Adam Hamilton speaking to 2019 PTSL attendees on "The Future of a Divided Church." Photo by H. Jackson, SMU Photography.
More than 200 laity and others gathered at the SMU campus this week (March 28-30) to pause and learn from some of the nation’s foremost teachers of the Bible, religion, theology, and ministry from the faculty of Perkins School of Theology.
The Perkins Theological School for the Laity 2019 began on Thursday, March 28, with two afternoon half-day courses, including “The Future of a Divided Church,” presented by the Rev. Adam Hamilton (M.Div. ’88), a bestselling author and pastor of the Church of the Resurrection in Leawood, Kansas. A worship service followed in Perkins Chapel during which John M. Esquivel was presented with the 2019 Woodrow B. Seals Laity Award. The award goes annually to a layperson in the United States who embodies the Christian faith and commitment of service to Christ in the church, community and world as exemplified by Judge Woodrow B. Seals, a distinguished layperson whose interest and energy were instrumental in establishing the Perkins Theological School for the Laity.
Thursday night’s public lecture, “Beyond the Myth: Social Media, Youth and Why the Church is Missing the Point,” was presented by Dr. Andrew Zirschky, Assistant Professor of Practical Theology & Youth Ministry at Memphis Theological Seminary.
The program continued on Friday and Saturday with additional courses, taught by Zirschky and Perkins faculty members Roy Heller, Jamie Clark-Soles and Mark Stamm.
“It’s a really great experience through these courses that allow us to enhance our faith, learn more about the Bible, about spirituality and our shared connectivity through faith,” said Courtney Kelly, who chairs the board for the Perkins Theological School for the Laity.
Photographs by H. Jackson and G. Rogers, SMU Photography.
For many years, black churches have hosted a special Good Friday service called “Seven Last Words,” an African-American tradition woven around the last utterances of Christ before his death on the cross. Three years ago, the Black Seminarians Association (BSA) of Perkins School of Theology hosted its inaugural Seven Last Words service at St. Luke “Community” UMC, and now it’s quickly becoming a Perkins tradition, too.
This year’s third annual Seven Last Words service will take place on Friday, April 19 at 7 p.m. at Salem Institutional Baptist Church, 3918 Crozier Street in South Dallas. All are welcome to attend.
“It’s a way to feature and preview young preachers who don’t often get an opportunity to preach from the pulpit,” said the Rev. Bryant Phelps (D. Min. ’17), pastor of Church of the Disciple in DeSoto. “Folks will have an opportunity to hear new preachers and to be inspired, knowing that the church is moving forward in good hands.”
Seven preachers – all Perkins students or recent alumni – will each offer a seven-minute sermon on each of the Seven Last Words, concluding with a message from the Rev. Todd Atkins (’07 M.T.S.), a Perkins alum and senior pastor of Salem Institutional Baptist.
Phelps, who was an officer of the BSA while at Perkins, was the visionary behind the annual event. This year’s worship celebration is coordinated by Christian S. Watkins (MDiv, ‘19), 2018-19 BSA President, assisted by LaTasha Roberts (MDiv, ‘20) and Justin Carter (MDiv, ’19.) The service will contain somber elements – such as a stripping of the altar, followed by the exit of worshippers, in silence, at the end. But other elements are rooted in the “homegoing experience” – the celebratory, sometimes revival-like funeral tradition of the African-American church. Musical groups and praise dancers from St. Luke’s “Community” United Methodist Church will participate in the event.
While the 2017 and 2018 events were held at nearby United Methodist churches, this year’s location was chosen “in consideration of the push for interdenominational support for all of our Perkins sisters and brothers as well as the desire to uplift, preach and pray in one of Dallas’ most disenfranchised parts,” said Watkins.
Watkins is the Neighborhood Relationship Intern for the North Texas Conference’s Zip Code Connection, an effort working with residents in two zip codes to help recreate vibrant, thriving communities. One of the two is South Dallas Fair Park (zip code 75215), home to Salem Institutional Baptist Church.
“We want to highlight the fact that the south of Dallas needs attention,” Watkins said. “We intentionally chose the area so that we can commiserate and commune with that community. I hope our prayers can be a springboard for new ideas and new things to happen in that area.”
