[1]NEW ORLEANS (BP)–From the first meeting of New Orleans Baptist Theological Seminary officials after Hurricane Katrina, numerous milestones were reached as the campus moved toward the full resumption of classes Aug. 16.
The following timeline recaps the seminary’s recovery to date:
2005
Aug. 29 — Hurricane Katrina hits; levee failures leave NOBTS and the city under water.
Sept. 1 — NOBTS officials meet in Decatur, Ga., to work on a plan to provide relief of seminary families and continue the fall semester.
Sept. 12 — Campus cleanup and restoration begins.
[2]Sept. 27 — NOBTS trustees unanimously vote to keep the seminary in New Orleans.
Oct. 3 — Fall main campus courses continue via reformulated online study.
Oct. 5-9 — Seminary residents return to campus to salvage personal items.
Oct. 31 — SBC volunteers began helping with NOBTS campus restoration.
Dec. 17 — 137 graduates receive NOBTS degrees in first post-Katrina graduation in Birmingham, Ala.
2006
Jan. 11 — A limited number of NOBTS offices return to the main campus.
Jan. 23 — Commuter courses begin on the main campus; more than 200 students take classes in New Orleans. Online courses continue for displaced students.
April 24 — All main campus offices return to NOBTS.
May 13 — Seminary celebrates spring graduation on the main campus, with 241 students participating.
June 6 — Students begin moving back to campus.
Aug. 1 — NOBTS resumes normal campus operations; campus restoration more than 80 percent complete; SBC volunteers have saved NOBTS over $2 million in repair costs.
Aug. 16 — Fall classes begin.
Aug. 29 — NOBTS marks the Katrina anniversary with ministry projects in the city.
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