[1]VANCOUVER, Wash. (BP)–Trustees of Golden Gate Baptist Theological Seminary met at the seminary’s Pacific Northwest campus Oct. 8-9 for their annual fall meeting.
Trustees heard reports from various committees and from seminary staff, visited with students and staff at the Pacific Northwest campus and attended a banquet as part of Golden Gate’s Partners for the Future fundraising campaign.
The final enrollment headcount for 2006-07 academic year was 1,755, an increase of more than 300 students from the previous year, due primarily to the expansion of the seminary’s Contextualized Leadership Development program, encompassing 46 theological training centers in partnership with local Baptist churches, associations and state conventions.
Preliminary fall 2008 enrollment figures indicate continued growth, particularly in the doctor of ministry program, the new Ph.D. program and growth at the Arizona campus.
Giving through the seminary’s ongoing Partners for the Future campaign contributed to a positive 2006-07 financial report; just over two years into the five-year initiative, the seminary has received more than $5.6 million toward its $13 million goal.
Trustees were told the 2007-08 fiscal year is expected to be equally positive, due in part to a one-time Cooperative Program allocation for 2007-08; income from collection on bad debt from a previous land sale; and continued progress in the Partners for the Future campaign.
[2]Sabbaticals were approved for two faculty members: Gary McCoy, professor of worship and church music, in the fall of 2008 and Gregg Watson, associate professor of Old Testament studies, for the 2008-09 academic year.
Trustees also received reports about clean financial audits, new recruiting and retention strategies, improvements in the academic sabbatical program and expansion at the Southern California and Arizona campuses.
The next trustee meeting will be in April at the Northern California campus in Mill Valley.
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Amanda Phifer is a writer for Golden Gate Baptist Theological Seminary.