The seven preachers who will be featured in the service include:
Luke 23:34: “Father, forgive them, for they know not what they do.” – The Rev. Lisa Bozeman, an expected 2019 M.Div. graduate and an intern at Hamilton Park UMC)
Luke 23:43: “Truly, I say to you, today you will be with me in paradise.” – The Rev. Joyce Brooks (’18 M.Div., and ’20 D.Min. candidate, and senior pastor of St. Paul AME Church in Beaumont, Texas.
John 19:26–27: “Woman, behold your son. Son, behold your mother” – Justin Carter, an expected 2019 M.Div. graduate and intern at Light of the World Church of Christ.
Matthew 27:46 & Mark 15:34: “My God, My God, why have you forsaken me?” –The Rev. Enid Henderson, an expected 2019 M.Div. graduate and executive pastor of Jones Memorial UMC in Houston.
John 19:28: “I thirst.” – The Rev. Sharon Larkin, a D.Min. candidate, expected graduation 2020, and pastor of administration at St. Luke “Community” UMC.
John 19:30: “It is finished.” – The Rev. Dr. Ervin D. Seamster, Jr. (D.Min.), senior pastor at Light of the World Church of Christ.
Luke 23:46: “Father, into thy hands I commend my spirit.” – The Rev. Todd Atkins.
Tracy Anne Allred, Assistant Dean of Student Life.
Tracy Anne Allred with her family at the Palm Beach Gardens Community High School, Palm Beach Gardens, Fla. Sports Hall of Fame Induction Ceremony.
Tracy Anne Allred, Assistant Dean of Student Life, was inducted into the Sports Hall of Fame, Class of 2019, at her alma mater, Palm Beach Gardens Community High School (PBGCHS) in Palm Beach Gardens, Fla., in an induction ceremony on March 10 in the school’s auditorium.
Allred, a 1989 graduate of PBGCHS, was honored as a multiple sport athlete, earning 10 varsity letters (in 12 sports seasons) in volleyball, soccer and softball. She played on the school’s 4A State Championship Softball Team, which captured titles in 1986, 1988 and 1989.
In volleyball, her accomplishments included twice MVP, 2nd team All-Conference, 2nd team All-Academic as a junior and 1st team as a senior, team motivator award, coaches award for defense, and she scored the most points in the district tournament for the district runner-up Gators her senior year.
In soccer, Allred also earned All-Conference and all area acclaim, MVP honors, Sun Sentinel First Team and Palm Coast 2nd team, 1st team All-Academic, and in 1988 was a key contributor to the District 9 and Region 6 team championships.
In softball, Allred starred on 3 state championship slow pitch softball teams, hitting .466 her senior year and being named 1st team All Area by the Palm Beach Post in addition to all conference.
Her senior classmates voted her “Most Athletic”, the Gardens staff nominated her for the Palm Beach Post Pathfinder Award in Sports, and Gator coaches voted her “Female Athlete of the Year.”
These athletic honors were in addition to other, numerous extracurriculars; Allred was also the high school’s Marching Band Drum Major for two years, played in the symphonic band, served as President of the Florida Future Educators of America chapter on campus, Treasurer of the National Honor Society, and a member of the senior class council.
“I think my most memorable sports experience from high school sports was learning the values of working as a member of a team,” Allred said. “I learned that no single person won (or lost) a ball game. We relied on each other’s strengths and cheered for each other’s achievements.”
If you want a sense of David Kim’s outlook on life, turn to Ecclesiastes 3:11: “[God] has made everything beautiful in its time. He has also set eternity in the human heart; yet no one can fathom what God has done from beginning to end.”
Kim calls that verse his “spiritual mac and cheese” – comfort food that nourished him in times of struggle as he embraced the Christian faith, coming from a non-believing family, and eventually decided to pursue a seminary education.
“When I was first getting into the church and being active, I didn’t really know what it meant to be Christian, other than going to church,” he said. “It was hard for me to understand many of the concepts. This verse tells me that God has made it so we can’t know everything. But he also gives us provision to see everything as beautiful.”
