8 Things to Know about the State of McCormick in 2015
11-23-2015
The Annual Report’s gone out, the Board has met, and the President has spoken. If you haven’t had the chance to read through the report or missed out on the State of McCormick address at McCormick Days, no worries! Here’s a snapshot of where we are and where we’re going:
The Future of McCormick—and of the Church—is bright indeed!
1) We’ve retired our debt!
This summer, McCormick was able to pay off $7.6 million of debt, which significantly lowers the risk of rising interest rates
2) Seminary Relations and Development has been upgraded
We hired Lisa Dagher, whose efficient and effective team has raised the bar for our annual fund, re-energizing McCormick’s supporter base
3) We’ve made the counter-cultural move of lowering tuition
McCormick is bucking the trend of rising education costs by lowering our tuition to 25% of our peer PCUSA and local Chicago schools, while still offering quality theological education.
4) We’ve become a hub for faith-based service
We established the National Center for Faith and Service, a new initiative that seeks to recruit, train, and launch young adults as they seek to change the world through service and justice
5) Enrollment is way up!
Enrollment for the incoming 2015 class is up over 50%, increasing after years of steady decline
6) Giving is way up!
Our annual fund blew past its usual annual projections of about $500,000 to a year-end total of $700,000
7) We’ve reaffirmed our call to being peacemakers
Working off a successful first year looking at Peacemaking in the City, our annual theme committee is organizing workshops and seminars that seek to equip transformational leaders with resources and best practices for addressing urban violence
8) Our faculty is moving towards 2040
In the past 3 years, we’ve recruited several new faculty members from diverse backgrounds, and our teaching team reflects the increasing diversity of our nation and interconnectedness of our world