Presidents

The Association conducts two annual events for chief administrative officers.

New Presidents Seminar

This annual weekend seminar introduces new presidents to a variety of issues about the role and work of presidents in theological schools, including transitions into the presidency, the role and vocation of the president, finance, governance, leadership, and the relationship of the president to other constituencies in theological education. Presidents are also introduced to ATS resources, including the Strategic Information Report. The seminar is led by experienced presidents and specialists in theological education. It is held in January each year and involves 20 to 25 registrants, most in their first or second year of the presidency. The New Presidents Seminar typically serves as a prerequisite for the Presidential Leadership Intensive.

2008 Draft Agenda

Presidential Leadership Intensive

This week-long event for presidents is designed with a three-year curriculum that gives attention to leadership, institutional finance, development, personnel, governance, legal issues, endowment management, conflict, student recruitment and retention, and cases about theological school leadership. Presidents are encouraged to attend three consecutive years, and priority is given to persons in the first five years of the presidency who have attended the New Presidents Seminar. The Intensive exposes presidents to experts in these various subject areas, provides a structure and time for sustained peer interaction, and offers a genuine break from on-campus responsibilities to reflect on their work. Many of the chapters in the forthcoming Handbook for Seminary Presidents were chosen to support the curricular themes of the Presidential Intensive. This annual event, held in Santa Fe, NM, limits participation to 40 registrants (many of whom bring their spouses), plus a group of experienced presidents who serve as worship leaders and small group leaders throughout the week.

2008 Registration Form (coming soon)

2008 Draft Agenda (coming soon)

Handbook for Seminary Presidents

The Handbook for Seminary Presidents provides the framework and some of the specific information a president needs to survey the major tasks of the job. The various chapters in the handbook cover the major areas of a seminary that demand presidential attention. Each chapter defines a particular area of responsibility and the unique role of the president in it. An analysis and discussion of the area identifies many of the critical issues likely to confront a president, suggests some best practices for dealing with these issues, and poses some of the questions a president should be asking. There is also a section that suggests additional resources for those who want or need to explore the area more deeply.

Approximately 65 ATS presidents contributed to the volume as writers, outside readers, or members of the advisory committee for the project. G. Douglass Lewis, president emeritus of Wesley Theological Seminary, is the editor; associate editor is Lovett H. Weems Jr. also of Wesley Theological Seminary.

To order a copy ($24 + postage), email Linda Giehll.