Kim began attending Bible study while in high school and was active in First Korean United Methodist Church in Richardson, near his undergraduate school, the University of Texas at Dallas (UTD). The church was a big source of support when his mother was diagnosed with colorectal cancer and ultimately passed away in 2016.
Ecclesiastes 3:11 also talks about timing – something that played a big role in Kim’s path to Perkins. He is currently in his second semester in the M.Div. program at Perkins’ Houston-Galveston campus, with plans to graduate in 2021 and pursue a career in the chaplaincy.
Kim, who lives in College Station, was able to make that work because his decision to attend seminary coincided serendipitously with the launch of the hybrid approach at Houston-Galveston in the fall of 2018. With the transition to the hybrid model, the Houston-Galveston Extension program’s previous Dallas campus residency requirement was waived. Houston-Galveston students take nine credit hours, or three courses, each semester and attend three semesters (rather than two) per year. Students are required to be physically present for 20 hours of face-to-face instruction—10 hours at the beginning and end of each semester—per class.
Kim had been pursuing a Ph.D. in biomedical engineering but by Christmas of 2017, felt a strong call to study at Perkins and pursue the chaplaincy. He applied, doubtful he’d be admitted, and if he did, expecting he would need to work full-time at least a year to make returning to school financially feasible.
“I got in and received a scholarship, so I felt God made a really clear path for me,” he said. The Houston-Galveston program, with its hybrid approach blending online and in-person coursework, allows him to continue to work part-time as a programmer.
David and his wife Danielle Kim.
Kim followed in the footsteps of his wife, Danielle Kim, a Perkins student at the Dallas campus who will graduate with an M.Div. in May. She is on track to be ordained as an elder in the North Texas conference.
Now, timing is on Kim’s mind again. Just as Danielle is near completion of her degree, he’s almost ready to begin the specialized coursework he’ll need for the chaplaincy. The couple is planning to move from College Station, where they live now, to Dallas sometime in the next year. He hopes to ultimately complete his degree at the SMU campus and to get additional training at a Dallas-area hospital or hospice.
Perkins was the only seminary Kim considered; he says it was a “natural choice.”
“The faculty is amazing,” he said. “Just being able to study with people whose names you hear regularly around the United Methodist Church: Abraham Smith, Billy Abraham, Ted Campbell – that’s wonderful,” he said, adding that his wife had talked often about the classes she was taking and the conversations she was having with these faculty members.
Abraham Smith, Professor of New Testament at Perkins.
If you doubt whether the Bible is relevant today, talk to Abraham Smith. His wide-ranging work centers on connecting Biblical texts to modern issues – as well as contributing to a major, worldwide effort to update a translation of the Bible itself.
Currently, Smith is on sabbatical. He recently completed a book manuscript that examines mass incarceration in tandem with Luke’s critique of injustice in the Roman empire.
“There are imprisonment scenes all over the Book of Acts,” he said. “The book compares the prisons of today with prisons mentioned in the Book of Acts.”
He’s also working on research focused on church-based moral movements in four different time periods: The 1st century moral movement of which Jesus was a part; the anti-lynching crusade of Ida B. Wells in the late 19th and early 20th centuries; the Southern Christian Leadership Conference of the 1960s led by Martin Luther King, Jr.; and the Third Reconstruction new fusion politics movement, begun in 2013 and led by the Rev. William Barber II of North Carolina, fighting for justice and against poverty.
“I’m looking at all four moral movements for their prophetic rhetoric, how they crafted their words and ideas to change public sentiment,” Smith said.
Smith, a member of the Society of Biblical Literature, also serves as a National Council of Churches’ representative to the editorial board that is overseeing an updated edition of the New Revised Standard Version (NRSV). The Society of Biblical Literature, which developed the mandate for the updated edition in collaboration with the National Council of Churches, also recruited the editorial team and now manages the editorial process.
“The National Council of Churches owns the publishing rights to the NRSV, and there’s a 30-year review underway,” he said. “It’s not going to be a complete revision, but it will be an update, made in light of advances in scholarship, the publication of new manuscripts, and new information about the meaning of the words themselves. There’s also an effort to create more consistency in the text critical notation patterns.”
