delivery. He believes online components will improve his New Testament course by facilitating quizzes, exams, and other standard course mechanisms. “They free up classroom time for important dialogue,” he says. “Online classes are the way of the future in all of higher education.”

The Rev. Coy Hinton is one of several North Georgia UMC leaders who responded favorably to initial proposals about the new approach. “This seems like a win-win situation for these students and the churches they serve. Thanks so much for thinking creatively,” wrote Hinton, district superintendent of the Atlanta College Park District.

Adds Jones, “We want to make Candler’s high caliber theological education possible for all those who are called to serve. The new concentrated schedule, commuter housing and digital course offerings are the latest ways we’re demonstrating our commitment.”

Get more information about Candler’s Master of Divinity degree and the Teaching Parish Program.

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Redesigned Theology Master's Program Allows Students to 'Go Deep'

Candler School of Theology at Emory University is introducing a retooled Master of Theological Studies (MTS) degree program that enables students to “go as deep as they want” in a wide range of study areas. It debuts in the fall of 2011. The application deadline is Feb. 1.

Designed for students who are interested in exploring theology and religion without preparing for ordained ministry, the two-year MTS program is especially suited for those drawn to teaching and research or engagement in social issues. The program is ideal for journalists, attorneys, teachers, national governing body staff members, and others whose work requires an understanding of the role of religion and theology in public life.

The new curriculum’s two broad focus areas – “History, Scripture and Tradition” and “Modern Religious Thought and Experience” -- give students flexibility to design up to two-thirds of their coursework around their specific interests.

“Our previous program requirements didn’t always fit with students’ expressed academic and vocational interests. Now, they can go as deep as they want into any field, from Bible to theology, from society and personality to the intersection of church and politics,” says Steven J. Kraftchick, associate professor in the practice of New Testament interpretation and director of General and Advanced Programs. “This flexibility allows us to help students more easily reach their aspirations, and achieve their educational and vocational goals more directly.”

Pursuing joint degrees

The customized approach also increases students’ opportunities for close collaboration with faculty at Candler and across Emory. It encourages interdisciplinary study throughout the university, the pursuit of joint degrees in public health, law and business, and specialized research and study abroad options.

The program also is intentional about helping students discern their vocation. Plenaries, small groups and a new professional development elective help them shape their career goals, while a capstone course brings together students who have the same focus area to write their thesis papers in a collaborative environment.

Candler’s MTS degree program started in 1972 with around a dozen students. Today approximately 70 Candler students pursue an MTS, which is about 15 percent of Candler’s student body.

“The program is selective so that we can give our students more individualized focus and more one-on-one time with our talented faculty,” says Kraftchick.

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Scholarship Event Planned for Aspiring Seminary Students

Emory University's Candler School of Theology is helping make theological education affordable for the next generation of Christian leaders by hosting a special scholarship event Feb. 28-March 2, 2010.

Leadership Candler will bring together a distinguished group of prospective Master of Divinity students from across the country and the world. The three-day event includes interviews with scholarship committees, visits to classes and conversations with Candler's faculty. Leadership Candler also features interaction with current students and staff, group discussions and a campus tour, including time to explore Pitts Theology Library, one of North America's premier theological libraries.

The 2010 Leadership Candler participants will be offered awards totaling more than $575,000, all providing at least full tuition. Each year, Candler offers up to 30 scholarships, including awards that offer full tuition, fees and a $10,000 annual stipend. In fall 2009, 57 entering Master of Divinity students received full tuition scholarships, totaling more than $100,000. See a complete list of the scholarships available and more information about Leadership Candler.

Candidates for Leadership Candler should apply for admission and complete the Leadership Candler application no later than Jan. 15, 2010. Leadership Candler candidates must demonstrate confident and unselfish character combined with deep concern for others; intellectual achievement; impressive communication skills; significant leadership and creativity in school, church or community; and a clear potential for enriching the lives of their peers at Candler.


