New York – “Racism is rooted in the fact that we don’t know other civilizations. We can easily hate or be afraid of something we really do not know anything about,” said Famidah Dirampaten, a Unification Theological Seminary student who embraces the Islamic faith and is of Maranao descent in southern Philippines.  For the Tuesday prayer service at UTS, it was Dirampaten’s turn to deliver a sermon one fine April afternoon. It was something students, faculty and staff looked forward to, because we wanted to hear from a woman who is a practicing Muslim.  Dirampaten introduced...

MILWAUKEE – Nothing can motivate someone more quickly than the health breakdown of a family member or a loved one, and the subsequent care they need. For Carol Pociecha-Palm, a 1990 Unification Theological Seminary (UTS) graduate, it was two family members – her sister and her husband – that propelled her to find out more about the health care and hospice systems in her native Wisconsin.  It also motivated her – along with David, her 20-year-old son – to become more politically active and knowledgeable about which politicians and/or political parties are...

NEW YORK – On Saturday, May 26, 2018, the Unification Theological Seminary (UTS) celebrated its 42nd commencement ceremony at its Manhattan campus located at 4 W. 43rd Street. Bright sunshine and warm weather greeted the families and guests, as degrees were bestowed on 19 graduates representing five different countries – India, the Philippines, Nigeria, Rwanda and the United States. There was a short delay to the start of the program, when graduates and family members commuting from Maryland were held up due to an accident on the New Jersey Turnpike. All, however, arrived...

On May 26th the annual meeting of Unification Theological Seminary’s alumni and friends took place in the Derbyshire Dales, part of the Peak district in central England. This was the 15th such occasion, and brought together 20 first and second generation Unificationists, from a range of academic and professional backgrounds, to present and discuss a number of topics under the theme of ‘Truth or Authority’.  Two presentations were given in each of three sessions, followed by a question and discussion period. The sessions were punctuated by refreshment breaks, a magnificent buffet lunch...

Few things in life can heighten a person’s sense of self-efficacy as much as landing a monster fish. During the summer of 1981 several dozen students from the Unification Theological Seminary (UTS)  participated in Ocean Church in Gloucester, Massachusetts. Pairs of seminarians joined with a captain and first mate on a 28-foot Good-Go Boat. After the first day on the water, a “still, small voice” said to me, “You’ll catch a tuna tomorrow.” The next day we landed a 927-pound giant bluefin tuna. Catching this creature from the deep taught me an important life lesson about being in the...

New York City – It’s the end of school days at Unification Theological Seminary (UTS). We are in the home-stretch, gasping for oxygen in the last two weeks of the semester; we are overwhelmed by the school work and final exams. As I write, it’s my third day of no socializing, locked at home to finish school work. Meanwhile, my classmate Muriel flies the American skies from New York to Hawaii and back for work, and she tells me she is doing her homework in flight.  Last week, I told my Church History professor, Dr. Michael Mickler, that my essay on the two movies about the Third...

NEW YORK – On Saturday, May 26th, the Unification Theological Seminary (UTS) will hold its forty-second Commencement for the Class of 2018 at its midtown Manhattan campus located at 4 W. 43rd Street. Friends and alumni of UTS are invited to the Commencement Exercises which begin at 2 P.M.  This year’s Commencement Address will be given by Dr. Ki Hoon Kim, Continental Chair, Family Federation (FFWPU). Sixteen students will receive Masters degrees:  Master of Religious Education (M.R.E.), Master of Arts (M.A.) in Religious Studies or Master of Divinity (M.Div.), while three...

After considerable prayer, thought, discussion and due diligence, the UTS Board of Trustees has directed the UTS administration to sell the Unification Theological Seminary (UTS) property in Barrytown, NY. The trustees, who have fiduciary responsibility for the institution, came to this difficult decision with a heavy heart. UTS is no longer able to pay what it costs to maintain the property, while simultaneously fulfilling its educational mission in a changing world. In reviewing the financial situation, the trustees determined that it is best to invest the Seminary’s limited resources to...

Jenny Symon lived an adventurous roaming life for many decades before finally settling down in Anchorage, Alaska – a long way from her birthplace of Australia. Her parents were originally from New Zealand so Jenny’s early life found her shifting between the two countries. After spending her early life in Australia, at 16 she returned to New Zealand where she earned her undergraduate degree at the University of Otago in Dunedin. She took a degree in psychology, and although it was to be useful in the future, she didn’t immediately know what she wanted to do in terms of a career. Jenny...