Dr. Sechrest Receives Appointment to St. Mary’s

Columbia Theological Seminary announces the departure of Dr. Love Sechrest who has faithfully served since 2018 as Columbia’s Vice President for Academic Affairs, Dean of Faculty, and Associate Professor of New Testament

Dr. Sechrest has recently been appointed as the Associate Provost for Program Development and Innovation and Professor of Theology at Mount St. Mary’s University in Maryland. She will oversee initiatives that enhance undergraduate student learning outside of the classroom including the Career Center and the newly formed Center for Service.

“While her departure is an enormous loss for Columbia, I know that Mount St. Mary students will benefit greatly from her leadership just as our students have over the last four years,” said Dr. Leanne Van Dyk, president of Columbia Theological Seminary. “Dr. Sechrest has been key in strengthening our degree programs, leading numerous innovative initiatives, and bringing outstanding scholars to join our faculty. I consider it a high honor to work so closely with her.”

During her tenure, Dr. Sechrest has done much to advance Columbia’s mission and ensure the success of its students. She championed the seminary Ombuds program, which launched in her first year, and she has been an active member of the Becoming project.

Dr. Sechrest led the faculty in introducing several curricular innovations that are now in varying stages of implementation: the online MA(TS) degree, the online ThM degree, and the revised professional doctoral curriculum with new emphases in Leadership and Justice studies. Recently she led the development of a new financial aid strategy that will launch this fall, the Working Scholars Program, to improve retention and increase the accessibility of a Columbia education.

“As I leave Columbia, I am truly grateful for my time here, the students, the exceptionally talented faculty, the dedicated staff, and all that we have accomplished,” said Dr. Love Sechrest. “Together we have been able to build a strong foundation for Columbia’s third century.”

Columbia Theological Seminary, an educational institution of the Presbyterian Church (USA), commits to educate, equip, and nurture students to become a new generation of pastoral leaders for the church and the world; to become a community that embodies welcome, hospitality, justice, and belonging; to build partnerships that bring vibrant spiritual, cultural, and academic exchanges; and to embrace boldness, enabling us to learn, teach, serve, and live joyfully.