We believe that our faculty and students need facilities that are commensurate with their commitment, surroundings that inspire great ideas, collaboration, and ambition. They need an environment for living and learning that reflects the value that we place on pastoral ministry, of the importance of the pastor as community leader, and of the congregation's significance to community life.
Columbia Theological Seminary is educating church leaders for the 21st century in buildings designed more than a half century ago. Lecture rooms in Campbell Hall will not accommodate Columbia's growing student body of basic degree students for large survey courses. Standard-sized classrooms and seminar rooms are in such short supply, creating increased demand for classrooms in the Harrington Center, already strained by the increasing numbers of Lifelong Learning program offerings and students.
The Board is planning a new academic building to accommodate our current need and future growth. Key values of the new facility (yet to be designed) and its impact to our campus include:
- New lecture halls to accommodate larger incoming classes as well as continued growth of Lifelong Learning programs for pastors and lay leaders.
- New seminar rooms to provide spaces to accommodate the many critical required courses and electives that are taught in small-group settings.
- All classroom spaces should be equipped with appropriate technology for learning and designed for future technology needs.
- Spacious faculty offices, with room for preparation and research as well as conversations with students, will help Columbia recruit and retain extraordinary faculty.
- Energy efficiency to promote sustainable environmental practices.
- Respect surrounding architecture and preserve the architectural integrity of the quadrangle.
- A welcoming, pedestrian-friendly design, with outside gathering spaces for conversation and learning.
- A design that takes advantage of the natural beauty of surrounding terrain to provide expansive vistas from within the building.
We have before us an opportunity to design and build more than an educational facility. In short, the new academic building will communicate the value that we as a people of God place on the work being carried out on our campus.
Other Priorities:
The Campus Plan
The New Graduate Student Residence Hall
Endowment for Student Support
Endowment for Faculty and Programs
The Annual Fund