The most recent version was published in 1989; the next — after some debate, dubbed the “NRSV Update” — is scheduled for publication in 2020. The NRSV Update will continue to aim for the NRSV’s goal of being “as literal as possible and as graceful as possible.”
Smith has also been commissioned to do two other works: a book on the Black Studies movement in higher education, which began in the late 1960s and early 1970s and continues under the banner of African-American Studies or Africana Studies; and an essay looking at Howard Thurman and his seminal influential treatise, Jesus and the Disinherited, originally published in 1949. Thurman (1900-1981), an African-American author, philosopher, theologian, educator, and civil rights leader, served as dean of Marsh Chapel at Boston University from 1953 to 1965 and co-founded the first major interracial, interdenominational church in the United States.
“I’m writing an essay on that classic text for the 70th anniversary,” Smith said. “It’s an examination of the historical Jesus in the light of his attempts to address the needs of the disinherited and marginalized – persons with their ‘backs against the wall’.”
Abraham Smith with Andrea Chambers, a Perkins alum and board member of Equity for Women in the Church.
Smith is also involved in advocacy and educational efforts that take him beyond the walls of the academy. He’s on the board of a group called Equity for Women in the Church, an ecumenical movement helping congregations become more “female friendly,” and locally, he’s part of the Urban Engagement Book Club.
The book club is hosted by CitySquare Opportunity Center, an urban ministry program based in South Dallas, and has studied books on social justice topics ranging from Bryan Stevenson’s Just Mercy to Joyce King’s Hate Crime.
“I get a chance to hear about interesting books that I need to read,” he said. “And since we’re always talking about how these books deal with an issue in society, that keeps me grounded.”
Teaching Specialties
Gospel of Luke, Gospel of Mark, 1 Thessalonians
Research Interests
African American biblical hermeneutics, cultural studies
Favorite Bible Verse
Proverbs 4:18, But the path of the righteous is like the light of dawn, which shines brighter and brighter until full day. “I discovered this verse when I saw the words in Spanish in an email from a friend in Chile,” Smith said. “I wondered where they came from and was shocked to learn they were from the Bible! I’ve been fascinated with this verse ever since.”
Book on the Nightstand
Leadership: In Turbulent Times by Doris Kearns Goodwin. The book looks at the presidential leadership styles of Abraham Lincoln, Theodore Roosevelt, Franklin Roosevelt and Lyndon Johnson. “The author looks at each of these four presidents’ ability to adapt,” he said. “Given the turbulent times we live in, I see the book as instructive about how leaders can adapt today in the face of personal and public difficulties.”
Fantasy dinner party
“I’d make it a small dinner party. I’d invite two persons I’m writing about: Ida B. Wells and Howard Thurman. The topic of discussion: How does one change the narrative or various myths that deny each person the right to have dignity and respect? That’s a concern for me. There are so many instances where persons are counted as nobodies because of their race, gender, sexual orientation, or class. How do we change the narrative to give value and dignity to each person?”
Family
“I’m originally from Mobile, Ala. My mother, Pauline Robinson Smith, died at a young age; so my father, Calvin Lewis Smith, a blind man, raised five children by himself. He was a minister who learned to read Braille and do trades. Friends and relatives wanted to break up my family, but my father insisted on raising us together, and all of us finished college and have done well in life. Three have master’s degrees, and I have a Ph.D. Both of my parents are gone now, but they still live and breathe in everything I do.”
Something about you that most people don’t know?
“Despite being gregarious, I don’t crave public attention. I’m very quiet and I love a lot of alone time.”
You get to ask one question at the Pearly Gates. What do you ask?
“I don’t think much about the afterlife, but I would like to know, ‘Are those gates there to let people in, or to keep people out?’ We hear so much about walls and gates. Whatever heaven is going to be, I hope it doesn’t translate into more structures that separate us.”
Do you follow a regular, personal practice (prayer, meditation, walking, etc.) that nourishes your spirit?
