General

Mary E. Lyons, Ph.D., became president of the University  of San Diego in July, 2003.  During her extensive career in education, Lyons has enjoyed rich and varied  experiences as a teacher, professor and administrator. Before taking the helm at USD, Lyons was president of the College of Saint Benedict in St. Joseph, Minn.  Prior to this, she served as the president of the California Maritime Academy, a campus of the California State University in Vallejo. With this appointment Lyons was commissioned a rear admiral in the U.S. Maritime Service. Earlier in her career she was the academic...

The May 10 ceremonies at Pacific Lutheran Theological Seminary's Chapel of the Cross recognized 62 graduates who completed their degrees in Fall 2011 or Spring 2012. Thirty-six students graduated with a Master of Arts degree, five received a Master of Arts with a concentration in Biblical Languages, and twenty-one received the Doctor of Philosophy degree. Graduates are listed by degree and include their thesis title, area of study or school of affiliation, committee members, and thesis abstract; language specialization is noted for MABL graduates in lieu of thesis...

March 1, 2012 - Yale University announced the appointment of Graduate Theological Union Graduate Gregory E. Sterling, currently Dean of the Graduate School of the University of Notre Dame, as The Reverend Henry L. Slack Dean of the Divinity School for a period of five years, effective August 1, 2012. Sterling grew up in California and Idaho and received his B.A. in Christianity and History in 1978 from Houston Baptist University. After a year of post-baccalaureate studies in classics at the University of Houston, he completed two M.A. programs, one in Religion at...

Two GTU doctoral students in Biblical Studies were recently selected to present papers at the Graeco-Roman Society and the New Testament section of the International meeting of the Society of Biblical Literature in Amsterdam in late July.

Phil Erwin will address a particular passage in I Corinthians where Paul references fighting wild beasts in Ephesus. Evidence shows that the appearance in Corinth of the Roman arena, a historical paradigm which colors the reading, actually post-dates Paul’s...

January 8, 2012 - The 2012 Berakah Award, given each year to honor an outstanding contributor to liturgical scholarship, was presented to the Rev. Dr. Louis Weil at the annual meeting of the North American Academy of Liturgy, held January 4–8 in Montreal. Dr. Weil, the author of numerous articles and several books including Liturgy for Living, had served as James F. Hodges Professor of Liturgics at the Church Divinity School of the Pacific until his recent retirement from the classroom.

Something new is happening at the GTU: a new M.A. area of concentration in Interreligious Studies (IR) will begin in fall 2012. Applications are due February 1 for the first class of students.

But wait! Hasn't the GTU been doing Interreligious Studies since we were founded in 1962? Aren't we the largest partnership of ecumenical and interreligious graduate schools and centers in the country? Yes, of course. But this new M.A. area will give students the opportunity to focus their courses and thesis...

November 9, 2011 - In an announcement today, Laurie Zoloth (Ph.D. '93) was elected as the new Vice President for the American Academy of Religion. Zoloth is Professor of Medical Humanities & Bioethics and Religion and Director of the Center for Bioethics, Science, and Society at Northwestern University. In 2005, she was recognized as GTU's Alumna of the Year. Additional election results were also shared: Roberto Lint Sagarena was elected as an At-Large Director, Elonda Clay as Student Director, and Warren Frisina as Secretary. We look forward to the leadership Laurie...

On Saturday, October 8, the GTU Asia Project was pleased to welcome thirteen distinguished Christian leaders from the People’s Republic of China. The group had come to the U.S. to attend a Bible exhibition in Washington, D.C. and to visit theological seminaries in Pittsburgh, Atlanta, and Los Angeles before coming to the GTU. A welcoming reception and roundtable conversation was hosted by GTU Dean Arthur Holder, Professor Thomas Cattoi from the Jesuit School of Theology, GTU Ph.D. students Pui Fong Wong and Mary Mee-Yin Yuen, and CDSP D.Min. student Chun Wai Lam. Spontaneous translation of...

The GTU is pleased to announce the appointment of Eric Alexander as its new Vice President for Advancement. Alexander served as Senior Director of Development for Washington State University for the past several years and was previously Associate Director, Major Gifts for Mills College. His first development position was with Grace Cathedral in San Francisco, where he worked in all areas of advancement. He has prior experience in business development and marketing as well. Alexander earned his B.A. from Clark University (Worcester, MA) and his M.A. from Holy Names University.

GTU...

Jane Newhall (born October 4, 1913), a generous benefactor to the Graduate Theological Union and GTU member school San Francisco Theological Seminary (SFTS), died July 27 in Martha’s Vineyard, Massachusetts, at the age of 97. Newhall suffered a stroke in early July and then contracted pneumonia. A memorial will likely take place at Calvary Presbyterian Church at a date to be determined.

Newhall was an ardent supporter of the GTU and began serving on the Board of Trustees in 1968. She served as the Board Secretary for a number of years and was eventually named a Life Trustee (1995)...