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Emory's Oxford College, Candler School of Theology Receive $4.25 Million in Gifts from Oxford College Alumnus' Estate

Oxford College of Emory University and Emory's Candler School of Theology have received gifts totaling more than $4.25 million from the Charles Edwin Suber Foundation.

Oxford College received a $3.35 million gift, the largest cash gift in the college's history, and Candler School of Theology received a gift of $903,177. Both gifts were unrestricted to be used for the most pressing needs of the schools.

The Suber Foundation was established by the estate of Charles Edwin "Ed" Suber. A 1942 graduate of Oxford College who passed away in November 2007, Suber attended Emory University and was retired from the Fulton County Superior Court system as court clerk.

A portion of the Oxford College gift, $100,000, will be used to establish a scholarship in Suber's name. The remaining $3.25 million will be used to support Oxford's building program, including a new science facility, which would replace the current facility built in 1965, and a new library, replacing the current 1970 building.

Stephen H. Bowen, dean of Oxford College, says, "We have needed a major gift to create momentum in raising funds for these building projects. This is that gift. When we look back after 10 years, we will recognize this as a pivotal moment in the development of Oxford College."

Candler School of Theology Dean Jan Love says she will assess where the gift can best be applied in light of funding needs for the second phase of Candler's building projects, as well as student support and faculty enhancement.

"The generosity of this lifelong United Methodist layman is overwhelming and will benefit the Candler community for generations to come. We are deeply grateful for this remarkable gift," Love says.

Suber was a lifelong resident of Atlanta's Ben Hill community, where his family owned and operated the C.P. Suber Grocery Store. He served in the Army during World War II.

Jim Campbell, executor of Suber's estate, says his first cousin was an ordinary man who has left an extraordinary legacy.

"Ed indicated a direction through the gifts he made through his will, and we followed through with that direction," says Campbell, who chose Oxford College and Candler School of Theology to receive gifts from Suber's estate. "He was very kind and he had a great sense of humor. He loved to travel and square dance. He lived a very simple life, but he was very generous to those people and causes he cared about. He was a great person, and his life will go on even if he is not here."

These gifts are part of Campaign Emory, a $1.6 billion fund-raising endeavor that combines private support and the university’s people, places and programs to make a powerful contribution to the world. Investments through Campaign Emory fuel efforts to address fundamental challenges: improving health, gaining ground in science and technology, resolving conflict, harnessing the power of the arts, and educating the heart and mind.


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McAfee School of Theology Adds Global Christianity Concentration

Mercer University’s McAfee School of Theology has added a new concentration in global Christianity to its Master of Divinity program. The concentration will help students explore and address the critical aspects of Christianity’s “shift southward” in the 21st Century and to train new ministers to work in this dynamic environment.

The global Christianity concentration is designed to expand the view of Christianity, that it must be understood as a multi-cultural and global movement, an enduring theological tradition that finds new life in the realities of Africa, Asia and Latin America. Students will also explore how the dramatic growth of world Christianity changes the missionary dimension in all churches, from initiators to receptors, of mission outreach. The concentration will also explore ways to help growing churches in need of theologically trained leaders, ranging from seminary professors to grassroots leaders of indigenous churches. Finally, the concentration will help those who are being educated to lead religious communities to help them incorporate the understanding of these realities into their ministry and outreach.

“This concentration is designed to help our students form partnerships with Christians around the world and to recognize the multi-varied expressions of the Christian faith as it is expressed – especially in the Southern hemisphere,” said Dr. Ronald W. Johnson, professor of mission and evangelism and coordinator of the Global Christianity concentration. “Our students will learn how Christians in other cultures live out their sense of God’s mission in the world and how they express their faith, often in challenging situations. This will help students learn to pray for, cooperate with and support the growth of Christians and the Christian faith around the world. It will give our students an opportunity to share their insights into their faith and to learn from other cultures. The program will also help our students tell the story of faith around the world.”

