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Seminary of the Southwest (also referred to as SSW and The Episcopal Theological Seminary of the Southwest) is one of 11 accredited seminaries of the Episcopal Church in the United States. Seminary of the Southwest forms Christian leaders pursuing ordination within the church, as well as those interested in lay forms of ministry, including chaplaincy and counseling. The five-acre campus is located in the urban setting of Austin, TX. ==History== The Episcopal Theological Seminary of the Southwest was founded in 1952 during a period of tremendous growth in the church. Bishop John E. Hines, coadjutor of the Episcopal Diocese of Texas, began this institution as "seminary for the whole church" to accommodate the overflow of enrollment in the other established Episcopal seminaries. The seminary received a charter from the state of Texas in 1951 and was recognized as an agency of the Diocese of Texas in January 1952.〔Brown, Lawrence L. ("Episcopal Theological Seminary of the Southwest." ) Handbook of Texas Online. Accessed Aug. 14, 2013. Published by the Texas State Historical Association〕 Three clergymen served as the initial instructors: Rev. Gray M. Blandy, instructor at the Canterbury Bible Chair and chaplain of Episcopal students at the University of Texas at Austin; Rev. Lawrence Brown, Bible Chair instructor at the Agricultural and Mechanical College of Texas (now Texas A&M University) at College Station; and Rev. John M. Holt, vicar of the mission church at Mexia. Rev. Blandy was also the seminary’s first Dean.〔 In 1954, a five-acre land donation enabled the construction of its campus, which was completed in the early 1970s with the gift of the historic Rather House.〔〔Cook, Charles James. ''Striking Up for a New World: A History of the Episcopal Theological Seminary of the Southwest 1970-2008.'' ASIN: B00CZ87XIC〕 Following a period of instability within the Episcopal Church during the 1960s, Seminary of the Southwest faced lower enrollment in the 1970s. One response was the introduction of cross-cultural theological education through the new Center for Hispanic Ministries to strengthen the Church’s Hispanic population in the region.〔Cook, Charles James. ''Striking Up for a New World: A History of the Episcopal Theological Seminary of the Southwest 1970-2008.'' ASIN: B00CZ87XIC. pgs. 20-22〕 In 1976, the Episcopal Church officially approved the ordination of women as priests to take effective 1 January 1977; Rev. Susan Buell became Seminary of the Southwest’s first female graduate to be ordained in 1978. The next year saw 9 women enrolling for ordination studies, accounting for about a third of the total entering class.〔Cook, Charles James. ''Striking Up for a New World: A History of the Episcopal Theological Seminary of the Southwest 1970-2008.'' ASIN: B00CZ87XIC. pgs. 23-24〕 Mid-1980s brought a revised curriculum and the introduction of lay theological education for non-ordained individuals.〔Cook, Charles James. ''Striking Up for a New World: A History of the Episcopal Theological Seminary of the Southwest 1970-2008.'' ASIN: B00CZ87XIC. pgs. 49-50〕 In 1988, Seminary of the Southwest tried a new approach to fundraising by requesting financial support from alumni; today the school has one of the highest percentages of alumni support of all US seminaries.〔Cook, Charles James. ''Striking Up for a New World: A History of the Episcopal Theological Seminary of the Southwest 1970-2008.'' ASIN: B00CZ87XIC. pgs. 56-57〕 In 1994, several new campus facilities were dedicated: auditorium, bookstore, community center, dining hall, guest housing; in 2003, a building with new faculty offices and classrooms was completed.〔Cook, Charles James. ''Striking Up for a New World: A History of the Episcopal Theological Seminary of the Southwest 1970-2008.'' ASIN: B00CZ87XIC. pgs. 66, 132〕 The seminary changed its name from The Episcopal Theological Seminary of the Southwest adopted the name Seminary of the Southwest in an effort to re-brand and better market itself in the face of dwindling enrollment. The new name, Seminary of the Southwest, was launched as part of a new brand identity campaign along with a new website. The Episcopal Theological Seminary of the Southwest remains the business name.〔(Cartis Group Case Study on SSW )〕 抄文引用元・出典: フリー百科事典『 ウィキペディア（Wikipedia）』 ■ウィキペディアで「Seminary of the Southwest」の詳細全文を読む スポンサード リンク
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