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From the President
 A warm welcome to 2011 and may this year be filled with blessings. I consider myself fortunate to serve as the 2011 President of the Cherry Hill Seminary's Board of Directors. Not only do I look forward to working with the outstanding people at CHS, but the larger community as well.
Thanks to Aline O'Brien, known as Macha, for her hard work as President this past year. I look forward to continuing our work over next year. Also, thanks to those serving on the Board of Directors and Holli Emore, our Executive Director, for all their time and commitment to our exciting CHS mission.
Cherry Hill Seminary serves the community but is in itself a community too; one filled with talented teachers, dedicated staff, and leaders from the wider Pagan community. I am excited about CHS's continuing growth providing quality education to those serving as leaders in the Pagan community.
-William Blumberg
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Important Dates
For Students
Jan. 10, 2011 - End spring registration
Jan. 17, 2011 - Begin spring classes
Jan. 24, 2011 - Add/drop last date
Feb. 17, 2011 - CHS Winter Conference
Foundations Courses
Jan. 17 - Feb. 12, 2011 - Foundations Spring One
Feb. 14 - March 12, 2011 - Foundations Spring Two
March 14 - April 9, 2011 - Foundations Spring Three
For Faculty and Staff:
Jan. 1, 2011 - Summer course info. due
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Cherry Hill Seminary announces the appointment of Wendy Griffin, Ph.D., as its new Academic Dean, effective January 1, 2011.
 "I am thrilled, simply thrilled, that Wendy is coming aboard as our new Academic Dean! I cannot think of a better person to lead Cherry Hill Seminary towards accreditation," said Aline O'Brien, Chair of the Board of Directors. "At precisely the right time in the Seminary's growth, Wendy brings her unique combination of academic rigor and priestesshood to serve our maturing Pagan movement."Wendy Griffin, Ph.D., is an academic by profession, and a sociologist by training, with a Ph.D. in the interdisciplinary social sciences. She is Professor Emerita and Chair of the Department of Women's, Gender & Sexuality Studies at California State University, Long Beach, where she has taught for 26 years.Perhaps the first American academic to be openly Pagan, Wendy has published numerous academic articles on Pagan women's groups and is the editor of Daughters of the Goddess: Studies of Healing, Identity and Empowerment, a 13-essay survey of contemporary Feminist Witchcraft and Goddess Spirituality by British and American writers. She is a founding co-chair of the Contemporary Pagan Studies Group in the American Academy of Religion, and serves on the editorial board of Pomegranate: The International Journal of Pagan Studies. Wendy recently completed work as co-editor of the first scholarly series in Pagan Studies published through an academic press, AltaMira.Griffin said of her appointment, "I am excited about being part of Cherry Hill Seminary and making a contribution to the growing reputation and professionalization of the Seminary. When I entered the academic world as a brand new Ph.D. 26 years ago, I had no idea I would be able to end my career helping to build an institution that would serve such a diverse and committed international community."As Academic Dean, Griffin will guide and direct the academic life of Cherry Hill Seminary, including work towards eventual accreditation of the institution. "Wendy's lifelong career experience will be invaluable as Cherry Hill Seminary continues to build and strengthen our program," said Holli Emore, Executive Director.
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A message from the 2010 President
 As the secular year comes to a close my tenure as Chair of the Board of CHS concludes. It's been an honor for me to preside over what has been a year of change and significant progress. The seminary has made two most notable accomplishments. First is the completion of a thorough, updated Student Manual, thanks to many months work on the part of the Executive Director and the Department Chairs. Second is the naming of Dr. Wendy Griffin as CHS's new Academic Dean. I'm thrilled that Wendy has accepted this position. She brings a unique combination of intellectual rigor, experience in the academy, and commitment to cultural change that will enable her to lead Cherry Hill Seminary into a vibrant future.The membership of the Board has changed. We thank the two members who left, Jason Pitzl-Waters of Oregon and Diane Edgecomb of Maine, for their contributions. We welcome to the Board Chuck Hall, a Druid in South Carolina, and Jeff Albaugh from Los Angeles. (I mention where people live to show that CHS is comprised of Pagans from all over the United States, and in some cases, beyond.)I'd like to offer special thank to a few volunteers I've interacted with this year whose work may be taken for granted, but whose contributions are essential. Specifically, Newsletter Editor Laura Anderson, a Heathen in Colorado Springs; Social Networking Coordinator Cosette Paneque, a Witch in Miami); and Moodle [classroom] Technician Selina Rifkin, and now also Executive Assistant to the Director, a Pagan in Connecticut. They are only three of the many Pagans who give of their time and expertise to keep CHS running smoothly.I look forward to the progress I'm confident the Board will make in 2011 under the capable guidance of William Blumberg, from Orange County, California. William has been a strong supporter of CHS since he enrolled as a student several years ago. Over that time his commitment and involvement has grown, an obvious testament to his belief that Pagan culture deserves a strong seminary. I ask you to join me in welcoming him and offering him our enthusiastic support.May 2011 be a year of growth and prosperity, peace and happiness to all!Yours in changing culture,Aline (Macha) O'Brien
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Spring 2011 courses still open for registration
Please note that the course offering M6241/N6121: Earth Congregations: Nature as Classroom, Sanctuary and Radical Model for Community is being withdrawn for the spring 2011 semester.