“I can’t live without music. Music nourishes my spirit. Every day I wake up to Kirk Whalum’s ‘Hymns: in the Garden.’ It’s a gospel CD of purely instrumental jazz. That music centers me for whatever my day brings.”
Alyce McKenzie translates advice for good preaching into tips for politicians
As Director of the Center for Preaching Excellence, Alyce McKenzie teaches preachers how to have something important to say and to say it well from the pulpit. (Rule one: Don’t bore the hell out of people.) She translates advice for preachers into tips for politicians, in this column in Inside Sources, an online aggregator of opinion pieces. Read it here.
Anthony J. Elia: Libraries aren’t dead – far from it
Futurists have predicted the decline of the library for decades; in the early 2000s, many believed that all books would be digitized or online and the need for libraries would soon disappear. Instead, there has been a concerted return to and re-emergence of the physical book, a now booming used-book market, a steady decline in e-book sales — and a return to a physical reality of the printed word that many people did not expect, according to Anthony J. Elia, the J.S. Bridwell Foundation Endowed Librarian and Director of Bridwell Library at SMU Dallas. His column appeared in Inside Sources and the West Virginia Gazette Mail.
Donte Ford (M.S.M. '16 and M.Div. '18). Photo by H. Jackson, SMU Photography.
Donte Ford (M.S.M. '16 and M.Div. '18). Photo by H. Jackson, SMU Photography.
Donte A. Ford Wins Award
Donte A. Ford has been chosen as the winner of the 2019 Men’s Ensemble Composer Competition of the Brooklyn Youth Chorus. Ford also recently conducted the premier of his gospel arrangement of “Ride On, King Jesus” with the University of Arizona Symphonic Choir and serves as a guest clinician at St. John Institutional Baptist Church in Phoenix, Arizona. He earned an M.S.M ’16 and an M.Div. ’18 at Perkins, as well as a Master of Music from Meadows in 2017.
Amanda Price (second from left) with Governor John Bel Edwards (third from left), the 56th Governor of Louisiana, and his family at the Governor’s Mansion in Baton Rouge, La.
Amanda Price
The Rev. Amanda Price (M.Div. ’17) was recently asked to pray with Governor John Bel Edwards, the 56th Governor of Louisiana, and his family at the Governor’s Mansion in Baton Rouge, La. The annual event brought more than 25 pastors from around Louisiana for breakfast, conversation with the Governor’s staff and a time of prayer.
“The governor is Roman Catholic but recognizes the religious diversity of our state and pastors of many different denominations were present,” Price said. “I am honored to have been asked to be a part of supporting our state’s leadership through conversation and prayer.”
Price is currently serving as pastor of Mt. Zion United Methodist Church in Calhoun, La.
Perkins alum joins Boston U School of Theology faculty
Filipe Maia
Boston University School of Theology announced the new appointment of Filipe Maia (M.T.S. ’11) as a new full-time faculty member, who will begin on July 1, 2019 as Assistant Professor of Theology.
Maia focuses his work in postmodern theology and philosophy, Latin American and Latino/a liberation theologies and philosophy, economic justice, eschatology, postcolonial and decolonial theologies, and Wesleyan studies. He completed his Th.D. at Harvard University in 2017 and has been on the faculty at the Pacific School of Religion. Maia currently works closely with the United Methodist and global Methodist Churches, with local Latinx communities, and with students in the Portuguese Course of Study (UMC).
OBITUARIES
Page Thomas. Photo courtesy of Bridwell Library.
The Rev. Page Thomas
A memorial service was held March 15 at First UMC Plano for the Rev. Page A. Thomas, former Director of the Center for Methodist Studies at Bridwell Library. Thomas served in multiple capacities at Bridwell Library for nearly half a century, including as director of the Center for Methodist Studies. He passed away March 8 near Fairview, Texas, north of Dallas. Thomas was well-known throughout Southern Methodist University for his enthusiasm, energetic charm, professional integrity, and affinity for Western wear. Among American Theological Library Association colleagues, he was regarded by many to be a total librarian and was much admired for his wide-ranging knowledge of Methodist history.
