News

 

Members of the twelve-person negotiating team from Andover Newton Theological School (ANTS) and Colgate Rochester Crozer Divinity School (CRCDS) continue to make progress, but they decided to revise their timeline when they held their fourth session on October 30, 2009.   They have determined that, to realize the full potential of their visionary but still emerging model for theological education, more time and work must be allotted to this complex process. Ever conscious of the historic nature of their deliberations and the need to balance prudence with a sense of urgency, the group agreed that this is a wiser course.  The team, with undiminished commitment to their end goal, now expects to get a proposed recommendation to the trustees of each school’s board by early 2010.

 

In the meantime, they will continue to work on particular dimensions of the model in cooperation with sub-committees on Academic Affairs, Governance and Legal issues, and Finance, Endowment, and Property.  They have delineated specific goals in a revised timetable, which they will include in a progress report to trustees in early December. 

 

The next meeting of the core team will be held on November 20 on the campus of Andover Newton Theological School.  This will enable members of the core team to experience the ANTS campus, in the same way that Andover Newton’s six person delegation visited the CRCDS Rochester campus at their first meeting in July.

 

The core team values feedback from interested stakeholders.  Comments should be directed to partnershipcomments@ants.edu.

 

The continuing focus of the negotiations has been on “One school, with one board, one president, one faculty, one staff, and one endowment” operating in the two locations of Rochester and Newton.  The core team continues to be deeply committed to the process and to the potential strength of a new model for theological education which will equip leaders for faith-filled witness in the 21^st century.

 

Members of the Negotiating Teams are:

 

Ms. Sylvia Ferrell-Jones

Rev. Debora Jackson

Prof. Robert Pazmino

Rev. James P. Sherblom

Mr. David Smith

ANTS President Nick Carter (ex officio)

Rev. Margaret Cowden

Prof. Christopher Evans

Rev. Dennis Norris

Mrs. Susan Scanlon, Esq.

Rev. John Wilkinson

CRCDS President Eugene Bay (ex officio)

 

They are assisted by Rev. Dr. Stephen Ott, facilitator, and Rev. Dr. Diane C. Kessler, “Clerk of the Works.”