Scholarships

Over the last forty years, the church has moved the bill for leadership education from the churches onto students. Some PTS graduates, like those of other seminaries, leave school with burdensome debt. By increasing its endowment, the Seminary seeks to make graduate education affordable to every student who has the intellectual skill and evidences the call to prepare for ministry. An increased scholarship endowment will enable PTS to do our part in minimizing student debt load and increasing the potential for longevity in ministry.

As of July 1, 2008, donors have committed to provide 29 new scholarships (gifts of at least $12,500), including 7 new full scholarships (a gift of at least $125,000, plus the match).

Academic Chairs

Phillips Theological Seminary has assembled a faculty that combines a relatively rare set of qualities: strong academic credentials, a demonstrated record of service to the church and to the community, and an emphasis on teaching. Endowed chairs strengthen a school’s ability to retain their current faculty. When a faculty person moves elsewhere or retires, an endowed chair also provides an attractive incentive to prospective faculty members.

As of July 1, 2008, donors have committed pledged gifts to fund fully two new chairs and to begin a third. The two funded chairs ($1 million each, plus the match) are:

• The LaDonna Kramer Meinders Chair in New Testament
• The Mouzon Biggs, Jr. Chair in United Methodist Studies

The third chair, for which the seminary is receiving gifts is the Fred B. Craddock Chair in Preaching. Thus far, we have received about $150,000 for the Craddock Chair.

Library

A theological library is a treasure trove for the history of the Christian Church and its life throughout the world. Phillips Theological Seminary boasts an excellent theological collection comprised of over ninety thousand volumes, housed in a comfortable, functional and attractive space. An endowment designated for the library will ensure that the PTS library can operate optimally (in terms of acquisitions, cataloging, and service) for years to come.

During the quiet phase of the campaign, three donors committed a total of $2.6 million for library operations. 

Seminary Operations

In order to undergird the Seminary’s ministry of providing excellence in theological education for present and future leaders of the church, it is essential to pay attention to infrastructure. In order to support the work of education for ministry, the seminary must employ professionals and provide the necessary “tools for the job” in the areas of student services, recruitment, academic records, business, fundraising, and building maintenance.

During the quiet phase of the campaign, donors committed over $1 million to funding operations.