Thomas was licensed to preach in 1956 at the Leslie (Arkansas) Methodist Church. He received a BA in 1958 from Hendrix College, where he served as a student pastor. Thomas was ordained a Deacon (1959) and Elder (1962) in the North Arkansas Annual Conference of the Methodist Church. He earned a BD [M.Div. equivalent] from Perkins School of Theology in 1961. From 1963 to 1965 Thomas preached at Bethel Methodist Church near Greenville, Texas. He held the record for the longest single appointment in the United Methodist Church: 46 years at Bridwell Library.
Thomas began working at Bridwell Library on September 6, 1961, four months after graduating from Perkins School of Theology. His one-year contract turned into a nearly five-decade long career. Originally hired to be the circulation desk supervisor, he moved into other areas of librarianship and administration: cataloging, public services, technical services, curator of exhibitions, collector of archival records, director of the Center for Methodist Studies, and acting library director. His professional interests included Methodist history, historical research, rare book cataloguing, and archaeology. In his free time, Mr. Thomas enjoyed blacksmithing, fishing, raising horses, and volunteering at the Heritage Farmstead in Plano.
To mark his thirtieth work anniversary, Bridwell Library established the Page A. Thomas Collections for the History of the Book in 1991. In 1996, Decherd Turner, the founding director of Bridwell Library, wrote in tribute to Page Thomas: “The best personnel-related event I brought off in my thirty years at Bridwell was hiring you. You became not only my right hand, but my left as well. Much of the best in Bridwell today bears the stamp of your aid.” Page was mentored by Kate Warnick, SMU’s first theological librarian, and worked for five directors: Decherd Turner, Jerry Campbell, Robert Maloy, Valerie Hotchkiss, and Roberta Schaafsma. He retired in 2007.
Harold W. Reynolds
Harold W. Reynolds, 93, long time Tulsa resident died February 27, 2019, in Garland, Texas. He was born April 12, 1925 in Brownsville, TX. After Naval service during WWII, he married Thelma J. Peace on December 23, 1946. A graduate of Southwestern University and Perkins School of Theology, Harold devoted his life to Christian Education Ministry, serving churches in San Antonio, Topeka, Dallas and Tulsa. He served Boston Avenue United Methodist Church for 18 years before retirement in 1991. His strong ties to the church continued until his death.
Thelma, his wife of 55 years, preceded Harold in death. He is survived by his children and spouses, Glenn Reynolds and Karen Havholm, Karen and Steven Carr, and Jim and Jane Reynolds; 6 grandchildren and 5 great-grandchildren. Family and friends will remember Harold for his curiosity, joy in life, beautiful tenor voice and outgoing personality. His interests included music, photography, woodworking, storytelling, gardening, and travel. He valued his service to American Red Cross, Meals on Wheels, and Habitat for Humanity. A memorial service will take place on Thursday, April 4 at Boston Avenue United Methodist Church.
Rachel Escamilla
Rachel Escamilla (M. Div. ’18) died March 10 of complications related to her failing kidneys at her parents’ home. A memorial service was held Saturday, March 30, at Christ United Methodist Church in Farmers Branch. Rachel interned at First United Methodist Church of Plano and was also a current student in Perkins’ Spiritual Certification Program. A simple memorial service in Rachel’s honor will be held during the closing worship for the next weekend session of the Spiritual Directors program, April 26-28, 2019. Cards are welcomed and may be sent to her parents, Soila and Hector Escamilla, 3319 Water Oak Ct., Farmers Branch, TX 75234.
The Rev. Edward Blythe
The Rev. Edward Cary Blythe (M. Th. ‘60), a retired clergymen who was a member of the Little Rock Conference at retirement but served some churches in the North Texas Conference, passed away Sunday, February 24, at age 87. While in the North Texas Conference, Rev. Blythe served at First UMC, Sherman; First UMC, Paris; First UMC Irving; and First UMC Wichita Falls. He is survived by his wife Marion Blythe. For those wishing to send cards and letters of condolence, send them to: Marion Blythe, 1894 S. Patrick Drive, Indian Harbor Beach, FL 32937.
