Staffing upheaval at Luther Seminary
Friday, January 15th, 2010The following statement was issued today by Rick Bliese, President of Luther Seminary in St. Paul (Minn.):
Dear Friends,
I have the following difficult announcement to make.
Dean of Students
I want to announce to the Seminary community that Patricia Lull, Dean of Students, has informed me that in light of differences about enrollment goals and the best strategies for achieving them at Luther Seminary, she has decided to leave her position effective the end of the month.
I will convene a process that will immediately begin the search for a leader for the admissions/student services area whose experience and gifts are closely aligned with the Seminary’s strategic goals and needs.
In the meantime, Erica Kennedy, Assistant Director of Financial Aid, will serve as Interim Dean of Students. She will focus on student life and activities and serve as a member of the Administrative Cabinet.
Seminary Pastor’s Office
Although we have seen strong support in donor gifts, tuition income and support from the ELCA and partner synods is significantly down, with shortfalls larger than projected. Since we expect these shortfalls to continue for many years until the church regains financial strength, we need to make difficult choices to balance our operational budget.
The following individuals are known murder victims with ELCA ties killed since Pretty Good Lutherans was started in September 2009: