View some special moments of Commencement 2009 on our Flickr album. (If you have photos of Commencment for our album, please let us know. Contact: communications@sksm.edu)
Course Proposals Welcome for 2010-2011
The Curriculum Committee at Starr King School for the Ministry is currently accepting proposals for courses to be taught during the 2010-2011 school year. To apply to teach a course as a member of Starr King's Adjunct Faculty, please see the application form below, (pdf document), for further details. If you know of anyone who would be a good addition to our school, please do not hesitate to forward this application to them. Adjunct Faculty Course Proposal application (pdf)
Contact: faculty@sksm.edu
Graduate Association Reception at GA in June
Graduates of Starr King - join us at the annual meeting and reception at General Assembly, on Friday, June 26, 2009 in Salt Lake City Utah! To register, print and mail the GA 2009 Grad Assocation Meeting/Reception registration form. Registrations must be received by June 19, 2009. See you at GA! Contact: Judy Welles
Rev. Dr. Jeremiah Wright Visits SKSM
Dr. Wright to be Honored with Honorary Doctorate
Rev. Jeremiah Wright spoke to a full house at Starr King School on the evening of May 19 about the challenges facing seminaries and his reflections on a 35 year career in progressive ministry. Naming the most difficult challenges, he asked “How to be faithful in dialogue with people who don't believe what you believe?”
Rev. Wright will be presented with the Honorary Doctorate of Sacred Theology at Starr King's Commencement cermonies, May 21, 2009.
Starr King Student Awarded Grant by Unitarian Universalist Women's Federation
Congratulations to Jodi Tharan, 2nd year student at Starr King School, on receiving a grant from the Marjorie Bowens-Wheatley funding program of the UUWF. Jodi was among four women to receive the grant which supports women aspirants to the Unitarian Universalist ministry who identify as people of color, Latina or Hispanic. The program was founded to honor the memory of the late Rev. Marjorie Bowens-Wheatley, a past UUWF board member and a member of the first Equity and Justice Grants Panel. This year marks the program’s first funding cycle, and four recipients received grants of $1,500 each.
Jodi will be presented with the grant award at General Assembly in Salt Lake City, UT, at the UUWF workshop on Saturday, June 27, from 11:00 a.m. - 12:15 p.m, room:
Salt Palace 255 A (Source: http://uuwf.org/fundingprograms/bowenswheatleygrants.html)
Starr King Grads Preside at Iowa Same-Sex Weddings
Two SKSM graduates, Rev. Dr. Holly Horn and Rev. Benjamin Maucere of the Unitarian Universalist Society of Iowa City, legally married 17 same-sex couples on Friday, May 1st, in Iowa City, Iowa.
Read Rev. Dr. Holly Horn's personal reflections on this joyful, courageous event and see media coverage in video and print. article continues >>
Commencement Celebration 2009
Thursday, May 21st at 7:00pm
Commencement for Starr King School's graduating students will take place at Mt. Diablo Unitarian Universalist Church in Walnut Creek. See the Commencement Celebration 2009 page for location details and a listing of graduates by degree. President Rebecca Parker announced the school's Honorary Degree Recipients for 2009 — Rev. Mary Harrington, Rev. Dr. Jeremiah Wright, Jr., and author Chris Hedges.
In Remembrance: Patti Lawrence
April 30, 2009
Our beloved Patti Lawrence, Professor of Congregational Studies, has been in intensive care in recent days, surrounded by friends and family who have been offering her healing touch, music, prayers and blessings. She died today, April 30, 2009. read more >>
SKSM Video - Fire in the Soul, Revolution of the Spirit
This ten-minute video presents our new educational model, introduces our students and faculty, and lays out our vision for theological education in the 21st century. Produced and narrated by fourth-year student Garrick Linn.
View "A Fire in the Soul, A Revolution of the Sprit"
Registration for Fall 2009 Courses
Starr King’s courses are in great demand! Courses include residential, online and immersion learning opportunities. Our courses are open to students at non-Unitarian Universalist schools as well as at Starr King, Meadville Lombard and the Graduate Theological Union. Lay people, ministers, social justice activists and people of all faiths are welcome, and find the courses an exciting way to deepen their theological education.
We encourage all students to register early. Registration for Fall courses occurs August 31 - September 4, 2009. For more information and a full listing of courses, see Course Schedule.
“Rebecca Ann Parker and Rita Nakashima Brock offer a fascinating new lens on the history of Christianity, from its first centuries to the present day, asking how its early vision of beauty evolved into a vision of torture, and what changes in society and theology marked that evolution.” - from the publisher's announcement for Saving Paradise
GTU Black Seminarians Speak Out on Oscar Grant Slaying
The student body officers of Starr King School wish to express their solidarity with the GTU Black Seminarians, and their support of the following statement in response to the slaying of Oscar Grant.
GTUBS — Not Co-Conspirators By Silence
For if you keep silence at such a time as this, relief and deliverance will rise up for the Jews from another quarter… Perhaps you have come to your royal dignity for just such a time as this.
- Esther 4:14
We the members of the Graduate Theological Union Black Seminarians (GTUBS) deem it inexcusable that still on the eve of 2009 a black man can get beaten, degraded and killed all while being recorded on video and swift justice fail to occur. Further, the emerging news of a second officer assaulting Oscar Grant with no provocation and no consequence is especially heinous and disturbing. It is this type of disregard for human life which eats away at the core of all of humanity; this type of intolerance--by those elected and sworn to enact and uphold justice--of the unwarrantable that causes community unrest to fester to eruption; this type of injustice that we the members of the Graduate Theological Union Black Seminarians will not be co-conspirators to by our silence. Thus, WE add our collective voice to those of the community activists, elected officials, clergy, family, and friends in calling for justice--from the Attorney General of California to the District Attorney of Alameda County to those who sit on the jury--for the New Year's Eve murder of Oscar Grant. Instead of juxtaposing King and Obama, which is comfortable for folks, we juxtapose Grant and Obama---therein lies the real issue and comparison.
"How long? Not long?"
How Long? It's already been too long.
Sisters and brothers, the time to act is NOW.
Sisters and brothers, the time to speak Truth to Power is NOW.
Join the call for justice and ask your friends to do the same.
It only takes a minute, click here.
The Graduate Theological Union Black Seminarians
Berkeley, California
January 2009
New Book by Robert R. N. Ross, SKSM Faculty Member
An important new book about the New Orleans hurricane tragedy has just been published by Wipf & Stock, authored by Robert Ross, adjunct faculty member at Starr King School for the Ministry. “Walking to New Orleans” traces how a dominant but
paradoxical model of the relation between the human and natural worlds in Western culture
has informed many environmental and engineering dilemmas and has contributed to the
history of social inequities and injustice that anteceded the disasters of the hurricanes and
subsequent flooding.
“Walking to New Orleans is an astonishingly informed and informative account of one of the major
human, natural, and political disasters in recent memory.”
— Professor Mark C. Taylor,
Chair, Department of Religion, and Co-Director of the Institute of Religion, Culture and Public Life, Columbia University
Cluett Professor of Humanities, Williams College
Robert R. N. Ross teaches courses in the
areas of philosophy and the study of religion at the University of
Massachusetts, Boston, and at Starr King School for the
Ministry/Graduate Th eological Union in Berkeley, California; he
also works with congregations in transition as an ordained
Unitarian Universalist minister.
Read the latest online publications and emails from Starr King's communications office.
Listen to our latest podcast, "Andalusia and Beyond." Professor Ibrahim Farajajé shares his recent research on the intersections of Christianity, Judaism and Islam.
And click here to see our latest photo gallery, "GTU Poverty Truth Commission", photographs of Starr King students and faculty in the GTU Justice Collaborative's 2008 Poverty Truth Commission (requires Flash).