 A6310: A Place to Belong: Homelessness as the Search for Home: This class will turn the "issue" of homelessness upside down and backwards in an attempt to draw lessons of wisdom from the instability and tragedy presented to modern society. With a hard look at a difficult problem we will uncover the human side, story by story, face by face, to reveal the hints for living a simpler, more sustainable life and lifestyle. The class will learn about innovative shelter programs, interfaith chaplaincies on the street and other ways of "humanizing homelessness." This course is taught by Chris Highland, M.Div. and meets Thursdays 8:30 ET every other week. Please note that the meeting time for this course changed. N6435/T6805: Goddess Traditions: A study of Goddess traditions in a variety of cultures from prehistory to early Christianity including contemporary uses of ancient Goddess Traditions as well as reactions to them. Students will also study and evaluate popular and scholarly debates surrounding Goddess religions and prehistory. This course is taught by Candace Kant, Ph.D. and meets Thursdays 8:00 PM ET. N6841/T6281: History of Alternative Healing in America: This course will use an interdisciplinary approach to discover the history, culture, and theology of alternative healing in America and consider such questions as: How did the dominant medical system gain supremacy in the U.S.? Why do people continue to choose alternative therapies? Which forms of alternative healing have overtly religious components? What do alternative healing systems teach about the relationship between mind, body, and spirit? What do they teach about sickness and healing? This course is taught by Sarah Whedon, Ph.D. and meets Tuesdays 8:00 PM ET.
  P5130: Introduction to Pagan Pastoral Counseling: Pastoral counseling is a unique form of counseling which uses spiritual resources as well as psychological understanding for healing and growth. In this course, we will explore the opportunities and limits of Pagan Pastoral Counseling, what it is and what it is not. We will trace the history of pastoral counseling as distinguished from psychotherapy, pastoral care, chaplaincy and spiritual guidance. We will address professional issues and develop a Pagan perspective to pastoral counseling. This course is taught by Valerie Cole, Ph.D. and David Oringderff, Ph.D. and meets Mondays 8:00 PM ET.
 P6560: Stress, Trauma and Self-Care for Pagan Counselors: This course is an exploration of the issues of stress, trauma and self-care as they relate to Pagan pastoral counseling and chaplaincy. Stress and trauma arise in many different settings including disasters, combat situations and military family life. In this course, we will explore burnout, compassion fatigue, vicarious trauma, secondary traumatic stress syndrome and the self-care that will prevent or alleviate the symptoms of these conditions. This course is taught by Valerie Cole, Ph.D., and Tracy Wharton, Ph.D. and meets Tuesdays 8:00 PM ET.  T5380: Understanding the Ritual Experience: We will look at some of the key ideas about ritual, exploring writing by scholars in the social sciences, humanities, and theology. Although we will always be asking how we can relate our material to the Pagan context, much of our reading will be looking at ritual as a human experience, and we will be comparing our own understandings of ritual with those out of the Catholic tradition, African traditions, and the Confucian tradition. Students will leave the class with a substantial encounter with contemporary thought about ritual, having been challenged to use that thought in examining their own tradition to compare their own understandings of ritual experience with those of other religious traditions. This course is taught by Grant Potts, Ph.D. and Jason Winslade, Ph.D. and has no scheduled meeting time. |
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