A book with the proceedings of the symposium is available at no charge as long as supplies last. Please contact the Allegheny Campus Store about availability.
Meeting This Moment: Exploring the State of Allegheny College’s Methodist Affiliation
Jane Ellen Nickell, editor
At a time when both Allegheny College and the United Methodist Church were facing significant transition, representatives of the two institutions came together to consider the current state of their affiliation, which began in 1833. This symposium was held at Allegheny College March 17-18, 2023, and examined the larger relationship, without considering whether the affiliation should continue. Members of the Allegheny College community and the Western Pennsylvania United Methodist Conference presented papers on the history of the institutional connection and various aspects of affiliation, and three keynote speakers addressed the state of church-related higher education in general. While the conversation focused on specific institutions, insights from the symposium and the keynote addresses can be instructive to others confronting similar issues.
This project was undertaken with a Reframing the Institutional Saga grant from the Council of Independent Colleges and NetVUE (Network for Vocation in Undergraduate Education) and was funded by the Lilly Endowment Inc. and the Towns Family Lectureship in Practical Ethics.
Book Contents
- Foreword by Dr. Ron Cole, President, Allegheny College
- Introduction by Rev. Dr. Jane Ellen Nickell, Allegheny College Chaplain Emerita
Historical Perspectives
- “An Ever-widening Gap: Allegheny College and Methodism over the Years” by Rev. Dr. Jane Ellen Nickell and Charlie Waid, Allegheny ‘25
- “The Ties that Bind: Methodism’s Early Relationship with Allegheny College” by Rev. Dr. Susan Lyn Moudry, Ordained Elder, Western PA UMC Conference
- “‘This Peculiar Convocation’: The Thoburn Jubilee and Allegheny’s Missionary Legacy” by June Meadow Gromis, Former Allegheny Student
Aspects of Affiliation
- “Doing Good: Institutions, Cultures, and Enabling Morally Virtuous Action” by Rev. Erik Hoeke, Ordained Elder, Western PA UMC Conference
- “Looking Back as a Means to Live Forward: Claiming One’s Institutional Truth in Order to Foster an Equitable and Inclusive Campus Community” by Dr. James Puglisi, Allegheny ‘84
- “Writing Our Stories: Naming Loss and Drawing Our Bounds” by Rev. Lynette S. Moran, Ordained Deacon, Western PA UMC Conference
The Larger Context of Church-Related Higher Education
- “Church-College Relations: A View from the Academy” by Dr. Joanne Berger-Sweeney, President, Trinity College
- “Church-College Relations: A View from the Church” by Rev. Dr. Peter D. Weaver, United Methodist Bishop, Retired
- “The State of United Methodist Higher Education” by Melissa Spas, Allegheny ’03, Vice President of Religion, Chautauqua Institution
- Afterword: Closing Remarks by Rev. Cynthia Moore-Koikoi, Bishop, Western PA UMC Conference