Recent Events and Announcements
Daniel Jae-Won Lee "Brings it to Bear" at GTU Event
Tuesday, May 12th at 7:00pm, GTU Dinner Board Room, 2400 Ridge Road, Berkeley
Daniel Jae-Won Lee, a member of Starr King's adjunct faculty, successfully leverages his theological education in globalized international movements. Join us for “Bringing It to Bear! Your Theological Education, Globalization and Social Change” and learn just how powerful your spiritual agency is in the world of ‘isms’, once you decidedly tether it to the practice of resistance. read more >>
World Council of Churches Event at SKSM
Wednesday, May 6, 2009 at 7:00pm
Don't miss Rev. Carmen Lansdowne’s presentation on the World Council of Churches (WCC) advocacy strategy for seeking a just peace for Palestine-Israel. Read more about this event >>
Gala Celebration for Patti Lawrence & Rigdon Currie
Starr King School held a Gala Celebration in April for Patti Lawrence, honored for her service as a professor and multi-faceted staff member, and Rigdon Currie, who received the Thomas Starr King Award for his service as former Chair of the Board, Chair of the Centennial Campaign, and ongoing champion of the school. See Photos of the Gala
Women's History Month Event at Starr King — March 28
Starr King School for the Ministry & the Alameda Spiritual Living Center present an interfaith gathering celebrating Women in Spiritual Leadership.
Sisters in the Spirit
Saturday, March 28, 2009 10:00am - 12:00pm Starr King School for the Ministry, Fireside Room
Janice Mirikitani is the Founding President of the Glide Foundation, and former Executive Director of Glide's 86 programs. A multicultural visionary and poet, Janice has been a powerful force at Glide Memorial Church since 1965. Janice Mirikitani is married to Reverend Cecil Williams.
Contact: Crystal Weston, Director of Recruitment and Marketing,
Starr King School for the Ministry, email: recruitment@sksm.edu
Marriage Equality Video Features Starr King Faculty, Students
“People of Faith, Standing on the Side of Love” is the new video produced by the Unitarian Universalist Association (UUA) to showcase Unitarian Universalism's long-standing committment to marriage equality for same-sex couples.
The video includes a photo of Starr King's President, Rev. Rebecca Parker, presiding at the wedding of students Wendy Bartel and Lynn Gardner.
Link to the video on YouTube.com where you can leave a comment and share with a friend. For inquiries about this video, please contact Deborah Weiner, Director of Electronic Communication for the UUA, at dweiner@uua.org.
Edges Is Available!
Edges is the student-organized and juried arts and letters journal of Starr King School for the Ministry. Three volumes are now available for purchase through the mail. The three issues are:
Emerging Edges 2006
Evolving Edges 2007
Evocative Edges 2008
Hover over the cover thumbnails to see a higher-resolution scan of the covers and click to download a pdf of the table of contents.
The current and back issues of Edges are priced for any combination, as follows:
1 issue ~ $10.00
2 issues ~ $18.00
3 issues ~ $25.00
With your order, please include $2.00 per issue for 1st class postage. Checks may be made payable to Starr King Student Activities Fund. Allow two to three weeks for processing. Orders may be sent to: Starr King School for the Ministry
c/o Glenn Farley
2441 Le Conte Ave.
Berkeley, CA 94709
Starr King Graduates Can Now Enroll in Online Courses for Free
For some time now, SKSM grads have been entitled to take one course per semester for free, except for online courses. New policy makes it possible for grads to receive scholarship assistance (in the form of waived fees) to take one online course each year. To apply, please email the Online Education Director, Cathleen Young, and state your request.
Congratulations to Jodi Tharan, 2nd year student at Starr King School, on receiving a grant from the Marjorie Bowens-Wheatley funding program of the UUWF. Jodi was among four women to receive the grant which supports women aspirants to the Unitarian Universalist ministry who identify as people of color, Latina or Hispanic. The program was founded to honor the memory of the late Rev. Marjorie Bowens-Wheatley, a past UUWF board member and a member of the first Equity and Justice Grants Panel. This year marks the program’s first funding cycle, and four recipients received grants of $1,500 each.
