NEW YORK, August 11, 2025 – The Common Theological Seminary (GTS) at this time introduced it had acquired approval from the New York State Legal professional Common to lease the Near Vanderbilt College.
The 99-year lease will allow GTS to develop its modern hybrid Grasp of Divinity (MDiv) program, whereas securing its presence at its historic dwelling in New York Metropolis for many years to return.
Below the phrases of the lease settlement, GTS may have entry to greater than twice the present stage of lodging on the Shut for scholar intensive weeks, enabling it to extend the variety of college students in every cohort of the MDiv program over time. Intensive weeks will likely be held on the Shut in August and Could, with programming for alumni happening in June. Graduation and Matriculation will proceed to be held within the Chapel of the Good Shepherd.
GTS’ hybrid MDiv, which is designed for college kids within the ordination course of for The Episcopal Church, is considerably oversubscribed. This week, the Seminary welcomed 24 new college students on to this system, the biggest incoming MDiv class since 2008. The primary cohort of hybrid MDiv college students graduated this Could, reaching a 100% placement charge in each parish and chaplaincy roles. GTS was additionally the one Episcopal seminary the place each scholar was marked proficient in all six areas of the Common Ordination Exams.
The Very Rev. Ian S. Markham, President of The Common Theological Seminary, stated: “The lease settlement with Vanderbilt College ensures that Common continues its sacred work of forming leaders for the Church from our historic dwelling in Chelsea. It allows us to develop our modern hybrid MDiv program and deepen our choices for alumni, whereas securing our presence on the Shut for generations to return.”
Approval from the New York State Legal professional Common was obligatory to shut on the lease settlement. Vanderbilt additionally requires approval from the New York State Schooling Division to offer educational programming on the Shut, together with an undergraduate examine away program and a one-year grasp’s program.
GTS entered into an Affiliation Settlement with Virginia Theological Seminary in 2022. Below the settlement, the 2 seminaries function as separate entities, retaining their very own accreditations, endowments, and boards, however sharing an overlapping governance construction, government management workforce, and a variety of shared providers. The settlement prohibits the subsidy of 1 establishment by the opposite.
Notes to editors:
For media enquiries, please contact Nicky Burridge, Senior Vice President for Communications and Institutional Development at GTS.
Tel: (703) 461-1782
Cellular: (703) 300-2876
E-mail: nburridge@vts.edu
Picture caption: The Shut in Chelsea, New York Metropolis.
About The Common Theological Seminary:
The Common Theological Seminary of The Episcopal Church was based in 1817. It’s the oldest seminary of The Episcopal Church and has educated and fashioned leaders for the church in a altering world for greater than 200 years. The seminary was chartered by an act of The Episcopal Church’s Common Conference and its title was chosen to replicate its founders’ imaginative and prescient that or not it’s a seminary to serve the entire church.
