St. Herman’s Seminary begins academic year
The Board of Trustees of Saint Herman’s Seminary here met by conference call on August 16, 2007.
Members from the distant Alaskan villages of Pilot Station and Nunapitchuk joined with those from east coast states of New York and Virginia and locations in between to review and approve plans for the new academic year.
The trustees approved a proposed budget for the 2007-2008 academic year. Twelve students are expected to begin their studies on the idyllic campus overlooking Shelikof Strait on August 29 with a student orientation and retreat.
His Grace, Bishop Nikolai of Sitka, Anchorage, and Alaska, seminary rector, confirmed that despite some budget cuts the seminarians would continue to receive quality, theological training without incurring any personal debt.
The Diocese of Alaska provides a full tuition waiver to seminarians committed to remaining and serving in Alaska. Bishop Nikolai instituted this policy after observing first-hand the economic conditions in contemporary rural Alaska. Many villages still have no running water and a gallon of milk can cost over $6, seriously limiting opportunities for clergy to make adequate income.
The trustees also approved a short-term loan to fund seminary operations while launching an appeal to its nation-wide donor base. Much of the school’s income is derived from Orthodox faithful throughout the country.
This year’s students will be taught by faculty currently on-site and visiting instructors from around the state, including the noted and published scholar, the Very Rev. Dr. Michael Oleksa and the Very Rev. Sergie Active, a professor well versed in music and liturgics. A full curriculum will be offered for the four-year program.
The student body is enthusiastic about the opportunity of forming the first student government to help oversee the Seminary campus’s day-to-day activities. The Rev. John Dunlop, professor of Old Testament and homiletics, will serve as the interim on-site coordinator with the rector.
The dean search committee will resume its goal of filling the position of seminary dean, left vacant by the departure of the Very Rev. Chad Hatfield, now chancellor of Saint Vladimir’s Seminary, Crestwood, NY.
During the month of August, three former seminary graduates and their families were assingned to village parishes. The Very Rev. Daniel Charles was assigned to Bethel, while the Rev. Andrew Kashevarof was assigned to Sand Point and the Rev. James Gust was assigned to Newhalen.
There are over 100 parishes scattered throughout the Diocese of Alaska served by 43 active priests, most of whom are graduates of the seminary.
The mission of Saint Herman Seminary, founded in 1972, is to train men and women to serve these parishes, many of which were established during the Russian-American period.