SMU Perkins Office of Enrollment Management team members (left to right) Margot Perez-Greene, Stephen Bagby, Sandy Oswalt, John Lowery, Jean Nixon, Caleb Palmer and Yazmin Strauss. Not pictured, Jon Herrin. Photo by J. Crenshaw, SMU Photography.
Rev. Dr. Margot Perez-Greene Associate Dean of Enrollment Management
Recruitment and admissions personnel are often asked: “What are the numbers looking like?”
And, why not? Schools want to know 1) what the incoming class is like; 2) where our students are coming from; 3) how we are faring compared to last year; 4) whether we expect more students from other denominations; and 5) will we have to create more sections? I’m happy to report that the answers to these questions for this enrollment season are hopeful and encouraging!
When the spring 2019 enrollment brief was provided to the Executive Board at the March meeting, I shared photos of our spring Houston-Galveston incoming class of 18 new students (one student enrolled for January term) along with a photo of the Dallas group of eight students.
In response to the photos, Bishop Cynthia Fierro Harvey (M.Div. ’99) of the Louisiana Episcopal Area of the United Methodist Church, said, “This report shows that people are still being called into ministry.”
Amen to that, especially after the General Conference Session in February of the United Methodist Church. And having returned from a meeting of graduate admissions and financial aid personnel this week, who reported declines of enrollment over the past couple of years, this was welcome news.
And so, we are thankful for the Houston-Galveston-Extension program, now offering the Master of Divinity and Master of Arts in Ministry programs via the hybrid format, where we’ve experienced rapid growth for two successive semesters. It’s clearly meeting a need while helping maintain our overall enrollment growth.
So, here’s what the numbers are looking like for Perkins:
[fusion_table]
Fall 2016
Spring 2017
Fall 2017
46 Students
11 Students
78 Students
[/fusion_table]
[fusion_table]
Spring 2018
Fall 2018
Spring 2019
11 Students
89 Students
26 Students
[/fusion_table]
Fall 2016-Fall 2017 increase of 36.8%
Fall 2017-Fall 2018 increase of 14.1%
2016-2018 increase of 101.8%
These are challenging times, nonetheless. May I offer my statement of confidence to you about our Enrollment Management Team. They are doing their best to continue the success of increased enrollment for the last two fall terms. We ask for your prayers and for your nominations of prospective students. (In particular, check out our April travel schedule (below) and let us know if you have any contacts at these destinations that we may call on when we visit.)
Thanks for all you do to spread the good word about Perkins!
Peace and grace,
Margot
Rev. Dr. Margot Perez-Greene
Associate Dean of Enrollment Management
“I am loving my classes, and I’m so happy that I got to meet the students face-to-face that I would be studying with. The professors are amazing, and I don’t even have to move…thank everyone!”
— Incoming Houston-Galveston student
Recruitment Travel for the Month of April 2019
Office of Enrollment Management
Our Ministry Discernment Associates, John Lowery and Caleb Palmer, will be traveling this month to gatherings and universities to meet prospective students and get the word out about Perkins School of Theology. If you know of a prospective student, or have a contact (faculty, alums, other stakeholders) at one or more of these destinations, please contact John or Caleb. Your support is greatly appreciated.
On February 26, 2019, the Special Session of the General Conference of The United Methodist Church adopted the “Traditional Plan,” which continues to exclude “self–avowed practicing homosexuals” from ordained ministry and prohibits clergy from officiating at same-sex weddings.
This decision has given birth to a great many uncertainties, but at least one thing is absolutely clear: it in no way changes our institution’s historic stance of inclusion. From its inception, Perkins School of Theology has sought to serve the whole, undivided church, not simply one fraction or faction of it. Perkins led the way in 1952 with the admission of five African-American students, resulting in the racial integration of Southern Methodist University two years before the landmark Brown v. the Board of Education of Topeka. We are a diverse community that welcomes students, staff and faculty—including those who identify as LGBTQIA—from a wide range of traditions and perspectives. We see our inclusiveness as both an abiding strength and a positive goal. Perkins is one of an increasingly small number of places where individuals of differing background, experience, and opinion may come to know each other first as persons, not as positions. The aim is not to turn out students who all think alike, but to graduate leaders who think both deeply and broadly and who understand and care for others, however different they might be.
