Bexley Hall

This article is about the seminary in Ohio. For other uses, see Bexley Hall (disambiguation).
Philander Chase was the founder and first president of Bexley Hall and Kenyon College, and later became Presiding Bishop of The Episcopal Church

Bexley Hall, also known as Bexley Seabury, is a seminary with locations in Bexley, Ohio, a suburb of Columbus, and in Chicago, Illinois.[1] The school is one of 10 official seminaries of the Episcopal Church in the United States of America. Bexley Seabury's mission includes, "creating new networks of Christian formation, entrepreneurial leadership and bold inquiry in the service of the Gospel".[2]

History

Lord Bexley was the longest serving UK Chancellor of the Exchequer

The seminary was established in 1824 by Bishop Philander Chase in conjunction with the establishment of Kenyon College in Gambier, Ohio. Bexley Hall was later identified separately, and was named in honour of Nicholas Vansittart, 1st Baron Bexley, an early benefactor of Kenyon College.[3]

Bexley Hall disassociated with Kenyon in 1968 and moved from Gambier to Rochester, New York where it affiliated with Colgate Rochester Divinity School (which since became Colgate Rochester Crozer Divinity School.) Although the seminary is no longer affiliated with Kenyon College, the 1839 seminary building in Gambier now houses fine art facilities for Kenyon, and is still known as Bexley Hall.[3] After 30 years in New York state, in 1998, Bexley Hall re-established a campus in Ohio through a partnership with Trinity Lutheran Seminary of Columbus, in a suburb coincidentally named Bexley. In February 2008, the dean announced the May closure of the Rochester campus, citing falling student numbers and more stringent accreditation requirements.[4]

In April 2013 Bexley Hall inaugurated a historic federated relationship with Seabury-Western Theological Seminary.[5] The Bexley Hall portion of the two-campus federation is situated adjacent to the Capital University campus, a liberal arts institution with undergraduate, graduate and professional school divisions. In addition to its relationship with Trinity Lutheran Seminary, Bexley Hall has developed partnerships with the Pontifical College Josephinum and the Methodist Theological School in Ohio that give students registration access to selected classes. Additionally, the transformative federated relationship between Bexley Hall and Seabury-Western seminaries has enhanced the new school's mission, geographic scope and operational capacity.

Notable alumni

References

  1. ↑ Bexley Seabury Retrieved November 11, 2013
  2. ↑ Bexley Seabury Mission Statement Retrieved November 11, 2013
  3. ↑ 3.0 3.1 Bexley and Coburn Halls at Kenyon College website. Retrieved on September 8, 2006. "For more than a century, this building was the home of the seminary known as Bexley Hall. Kenyon was founded in 1824 as both a college and a seminary, with the aim of training Episcopal clergy for America's western frontier."
  4. ↑ Steve Waring (2008-02-22). "Bexley Hall to Close Rochester Campus". The Living Church News Service. Retrieved 2008-06-12. The decision to close the Rochester campus was based in part on changing demographics, Dean Kevern told The Living Church. Another factor was the more stringent standards the Rochester campus would have to meet when its accreditation from the Association of Theological Schools came up for renewal in 2012.
  5. ↑ Bexley Seabury federation history Retrieved November 11, 2013
  6. ↑ Bexley Hall Alumni. Retrieved on September 8, 2006.

External links