Dr. Ian Markham New Dean and President of Virginia Theological Seminary

A Seminary Press Release just sent out reads as follows:

Alexandria, VA – The Board of Trustees of the Virginia Theological Seminary in Alexandria, Virginia (VTS) announced today that Dr. Ian Markham, dean of Hartford Seminary and professor of Theology and Ethics, has accepted the invitation to become the fourteenth Dean and President of Virginia Seminary. Dr. Markham will succeed the Very Reverend Martha J. Horne, who is retiring after serving with distinction as Dean and President of the Seminary over the past thirteen years.

“The Board of Trustees and the Seminary community are enthusiastic about the appointment of Dr. Markham, and eagerly anticipate his arrival on campus in August 2007,” said David Charlton, chair of the Seminary’s Nominating Committee. “He was elected by a unanimous vote of the Board of Trustees after a thorough search and consideration of a large number of candidates by the Nominating Committee.”

Dr Markham and his wife Lesley spent three days in late April visiting the Seminary campus. During the visit, Dr. Markham met with trustees, faculty, students, staff, alumni, and clergy from the Washington, DC area. Said Charlton, “The Nominating Committee received an enthusiastic response from the community as a result of that visit. After three weeks of considering responses from the Seminary family on campus and throughout the country, the Committee unanimously nominated Dr. Markham to the Board of Trustees for election as the new Dean and President of Virginia Theological Seminary.”

Dr. Markham has been Dean of Hartford Seminary and Professor of Theology and Ethics since August of 2001. He also served as Director of the Doctor of Ministry program at Hartford Seminary from 2001 to 2005, and directed the seminary’s accreditation self-study process from 2002 to 2003. Prior to serving as Dean of Hartford Seminary he was Foundation Dean and Liverpool Professor of Theology and Public Life at Liverpool Hope University in Liverpool, England, from 1998 to 2001, where he served as a member of the senior management team and strategic planning committee; Liverpool Professor of Theology and Public Life at Liverpool Hope University from 1996 to December 1998; and Lecturer and sub Dean of the Faculty of Arts at the University of Exeter in England from 1989 to August of 1996.

As a theologian and an ethicist, Dr. Markham has taught courses at the graduate level in Christian theology and religious diversity, constructive theology, historical theology, worship, and spirituality. He is the author of numerous publications, including Do Morals Matter: A Guide to Contemporary Religious Ethics (Blackwell, 2007), A Theology of Engagement (Blackwell, 2003), Truth and the Reality of God (T & T Clark, 1998), and Plurality and Christian Ethics (Cambridge University Press, 1994). He has edited and contributed to many collections of essays, such as Globalization, Ethics and Islam (Ashgate, 2005) and September 11: Religious Perspectives on the Causes and Consequences (Oneworld, 2002). He is a candidate for holy orders in the Diocese of Connecticut and will be ordained to the diaconate on June 9, 2007.

Dr. Markham holds a Ph.D. in Christian Ethics from the University of Exeter, an M. Litt. in Philosophy and Ethics from the University of Cambridge, and a Bachelor of Divinity in Theology from the University of London. He and his wife Lesley have one son, Luke. A more complete summary of Dr. Markham’s background, experiences and numerous publications can be found on the Virginia Seminary website at http://www.vts.edu/.

Dr. Markham will assume his duties as dean and president of Virginia Seminary in August of 2007. “It will be an honor and privilege to serve as Dean of Virginia Seminary, which has served the Gospel and the Church with distinction for so many years,” said Dr. Markham upon being informed of his selection.

“The success of our search for a new Dean and President is due to the dedication and contributions of members of the Nominating Committee, and many individuals within and beyond the Seminary community,” said the Rt. Rev. Peter James Lee, bishop of the Diocese of Virginia and chairman of the board of trustees at VTS. “On behalf of the Board of Trustees and the Nominating Committee, we thank you for your prayers during this period of discernment and for your continued support of our beloved Seminary’s ministry to the church and its witness to the world.”

Virginia Theological Seminary is the largest of the 11 accredited seminaries of the Episcopal Church and was founded in 1823. The school prepares men and women for service in the Church worldwide, both as ordained and lay ministers, and offers a number of professional degree programs and diplomas. The Seminary currently represents more than 40 different dioceses and 9 different countries.