At the Saturday, May 28 commencement ceremony in Barrytown, NY, Dr. Hugh Spurgin, president of UTS, conferred  a Doctor of Ministry (D.Min) degree on Idris Ena Kone.  Idris, or Drissa as he is affectionately called, is one of six graduates who received a D.Min. degree in 2016. Originally from the Ivory Coast, “Drissa” wrote his dissertation on “The Practice of Active Listening in Managing Cross-Cultural Conflict: A Case Study of the Ivorian Diaspora in New York”. The consul general of the Ivory Coast came to the graduation in recognition of Drissa’s academic and...

The 40th commencement, held at UTS Barrytown on Saturday May 28 once again showed the diversity of UTS students and their commitment to use their UTS education to be of service to others. The Poughkeepsie Journal reported on the graduation and the many nationalities of the students. Dr. Michael Balcomb, chair of the Board of Trustees and president of the Family Federation for World Peace and Unification, USA, shared his optimism for the Class of 2016.

Every couple of months UTS Communications brings our readers news from the Association of Theological Schools (ATS) to give insights into some broader issues facing seminaries: theological education, relationship with congregations and stakeholders, and engagement with the wider public too. We hope you find this background information useful. In this article the topic is partnership. As UTS faces its own financial challenges, there may be some useful ideas to glean and act upon. I hope the article from ATS provides inspiration and that God can partner with us to reveal interesting new...

BARRYTOWN, NY – On Saturday, May 28, 2016, an unseasonably warm spring day, the Unification Theological Seminary (UTS) held its 40th commencement ceremonies in the chapel at its main campus in Barrytown, NY, overlooking the majestic Hudson River. There was a standing-room only crowd of nearly 200 hearty souls, many of whom who came by car and bus from New York City, New Jersey, and Maryland, with some guests from as far away as Atlanta, Toronto, and Vancouver. The Ivorian Consul General (New York) attended, representing the Ivory Coast government to honor graduate, Dr. Idris...

Let me assure you that, contrary to a rumor being circulated, Barrytown campus has NOT BEEN SOLD. However, it is clear that the current status of the Barrytown campus is not sustainable. The future of the campus has been under study for 15 years in an effort to explore options for long-term sustainability. It costs a huge amount of money to maintain buildings and grounds…. more than $600,000 per year. Additional money has also been needed for capital improvements required by New York State. These costs fall fully on the shoulders of the larger movement. Income from conferences and...

At the end of May the online course DIVINE NEW YORK- How Religions have shaped the Greatest City in the World will be available. Though designed for a wide audience, this example of course creation and social media marketing can also be seen in the context of entrepreneurial ministry. Entrepreneurial ministry is an area of study that UTS is researching, to better serve the needs of UTS students as they pursue their vocational goals. Skills and resources that are needed to lead customized and innovative programs in the field are at the heart of entrepreneurial ministry. Mastering the...

On Saturday, May 13, 2016 Dr. Ronald Brown took his UTS class, World Religions and Global Conflict, to the Ganesha Hindu Temple on Bowne Street in Flushing, Queens. While Dr. Brown has taken his class to Central Synagogue and the Islamic Culture Center in Manhattan this semester, the visit to Flushing was especially important. John Bowne, after whom Bowne Street is named, gave refuge to a small band of Quakers and Baptists in his home in the mid-1600s and outraged the fierce Dutch Reformed governor of the colony of New Amsterdam, Peter Stuyvesant. The governor attempted to expel Bowne...

UTS is creating a course which will be available on the online learning plattform Udemy at the end of May, 2016. Several more courses will be presented in the near future by experts (professors, alumni, and friends of UTS) and offered online to targeted audiences. This is part of a communications campaign to re-position UTS in the emerging 21st-century landscape of theological and religious education. The Communications Team is exploring new ways for UTS to add value to its constituents, to be relevant both in US and global education, and to tap into new income streams. ...

BARRYTOWN – On Saturday May 28, Unification Theological Seminary will host its 40th commencement ceremony at its campus in Barrytown, NY, overlooking the majestic Hudson River.  Along with family, friends and graduates, the Chapel will ring with the voices of singers, guest speakers and audience participants.  The property and grounds were purchased from the Christian Brothers in 1974 and the following year the first class of 56 students, chosen by the founders of UTS, the Rev. Sun Myung Moon and his wife, Dr. Hak Ja Han Moon, began their classwork in the fall of 1975. ...