It takes a combination of rare qualities to be a chaplain. One must have a belief in God, but outwardly express no religious preference; be able to comfort the non-believer as well as the believer; answer questions about grief, loss and suffering without really having the answer as to why it is their child that is suffering and not someone else’s; be able to hear what someone is saying and not just listen to the words; have the ability to discern what are precisely the right words to speak at just the right time; and, finally, know exactly when to sit quietly, saying nothing, while...

This week UTS News is launching “Ministry in Many Forms” a new series which captures UTS alumni in their unique expressions of faith, love and service. Dr. Tyler Hendricks (UTS’78) in an article published this week said, “UTS has been a seed bed for global outreach since 1975, graduating leaders throughout the world to serve in all levels of leadership, student organizations, interfaith peacebuilding, service learning, outdoor and fishing ministries, evangelism, education, world missions, doctoral studies and more.” This is so true. It is with great pride that we salute the many...

Concerning the use of cutting-edge media for the purposes of education, the religious visionaries Rev. and Mrs. Sun Myung Moon, who are also the Founders of the Unification Theological Seminary (UTS), were ahead of the curve. From equipping VCRs and Divine Principle videos for door-to-door evangelism in the late 1970s, to calling for video-based home schooling in the 1980s, to awakening the University of Bridgeport to distance learning in the early 1990s, they set the pace for the world. Today, Mother Moon (Dr. Hak Ja Han Moon) is calling UTS to maximize the Internet’s power for...

UTS resumed its guest speaker series this semester on a musical note, featuring a performance by Samir Chatterjee, founder and director of the Chhandayan Center for Indian Music, on February 22, 2017. Samir began his studies of the tabla, a traditional Indian instrument consisting of two drums covered in goat hide and bearing a distinctive black circle, as a young boy, prompted by a piece of wisdom frequently expressed to him growing up: “There is no better knowledge than music.” Determined to understand and explore the truth of this statement, Samir’s journey led him deep into the...

The UTS Board of Trustees held its Winter Meeting in New York City this past March 3rd. All eleven trustees were in attendance, with Crescentia DeGoede, who is on maternity leave with her second child, joining by Zoom video conferencing. The Board meets three times a year: in the Winter, on the day of graduation, and on Columbus Day in October. In each meeting, Dr. Hugh Spurgin, the UTS President, gives a “state of the seminary” report based on the key metrics of student headcount, finances and recruitment prospects. Then each of the standing committees report: Executive, Planning and...

The UTS Guest Speaker series was initiated in the fall semester of 2016. It is an initiative which has been launched as a result of a survey to identify student interests, conducted in September, 2016 by the UTS Director of Student Life, Dr. Drissa Kone.  The Guest Speaker series is a platform for speakers and students to interact and dialogue on some of the current issues being faced in the USA and the world. Previous speakers have presented on: Challenging Religious Extremism and Radicalism  | October, 2016 Black/White Relations | November, 2016 The Transforming Effect...

UTS administrators often attend Association of Theological Schools (ATS) events. Experience shows that it is important for UTS to stay current with the conversations which are part of the theological landscape in North America. UTS has affiliate status with ATS. Robin James Graham, UTS Director of Advancement and Communication Part 1—Looking back at our past Online learning among ATS schools has a rather brief, but intriguing history. 20 years ago, no ATS member school offered any courses online. 10 years ago, only a fourth of our schools offered any courses online, and less...

The 4W43 building hosts 40 outstanding NGOs including the Unification Theological Seminary’s New York City Extension Center. Only 2 short blocks from Grand Central Station this building is now considered the mid-town heart and home for a diverse group of non-profit organizations. UTS includes in its mission statement the call to “bridge religious and cultural divides.” UTS students learn bridge-building in class, but also have the opportunity at 4W43 to go beyond theory and actually participate hands-on in interreligious and intercultural bridge-building. The international...

BARRYTOWN – A day of joyful celebration and thankfulness was held on the Barrytown campus of Unification Theological Seminary (UTS) on Saturday, February 25, 2017 as family and friends came together to honor UTS’ first Academic Dean, Dr. Therese Stewart, on the occasion of her 90th birthday. More than one hundred people filled the dining hall as many old friends and several younger ones came to pay tribute to a woman who regaled the audience with stories of her remarkable life. Her childhood was spent on a farm in rural Minnesota where she recalled listening to President...