The New U Checklist
From Meadville Lombard President Lee Barker, a Progress Report
About the Work to Establish a New Theological University


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Issue #4, November 26, 2010
Greetings!

The process to form a new multifaith theological university continues with much attention these days to real estate. We are selling our current property and looking at no fewer than four exciting new homes for Meadville Lombard Theological School -- yes, all in Chicago. We also anticipate changes in Newton Centre, Massachusetts, home to what will become our partner institution, Andover Newton Theological School.

News about real estate could develop quickly during the next few weeks. I urge you to stay on the lookout!

In the background, the work of forming a new university proceeds on many other fronts. Academic collaboration is planned. Student recruitment efforts are being coordinated between our two schools. Development staffs are preparing to share information. And the Transition Team, comprised of trustees from both schools, has hired a lawyer to represent the interests of the prospective new university as the team works on a governance plan.

Please read on for latest details.
Highlights
  • The new university isn't born yet, but it now has an attorney looking after its interests. See "Governance" below.
  • We're planning events during January intensives to process feelings about leaving the Hyde Park campus at 57th Street and Woodlawn Avenue. It is likely this is the last January session on our current campus. And because of our large number of students, some classes during January 2011 will be held in facilities at neighboring seminaries in the Association of Chicago Theological Schools.See "Location and Facilities" below.
  • We're considering four great sites in Chicago for the new location of Meadville Lombard. See "Location and Facilities" below.
  • Staff-to-staff meetings continue. See "Faculty and Staff" below.
  • Student recruitment for Meadville Lombard remains strong, and the two schools are beginning to cooperate in our recruitment efforts. See "Students" below.
Governance

The Transition Team, comprised of trustees and staff members from both Meadville Lombard and its partner school, Andover Newton Theological School, has hired an attorney to represent the purposes of the new theological university. With the attorney, the Transition Team has begun discussing the outline of potential governance models for the new university that will best allow Meadville Lombard to retain its Unitarian Universalist identity and mission. The governance model that is the right fit for us will also allow prospective schools to each carry out their mission, too.

Name
A process to establish a name for the new theological university is being deferred at least until after governance and accreditation issues are closer to resolution.
Accreditation and Degrees
The Transition Team has established a process to address any accreditation matters through the Association of Theological Schools. The discussion with ATS about how to maintain accreditation through the implementation of the new university is deepening, bringing more clarity and detailed planning.
Location and Facilities
  • In Chicago ... Not having an actual moving date, we are planning as if we will be leaving the Main Building at 5701 South Woodlawn Avenue in Chicago's Hyde Park neighborhood by the end of 2011. It's likely we will leave the converted houses at 5707 South Woodlawn and 5711 South Woodlawn before that time. (And, as previously announced, the house at 5700 South Woodlawn is under a sale agreement to close by December 22, 2010.)
  • This means it is likely the January Convocation and intensive classes to be held in two months will be the last of those conducted while the school is located at 57th Street and Woodlawn Avenue. We plan for activities in January to include means for students, faculty, and staff to process their feelings about leaving these facilities, which have decades of history behind them.
  • To accommodate our large number of students, many classes in January 2011 will be held in facilities of neighboring seminaries in the Association of Chicago Theological Schools. Our January Convocation, for instance, will be held at Catholic Theological Union in Hyde Park.
  • A total of four possible sites for Meadville Lombard in Chicago are now under consideration. All of them would better serve the school's needs than the current facilities permit. They have the potential to offer smart classrooms with the latest teaching technology, worship space, climate-controlled library space, and opportunities for Meadville Lombard to have its own entrances and signage visible on the street.
  • We are fortunate to be searching for a new home when the market for real estate is very favorable, and selling when the market is surprisingly competitive. This offers both exciting options for purchasers for our current property and well as options for our new facilities. It turns out our timing is serving us well.
  • Further real estate decisions could happen very quickly now. Stay tuned.
  • In Newton Centre, Massachusetts ... Hebrew College, located next to Andover Newton, is selling its buildings as part of a plan to reduce a large debt. The buildings were constructed by Hebrew College on land sold by ANTS to the college. Hebrew College is expecting to move into facilities owned by ANTS (which means facilities soon to be owned by the new theological university). Although it has not announced that it will be a founding partner in the new theological university, the move by Hebrew College adds a multifaith dimension to the new theological university, bringing its Jewish identity to our sister campus in Massachusetts, added to the Christian identity of ANTS and the Unitarian Universalist identity of Meadville Lombard.
Wiggin Library

We are reviewing bids from professional library movers for the care of our collection during the transition to its new facilities.

Curriculum
We are taking the first concrete steps with Andover Newton for academic collaboration and partnership, particularly around the Master in Divinity programs at the two schools.
Unitarian Universalist Identity
All of our options for new facilities in Chicago include the possibility of signage and other means to identify the new location as the home of a Unitarian Universalist seminary. It is important that our new facilities both work for the needs of students, the library, etc., while also allowing Meadville Lombard to have an identity in Chicago for Unitarian Universalists throughout the land.
Faculty and Staff

Staff-to-staff planning meetings have begun between Meadville Lombard and Andover Newton.

Students
  • An online webinar earlier this month attracted 21 prospective students, a high turnout indicating our new educational model and TouchPoint format continue to excite potential seminarians about Meadville Lombard.
  • Meadville Lombard and Andover Newton will now refer prospective students to the other school. In general, Meadville Lombard will refer prospective students looking for a residential seminary experience to Andover Newton. And Andover Newton will refer  prospective students looking for a distance-learning format to Meadville Lombard.
  • We are asking leaders in the student body to help us identify ways to serve students in both the residential and distance-learning formats concerning the transition to new facilities in Chicago as well as the prospect of forming the new theological university.
  • I met with the four students who live in residential space at 5700 South Woodlawn Avenue, which is to be sold to new owners on or before December 22, 2010. The leases the students have will be honored by the new owners through the leases' expiry on June 15, 2011.
     
Alumni/ae
  • The Rev. Dr. Nick Carter, the president-designate of the new university and the current president of Andover Newton, met this month with alumni/ae of both schools in the Philadelphia area.
  • We are planning ways for alumni/ae to express their feelings around leaving the Hyde Park campus at 57th Street and Woodlawn Avenue. If you have any thoughts on this, please contact the alumni/ae affairs staff via email.
     
Advancement
The development staffs of both Meadville Lombard and Andover Newton are taking steps to share information and learn more about each other.
Newsletter Topic Index and Archives Now Online
This is the fourth issue of this newsletter, which has been well received by its readers. To better serve readers, we are archiving and indexing the newsletter. This information is located on a special page of our alumni/ae and development blog, "ML Flash."

For readers who want to publish links to our sites, this information may be useful:
More to Come
I expect the next few weeks to be full of news about the transition of Meadville Lombard into the new theological university. Please keep an eye out! And please send your questions and comments to me at [email protected].

The Thanksgiving season is the perfect time to express gratitude for all who through the years have lent their support to Meadville Lombard. Without the leadership of students, alumni/ae, faculty, staff, trustees, and donors, Meadville Lombard could not be on the threshold of this historic moment. We have received so much from those people and are eager to live up to their vision for Unitarian Universalist theological education.

Sincerely,
Lee Barker Signature


Rev. Dr. Lee Barker, DMin '78, DD '01
President and Professor of Ministry
Meadville Lombard Theological School

Academically Rigorous | Spiritually Grounded | Unapologetically Progressive