I enjoy being on the Garrett-Evangelical campus year-round, but I particularly appreciate being on campus during the fall season. There is something invigorating about fall and the start of the new school year. It gives me a renewed sense of purpose and determination to consciously make a daily effort to improve my service to the seminary and my relationship with the staff, faculty, and students.
This is my second fall at Garrett-Evangelical. I arrived in May of 2009 to take on the job of Controller. I remember walking into the seminary for the first time – from the outside, the building itself is impressive. The picturesque tower exudes all of the things you imagine when you think of a religious institution. I didn’t grow up in the United Methodist church, so I wasn’t sure what to expect from seminary life. I was raised in the Catholic faith, so my expectation was not far from a mental picture of nuns and priests silently praying as they walked the halls.
I will attribute my convoluted notion of a “seminary” to my Catholic upbringing and too many movies! Needless to say, I could not have been more wrong. I sometimes overhear discussions when I walk by classrooms, and I am so impressed by the intelligence of the students. I must confess – please don’t try to have a meaningful academic-related conversation with me. I couldn’t understand your theological discussions if I tried! And as impressed as I was with the students’ desire to learn and grow in their faith, I was even more impressed by the enormous presence of community at Garrett-Evangelical. I still see it in how the students respect and support one another, and it inspires me in my interactions with others.
When I think back to last fall, I recall Board of Trustee Finance Committee meetings approving funding for the Loder Hall and Lesemann Hall renovations. I saw how hard the leadership team and the Finance Committee worked to make the renovations a reality. Now, this fall, I am actually seeing the construction happen – along with all of the invoices the Business Office pays to our various construction vendors! But this is truly a crucial investment in the future of the seminary, and it is worth every penny (especially next winter when I don’t have to leave campus to grab lunch).
I am already looking forward to next fall when I can once again see the results of another year of the seminary administrators’ hard work. Administrative processes may not always run smoothly or perfectly, and I firmly believe there is always room for improvement in all that we do. But the one constant in the transformation of Garrett-Evangelical is the genuine desire of its faculty and staff to help the students succeed. It is so rewarding to work in a place where the priority is to support the community, both staff and students, in all that we do. For this, I am truly grateful to be a member of the Garrett-Evangelical community.
So even though I don’t understand what you are discussing in the classroom, I am always happy to help you deal with the administration of being a student. And if not before then, I will see you at lunchtime in Loder Hall next fall!
Jessica Johnston is a Controller in the Business Office at Garrett-Evangelical Theological Seminary.
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