Theological schools increase scholarship support
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F. Douglas Powe Jr., assistant professor of Evangelism
at Saint Paul School of Theology, visits with students.
A UMNS photo courtesy of Saint Paul School of Theology.
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A UMNS Report
By Vicki Brown*
August 14, 2009
The 13 United Methodist theological schools have increased
scholarship support for their students by nearly 10 percent to keep
students on campus despite the recession – even as the seminaries have
faced dwindling endowments and decreasing funds from the church.
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Maxine Clarke Beach
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For the 2009-2010 academic year, the theological schools awarded nearly
$27.9 million in scholarships, a 9.8 percent increase from the $25.4
million awarded in 2008-2009, according to figures compiled by the
Association of United Methodist Theological Schools.
School administrators said the seminaries cannot help students so much
that programs are placed at risk, but they are doing what they can to
ease the economic pressures on students and their families during the
recession.
“We are trying to help students graduate with as little debt as
possible,” said Dean Maxine Clarke Beach of the Theological School at
Drew University, Madison, N.J. “We have a bigger and more deeply rooted
concern for our United Methodist students, so for the past few years
Drew has tried to give as much scholarship support as possible to
United Methodist students.”
The Rev. Myron F. McCoy, president of Saint Paul School of Theology in
Kansas City, Mo., said faculty and staff are determined not to cut
scholarship support.
“In my school’s particular case, that meant an overall reduction in
staff and some scaling back of salaries,” McCoy said. The value of the
endowment dipped, but the scholarship awards were about the same.
Need increasing
Requests for additional assistance are up 7 percent at Boston
University School of Theology. About 70 percent of the petitions were
from international students who were hurt by the exchange rate or had
family who lost jobs and could no longer help out.
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The Rev. Mary Elizabeth Moore
.
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The Rev. Mary Elizabeth Moore said the school has several task forces
looking for ways to save money and is setting aside funds for students
with financial needs.
“We haven’t had to fire people, but we haven’t been able to rehire. A
lot of staff positions are permanently closed,” said Moore, the
school’s dean.
Moore and other education officials also are concerned with a drop in support from the Ministerial Education Fund.
The churchwide apportionment fund provides educational support for
United Methodist ordained elders and deacons and assists theological
schools.
“We are putting money into fund raising in case the MEF continues to go down,” she said.
In 2008, $14.6 million was distributed to the seminaries from the fund.
Through June 30, 2009, $4.6 million has been sent to the 13 schools of
theology, compared to $5.1 million for the same period in 2008.
The Rev. Mary Ann Moman, a staff member of the United Methodist Board
of Higher Education and Ministry, applauded the schools’ efforts to
increase scholarship assistance in the face of their own economic
struggles. She encouraged greater support for the Ministerial Education
Fund.
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Nora Jones, a student at Saint Paul School of Theology, plays with children during an immersion experience in Haiti.
A UMNS photo courtesy of Saint Paul School of Theology.
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“If we are going to attract the best leaders our churches can get, we
need to be sure that those who feel God’s call can answer it, no matter
what their personal financial situation is,” Moman said.
Students seek help
Misty Howick, a second-year student at Drew who has a full-tuition
scholarship, said she will still graduate with about $24,000 in debt
for living expenses and other costs. Howick said she is lucky that
neither she nor her husband had any debt from undergraduate school.
But the 25-year-old says she has friends who decided not to go to seminary for financial reasons.
“Students who enter seminary immediately after college may have
undergraduate debt that’s not paid off, they don’t have savings, and
their spouse probably isn’t earning a lot of money,” Howick said.
Virginia Lee Hanna, a third-year Boston University School of Theology
student who sought additional financial assistance, said her finances
were hurt when her husband’s mother, who was one of her chief
supporters, died suddenly last year. Coupled with that, she faced
higher food, rent and utility costs. “The increased scholarship funding
frees up more of my student loan to cover the cost of living,” she said.
Show me the meaning
It’s not all about the money.
In a positive sign, McCoy, Beach and Moore said they have seen an increase in applications.
“The economy can cause students to put graduate programs in a delay
mode, but I’ve also talked to students who wanted to teach but couldn’t
get a job, so they are going ahead with seminary when they might have
put it off,” Beach said.
“There’s something about the reality of a recession that people think,
‘Maybe I should do what I really want to do. Maybe it’s not all about
money,’” he said.
To learn more about the 13 United Methodist theological schools, visit www.gbhem.org/education/seminaries.
*Brown is associate editor and writer, Office of Interpretation, United Methodist Board of Higher Education and Ministry.
News media contact: Linda Green, (615) 742-5470 or newsdesk@umcom.org.
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Resources
United Methodist Board of Higher Education and Ministry
Saint Paul School of Theology
Boston University School of Theology
United Methodist Theological Schools
Ministerial Education Fund
Office of Loans and Scholarships
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