Students in the Master of Divinity program are eligible to apply to the concentration after one year in the program, and several have already done so. In addition to the core Master of Divinity requirements, students in the global Christianity concentration must complete 12 hours of study in global mission and cultural studies. Students are also encouraged to take their nine free elective hours in cross-cultural or anthropological studies through the Atlanta Theological Association consortium. Students in the concentration will be required to take their Mentoring II course in a cross-cultural, and preferably overseas, placement. In addition, students will be asked to focus on their cross-cultural experience for their capstone paper.

“The concentration in global Christianity has the potential to become a signature program that vastly enlarges our students’ horizons and creates opportunities for them to become global Christian leaders,” said Dean R. Alan Culpepper.

For more information about the Master of Divinity program or the global Christianity concentration, contact the McAfee Admissions Office at (678) 547-6474 or (888) 471-9922 or theoadmiss@mercer.edu.

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New Scholarship Event Offered by Emory's Candler School of Theology

Emory University's Candler School of Theology has created a new scholarship event called Leadership Candler that will bring together an outstanding group of prospective master of divinity students from across the country and the world. They will be considered for the school's most prestigious scholarships, including the Robert W. Woodruff Fellowships in Theology and Ministry and the Margaret A. Pitts Scholarships.

Thirty-five applicants will be invited to visit campus the weekend of March 1-3, 2009, with all expenses paid to experience Candler firsthand, says Shonda Jones, Candler's assistant dean of admissions and financial aid.

While on campus, applicants will participate in activities designed to help them "discern their vocations more clearly, offer insights on how to deepen their education, and develop practical skills for creative and faithful leadership," says Jones. The weekend will include visits to classes, conversations with faculty, a campus tour, interaction with current students and staff, group discussions, interviews with scholarship committees and opportunities to spend time with future classmates.

"This program seeks to help students who have strong potential and deep dedication become the leaders God is calling them to be," says Jan Love, dean of Candler. "Their future contributions to the church and the world should not be encumbered by an undue financial burden of educational debt. The school will ensure substantial financial support to underwrite the costs of their theological education."

Applicants to Leadership Candler must have demonstrated qualities of assertive and unselfish character; intellectual achievement; impressive skills in communication; significant leadership and creativity in school, church or community; and a clear potential for enriching the lives of fellow students.

Leadership Candler participants will be considered for the Woodruff Fellowships in Theology and Ministry, which offers full tuition, fees and a $10,000 stipend for three academic years. The fellowships are awarded to first-year students who typically have a 3.50 grade point average or higher in previous academic work. Candidates must have a minimum grade point average of 3.30 to apply.

Current Woodruff Fellow Rebecca Spurrier, who will graduate in 2009, says the contributions of current fellowship recipients have been diverse. "The Woodruff Fellowship has been more than just a financial gift; it has been a way of giving us confidence in our capacities to impact the Candler community and the wider world."

The Margaret A. Pitts Scholarships offer full tuition, fees and a $7,000 stipend for three academic years. Pitts Scholarships are awarded to first-year United Methodist students preparing for ministry as ordained deacons or elders. To be eligible, students must have begun the candidacy process in the United Methodist Church. Candidates must have a minimum grade point average of 3.30 to apply.

Leadership Candler participants also will be considered for many other prestigious scholarships, including Honor Scholarships, which offer full tuition for three academic years; Garrett Scholarships, which offer full tuition for three academic years for those preparing for pulpit ministries; and United Methodist Merit Scholarships, which offer full tuition for first-year students preparing for ordination in the United Methodist Church. Outstanding candidates also may be considered for other significant merit scholarships that are not conveyed in the Leadership Candler competition.

Applicants for Leadership Candler should submit the required materials no later than Feb. 1, 2009. Download scholarship application materials online.

Candler School of Theology is grounded in Christian faith and shaped by the Wesleyan tradition of evangelical piety, ecumenical openness, and social concern. The school is known for a remarkable faculty, innovative curriculum, extensive scholarship programs, unique resources of a top-ranked research university, and a faithful Christian community that affords students the opportunity to grow into faithful leaders for the future of Christian ministry and service. For more information about Candler and the academic and scholarship opportunities it offers, visit www.candler.emory.edu.

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