Palmer Theological Seminary
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Palmer Theological Seminary, formerly Eastern Baptist Theological Seminary, is a seminary founded in 1925. It was originally located on Rittenhouse Square in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. In 1940 it moved to its present location in Wynnewood, Pennsylvania. The collegiate division became a separate institution, Eastern Baptist College, which grew over the years and eventually became Eastern University. Eastern University re-merged with the seminary in 2004 and in 2005 the seminary changed its name to Palmer Theological Seminary in honor of its longest serving president, Gordon Palmer.
The seminary is affiliated with the American Baptist Churches USA but is multidenominational.
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[edit] The Campus and Community
The building in which Palmer currently exists at 6 E Lancaster Ave in Wynnewood, PA was once a resort hotel. The first floor of the building was renovated to become staff offices and classrooms, while the three floors above contain the computer lab, as well as apartments and dorms for students. There are also a number of "commuter rooms", where visitors or students who commute can stay overnight. On campus there is also a library, over which there are offices for faculty, and there is a chapel, under which there is a large theater-style lecture hall. All classrooms are equipped with media technology for lecture use. In addition, Palmer's main building has a banquet room on the first floor which is available for rent for various events.
While most of the students that attend Palmer commute to the campus, there is a thriving group of students that live in residence that seek to create and foster a healthy sense of community at Palmer. Many of these students live on the fourth floor of the building. An interesting aspect of this group of students is that many are from foreign nations; during the 2007-2008 school year this included students from Canada, South Korea, India, South Africa, Australia, and Tibet.
A significant number of migrating geese make their home in the yard behind Palmer during the late winter and early spring every year.
[edit] Musical discoveries at the seminary
In July 2005 an 80-page Beethoven manuscript of a piano four hands version of the Grosse Fugue was discovered in the library archives by one of the librarians.[1][2] The manuscript was authenticated by Dr. Jeffrey Kallberg at the University of Pennsylvania and by Dr. Stephen Roe, head of Sotheby's Manuscript Department. Lost from view for well over 100 years, it is thought by some to be one of the most important musicological finds in recent years. The event strangely paralleled the earlier find on July 31, 1990 of a Mozart manuscript, which had been given to the seminary in 1951, and was rediscovered along with some lesser manuscripts of the same period. The Beethoven manuscript was auctioned by Sotheby's in London on December 1, 2005 for US$1.72 million to an anonymous bidder later revealed to be Bruce Kovner.
[edit] Notable Faculty and Alumni
- Ron Sider
- Craig Keener
- Samuel Escobar
- Barry Black (United States Senate Chaplain)
- Tony Campolo
- William Borror
- Donald J. Brash
- Deborah Watson
- Deborah Spink
- George Hancock-Stefan
- Peter C. Wool
- Al Tizon
[edit] Notable Students
- Andrew Shipley
- Kevin Lester
- Daniel Lebo
- Peter Sensenig
- Amanda Hamill
- Corey Alleman
- Michael "Hair" Kelley
- Jake Bowling
[edit] Notable Sports Played On Campus
- Wiffleball
- Volleyball
- Croquet
- Pogo Stick jumping (discontinued)
- Soccer
- Hair Ball (played barefoot with a soccer ball pillow in the hall.)
- Bocce, bro. Bocce!
- Wii Sports (on hiatus)
