Preparing for Baccalaureate & Commencement 2016
May 5, 2016
Commencement, Baccalaureate Close Out 2015-16 Academic Year at
New Brunswick Theological Seminary, May 20-21.
Video the videos of the services:
Commencement 2016
Baccalaureate 2016
One of the largest graduating classes in the history of New Brunswick Theological Seminary will celebrate Commencement Saturday May 21. Some 50 candidates will be receiving Master of Divinity, Master of Arts and Doctor of Ministry degrees. The Rt. Rev. Eugene Taylor Sutton, Episcopal Bishop of Maryland and former NBTS faculty member, will be the featured speaker. Rev. Sutton is a graduate of Western Theological Seminary. He has served churches in Trenton, NJ and Washington, DC as well as holding teaching positions at New Brunswick, Vanderbilt University School of Divinity and the General Theological Seminary in New York City.
“It will be a great honor and joy to have him return to the Seminary,”said New Brunswick President Dr. Gregg Mast, recalling that he and Dr. Sutton are both alumni of Hope College in Michigan. This year’s festivities mark the tenth anniversary of Dr. Mast’s presidency. He has announced his retirement, effective June 2017. Dr. Mast is a member of the NBTS class of 1976, an ordained minister of the Reformed Church in America and has served congregations in South Africa, New Jersey and New York.
The annual Baccalaureate Service will be held Friday May 20 at 7:30 PM also at Kirkpatrick Chapel. The graduating class has chosen Dr. Raynard Smith, Associate Professor of Pastoral Care, to deliver the message for the evening. Dr. Smith holds degrees from Drew University, Princeton Theological Seminary and Springfield College. He is an ordained minister of the Church of God in Christ and has extensive experience as a chaplain and counselor in hospital, hospice and clinical settings. “Dr. Smith’s experience as a chaplain and his academic credentials make him a very special person and professor,” said President Mast.
Members of NBTS “Honor Classes” –celebrating 10, 20, 25 and 30 years – have been invited to attend. One member of the Class of 1951 is expected. In addition, honorary degrees will be awarded to Dr. Son Young Lee and Dr. Wilbur Washington. Dr. Lee has served as a professor of theology and Senior Pastor of Saemoonan Presbyterian Church in Seoul, South Korea, the first congregation established by Dr. Horace Underwood, a graduate of NBTS and missionary to Korea in the late 19th and early 20th centuries. Saemoonan and New Brunswick are partners in the Underwood International Symposium which brings global scholars to Seoul each year.
Dr. Washington was the first African-American President of the General Synod of the Reformed Church in America (RCA), elected to that post in 1988. He is an alumnus of Rutgers University and New Brunswick Theological Seminary. He served congregations in Illinois and California before joining the faculty at Central College in Pella, Iowa. In 1980 Dr. Washington became professor of practical theology at NBTS and later served several RCA congregations in New York and New Jersey. Throughout his long and distinguished career Dr. Washington has been a strong force for unity and social justice in the church and the community.
Dean of the Seminary, Dr. Willard Ashley, says NBTS grads are truly special. “I’m always appreciative and amazed at the sacrifices our students make to complete their degree requirements. The majority of our students are second-career. They are often raising families, some are engaged in full-time employment. To consider that they take on the task of finishing a graduate degree is just remarkable.”
He also admits to having mixed feelings this time of year. “I’m excited as the Dean to get to robe or hood the students as they walk across the stage and share in their exuberance as they launch into a new world. I’m sad from the standpoint that you make friendships and you meet students that impact your life and you impact their life and now they’re moving on,” said Dean Ashley.
Admission to the Commencement is by ticket only. The Baccalaureate is open to the public.