Nov 18, 2005
By Gary D. Myers
NEW ORLEANS -- New Orleans Baptist Theological Seminary
will hold classes on its New Orleans campus starting in January,
NOBTS President Chuck Kelley has announced. He also said that the
May graduation ceremony will be held on campus in Leavell
Chapel.
In addition to the classes on the New Orleans campus, a full
range of course delivery systems will be offered in the spring
semester for undergraduate and graduate students, including
beefed-up offerings at extension centers, Internet courses,
threaded discussion directed study courses, weekend classes and
one-week academic workshops.
Because student housing will not be available in January, the
courses are designed with commuter students in mind. The seminary
will continue to offer a variety of study options during the spring
semester for those who cannot commute to the main campus.
The announcement came during Kelley’s recent trip to campus Nov. 10
to view restoration progress and his comments are posted in a
letter to the seminary family at the school’s website (www.nobts.edu).
“The New Orleans Baptist Theological Seminary campus is coming to
life again. We’ve made amazing progress,” Kelley said. “The campus
is literally changing every week.”
Kelley found the front block of campus in excellent condition. He
said the main academic buildings are ready for use. According to
Kelley, quick restoration work by the seminary’s contractor, Mike
Moskau, facilitated the early return of on-campus courses.
“We couldn’t have gotten this far without Mike Moskau,” Kelley
said. “He has picked up on our passion to get it done and he’s
found ways to make it happen.”
Although a few classes at some extension centers begin Jan. 18,
most on-campus and extension center classes will begin Jan. 23.
On-campus classes will be offered on Mondays, Tuesdays, Thursdays,
Fridays and Saturdays. Most courses meet one day a week in two- or
three-hour blocks. Many students will be able to take a fulltime
course load by commuting to campus only one or two days each
week.
More than 30 graduate courses and 10 undergraduate courses will be
offered in New Orleans.
To facilitate the main campus courses, the John T. Christian
Library, the president’s office and many other campus offices will
open in January. While student housing will not be available,
on-campus housing will be available to staff members who
return.
Because students remain scattered throughout the country, NOBTS
will continue to offer an extensive schedule of online courses and
threaded discussion courses. One-week academic workshops will be
held in seven different locations in January, February, March and
April; the locations include Atlanta; Birmingham, Ala.;
Jacksonville, Fla.; and Orlando, Fla.
“It is an unbelievable task for our faculty, who are located all
over the Southeast and Southwest, to be able to come together and
develop this schedule,” Steve Lemke, NOBTS provost, said. “The
leadership of the deans and division chairs has been crucial in
making this task possible.”
As the on-campus January courses offer the first taste of normalcy
for the NOBTS faculty, Kelley continued to praise the professors’
work after the storm, noting that their flexibility helped the
seminary through this difficult time.
“This faculty is passionate about serving our students, and they
are working extremely hard to make sure preparations for a life of
ministry that will continue whatever the obstacles may be,” Kelley
said.
Kelley said the seminary is on track to open some on-campus student
housing units as early as April. The goal is to give students an
opportunity to get back to New Orleans early so they may
participate in the city’s restoration.
In May, Kelley said, summer workshops also will return to the New
Orleans campus. Workshops will be held on campus in May, June, July
and August. In August, he said, the campus will resume normal
operations.
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Complete spring classes schedules are available online at www.nobts.edu.