This is in concert with the commitments of the larger institution in which we are imbedded, Southern Methodist University, whose nondiscrimination statement reads as follows:
Southern Methodist University (SMU) will not discriminate in any employment practice, education program, education activity or admissions on the basis of race, color, religion, national origin, sex, age, disability, genetic information or veteran status. SMU’s commitment to equal opportunity includes nondiscrimination on the basis of sexual orientation and gender identity and expression.
Understandably, this week’s decision has caused a great deal of pain and confusion, both here at Perkins and at the twelve other United Methodist schools of theology. It is worth noting that the full implications of the General Conference action will continue to emerge in the weeks, months, and years ahead. Perkins School of Theology is a part of Southern Methodist University and related to a broad collection of theological seminaries, colleges, and universities affiliated with the United Methodist Church. Conversations will continue among these groups and their constituencies. Read the statement from the Association of United Methodist Theological Schools.
In the interim, we claim this truth: Inclusion of all persons, as beloved daughters and sons of God, is our history, our present and our future. It is our unalterable commitment as we educate the next generation of leadership for diverse expressions of Christ’s church throughout the world.
SMU Perkins Office of Enrollment Management team members (left to right) Margot Perez-Greene, Stephen Bagby, Sandy Oswalt, John Lowery, Jean Nixon, Caleb Palmer and Yazmin Strauss. Not pictured, Jon Herrin. Photo by J. Crenshaw, SMU Photography.
Perkins Admissions Staff Portraits
I’m often asked, “What is enrollment management?”
Here is a broad explanation of the term and its components as practiced in the Office of Enrollment Management (OEM) at Perkins.
Rev. Dr. Margot Perez-Greene Associate Dean of Enrollment Management
Enrollment management was first conceived in college admissions offices in the 1970s to address a projected decline in enrollment. By the late 1980s, the concept had grown to include all of the functions necessary to attract and retain students. By the late 1990s, systematic sets of activities were designed to enable educational institutions to exert more influence over their student enrollments and to encompass the totality of the student experience. By then, enrollment management had become an institution-wide, research-based implementation of activities to secure an institution’s future enrollment.
Given the nature of the breadth and scope of the many factors that impact enrollment –demographic trends, admission operations, institutional research – it became clear that institutions needed to connect the larger enrollment picture to the rest of the school, from facilities to data management. Doing so would add to the degree of success that an institution would have from recruitment to graduation.
In my early administrative years as Vice President of Enrollment Management at a college in Iowa in the early 1990s, this was precisely our approach: All departments were key participants in enacting strategies for the success of students, from recruitment to graduation.
The focus of the Office of Enrollment Management at Perkins is recruitment and admission. Financial aid and financial literacy are vital to our work. As important as it is getting students through the door, that is just the beginning. Our particular journey, as a department of enrollment management, began with staffing, review of the admission process and recruitment strategies and staff training. Now, our major emphasis is on optimizing recruitment strategies and making the admission process more efficient. Simply put, these are the building blocks where a significant amount of time must be spent: creating a foundation to grow enrollment and meet admissions goals. Knowing which students to recruit, and how best to help the ones we do, can be a challenge. Good data can help remove the guesswork, so our next step is to develop a roadmap that includes the use of our customer relation management program (Slate, which is employed University-wide) and other institutional data made available to us, in order to facilitate a greater return on our investment of resources.
I believe that, with the performance of current enrollment management elements, we are in a good place, but we understand that we cannot afford to be comfortable simply with the success we have had. We understand that it is naïve to think success is ensured. So we forge ahead to develop a culture that is more nimble and dynamic, to build a process and a mindset of strategic thinking to carry us forward and that will allow us to adjust and change as necessary. In my view, adjustment and change are the true underpinnings of successful enrollment management, essential for success to happen – and even more, to persist.
I hope this explanation is helpful. If you have questions, please contact me at 214-768-3332 or margot@smu.edu.
Peace and grace,
Margot
Rev. Dr. Margot Perez-Greene
Associate Dean of Enrollment Management
