Dismissed Faculty Members Return to General Theological Seminary

Manhattan’s General Theological Seminary welcomed back on a provisional basis Monday seven of the eight faculty members it dismissed earlier this year, the The New York Times reported. The seminary’s Board of Trustees said the faculty members offered their de-facto resignation in September when they went on strike over what they called the poor leadership of the president and dean, the Rev. Kurt H. Dunkle. But the faculty members said they were illegally fired. The move was heavily criticized by alumni, members of the church and others in higher education, and now the seminary says it will work with the faculty members – who have been stripped of their tenure protections and have only been assured jobs until the end of the year – to address their concerns during a mediation process, through June. The one non-returning faculty member accepted a severance package, according to The Times.