General Seminary Dean Leaving to Head New Hampshire School
Episcopal News Service. February 13, 1997 [97-1691]
(ENS) Bishop Craig B. Anderson, dean and president of The General Theological Seminary in New York City, announced February 6 that he will be resigning his position to serve as rector of St. Paul's School in Concord, New Hampshire.
Anderson, who had been named as a possible candidate for either presiding bishop or bishop of the Diocese of New York, said that the move permits him to pursue his vocation as an educator while working directly to develop a new generation of leaders.
"We need to be identifying, raising up and recruiting young Episcopalians as leaders in the church and in society who have a concern for the common good," he said. "The people who come to St. Paul's are going to be those leaders."
The decision to leave General, where he has served for more than four years, comes at the end of "a long and prayerful period" of vocational discernment, he said. "Education has been a hallmark of my ministry in the church, and St. Paul's represents an enduring commitment I have had." In making the move, he said, "I feel that I am putting my money where my mouth is, walking the walk."
Anderson added that "the sadness I feel in leaving GTS is tempered by the knowledge that I leave a strong institution with a clear vision, a talented faculty and restructured administration, an improved financial condition, and a carefully charted plan for the future."
He said that he would have liked to have stayed at the seminary for another year or two, especially to see the school's new strategic plan launched, but "sometimes the timing isn't exactly perfect."
St. Paul's School, often called the flagship of Episcopal boarding schools, was founded in 1856 and now has a coeducational enrollment of more than 500 students from 48 states and 18 foreign countries, all of whom live at the school. Situated on a 2,000 acres in New Hampshire, St. Paul's has a faculty of 100 compared to General's 15.
Anderson's position as rector will be comparable to that of headmaster at other schools. In announcing his decision to the seminary faculty, Anderson mentioned St. Paul's strong Episcopal affiliation as particularly influencing his decision.
"GTS has been well served by its eleventh dean," said Bishop Mellick Belshaw, chairman of the seminary's board of trustees. "His accomplishments will benefit GTS for many years to come."
Belshaw noted that General's present enrollment is the largest in the nine years. The school's educational programs have grown to include a course of study for a doctor of theology degree in Anglican Studies, a College for Bishops that trains new bishops, and a Church Development Institute operated in partnership with the School of Theology at the University of the South in Sewanee, Tennessee.
"Particularly important has been the dean's invaluable leadership in the area of strategic planning," Belshaw said. "With the plan complete and needing only board approval, General is poised to begin an exciting new era. This is a truly lasting legacy."
Anderson said that he plans to continue his involvement in national church positions, in what he called "public theology," including serving as president-elect of the National Council of Churches.