Garrett-Evangelical Theological Seminary Names New President
Dr. Philip A. Amerson of Claremont School of Theology will join Garrett-Evangelical Theological Seminary as the new president, bringing years of experience and vision to the seminary.
Dr. Philip A. Amerson of Claremont School of Theology will join Garrett-Evangelical Theological Seminary as the new president, bringing years of experience and vision to the seminary.
Amerson, who currently serves as president of Claremont School of Theology in California, accepted the call from Chicago’s Garrett-Evangelical Theological Seminary to serve as the new seminary president. Amerson plans to complete the school year at Claremont School of Theology, and begin his new position on June 1, 2006.
“We are very pleased that Dr. Amerson has been chosen to lead Garrett-Evangelical Theological Seminary,” said Donald N. Boyce, Chair of the Garrett-Evangelical Board. The Board met in mid-October to confirm Amerson’s election as President and as a Professor of the Sociology of Religion.
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“He brings more than 35 years of leadership experience in many capacities, including pastoral ministry, scholarship, teaching and administration in higher education,” said Boyce about Amerson.
Amerson has served in various positions. He was a pastor in the South Indiana Conference of the United Methodist Church; a consultant for the Lilly Endowment on Urban Congregational Life; a delegate to the General Conference, South Indiana Conference, and California Pacific Conference; a member on several commissions; and a professor at several colleges and seminaries.
As president of Claremont School of Theology since 2000, Amerson has helped in the school’s curriculum development, successful accreditation reviews, increase in enrollment, and diversification of the school community, in both the student body and faculty.
Amerson plans to continue this work throughout the rest of his time at Claremont. In the meantime, the Claremont Board of Trustees has formed a search committee to find a new president by July 1, 2006, to allow the school to make a smooth transition.
Dr. Jacob Martinson, former president of High Point University in North Carolina, will serve as the interim president for Garrett-Evangelical Theological Seminary until Amerson assumes his new post.
