A Note from Dr. Stephanie Krusemark: Gratitude and Shared Purpose
Dear Starr King Community,
With deep humility and abundant joy, I write to you today as the new President of Starr King School for the Ministry. It is an extraordinary honor to join this beloved institution—one whose mission, spirit, and legacy have long inspired me.
Starr King is a sacred place. For over 120 years, this school has courageously prepared Unitarian Universalist and multi-religious leaders to serve ministries of compassion, justice, and liberation. That legacy lives on today in each of you—in the students who bring their whole selves to the work of spiritual formation, in the faculty and staff who guide with wisdom and care, and in the alumni, trustees, donors, and friends who sustain and extend our mission into the world.
To our prospective students: you are discerning a profound call, and I am grateful that you are considering Starr King as a place to nurture your spiritual and vocational journey. To our donors and supporters: your generosity fuels this sacred work, and your belief in our mission makes transformation possible. To our broader community of friends and partners: your solidarity and encouragement strengthen us as we move forward together.
Dr. Stephanie L. Krusemark
We are living in a moment that calls for bold moral leadership. Our communities are navigating profound grief, social injustice, environmental crisis, and political polarization. Yet in the midst of all this, Starr King stands as a beacon of hope and resistance—a place where the sacred and the scholarly meet, where spirit and justice intertwine.
As I step into this role, I do so with a deep commitment to our shared mission and to the values that make Starr King so distinctive: counter-oppressive education, radical hospitality, collective care, and spiritual depth. I am eager to listen, to learn, and to walk alongside you as we dream together about what is possible for this next chapter of our school.
I had the pleasure of meeting some of you at the Unitarian Universalist Association’s General Assembly in Baltimore last month. In the coming weeks and months, I look forward to meeting many more of you. I want to hear your stories, your hopes, and your vision for our future. Together, we will build upon the strong foundation laid by President Rev. Rosemary Bray McNatt and generations of leaders who have nurtured this community with love and integrity.
This is a time of transformation—for theological education, for Unitarian Universalism, and for the wider world. And I believe Starr King is uniquely positioned not only to respond to this moment, but to lead it—with courage, creativity, and spiritual grounding.
Thank you for welcoming me into this community. It is a gift and a privilege to serve as your President.
With gratitude and in shared purpose,
Dr. Stephanie L. Krusemark