NEWS RELEASE
For Immediate Release: January 7, 2009
Contact: Holli S. Emore, 888.503.4131, <mailto:chs@cherryhillseminary.org>
CHS@cherryhillseminary.org
Cherry Hill Seminary To Grant Master’s Degrees
COLUMBIA, SC — Cherry Hill Seminary is pleased to announce that the South
Carolina Commission on Higher Education has notified the school of the
religious exemption which allows the Seminary to grant master’s degrees.
Beginning in September 2009 Cherry Hill Seminary will offer the following
Master’s degrees.
* Master of Divinity (72 hours). Basic professional ministry degree,
balancing Pagan academics, personal spiritual development, and Pagan
ministerial practice. Most professional religious positions, such as
chaplaincy, certain types of counseling, and other ministerial activities
require a Master of Divinity degree.
* Master of Pagan Pastoral Care and Counseling (60 hours). Specialty
degree, (pastoral care, religion and psychotherapy, or Pagan marriage and
family) offers reflection, study and supervised practice which prepare the
graduate to pursue various aspects of Pastoral Care and Counseling.
* Master of Pagan Ministry (48 hours). Preparation for specialized
ministry in such areas as education, media, the arts or other practices,
combines Pagan academics with practical and/or pastoral experience with
diverse Pagan populations.
* Master of Pagan Studies (48 hours) Pagan academics degree, focusing
on study and research in any one curriculum concentration major.
"As Paganism becomes an increasingly recognized and influential religion, we
are delighted to be able to offer higher education for those who would serve
as clergy professionals, whether as scholars, mentors, counselors, teachers,
artists, organizers, leaders, chaplains and/or advocates in local, regional,
national and international settings," said the Academic Dean, Cynthia Jane
Collins, M.Div., M.S. "A challenge we face is to integrate academic
excellence, practical supervised training, individual responsibility and
personal and community spiritual development from a Pagan perspective. We
seek to enhance and expand our depth and breadth while finding ways to serve
others, Pagans and non-Pagans alike. "
Originally founded in Vermont in 1997, and now based in South Carolina,
Cherry Hill Seminary provides the only graduate program of Pagan seminary
studies in the world. The distance education program holds twice-yearly
intensive retreats, with all regular classes being held online. Faculty
include such notables as Michael York, Ph.D., founder of the first Pagan
graduate studies program in the world (at Bath Spa University, England),
Grove Harris, M.Div., former managing director of the Harvard Religious
Pluralism Project, now program director for the Parliament of the World’s
Religions, and Dr. David Oringderff, founder of Sacred Well Congregation,
sponsor of the well-known Wiccan circle at Fort Hood, Texas.
"We now enter a crucial period in our development," said Kirk Thomas, Cherry
Hill Seminary Board of Directors President. "Our next hurdle is to meet the
requirements for accreditation, a process which normally takes several
years." Thomas, current Vice-Archdruid for Ár nDraíocht Féin: A Druid
Fellowship (ADF), noted that Cherry Hill students tend to be mature adults
with considerable life experience, who often already possess graduate
degrees and professional credentials in such fields as social work,
counseling, or psychology.
By spring, Cherry Hill Seminary will announce an invitation to apply for
admission to the master’s programs, including transition information for
existing certificate program students who wish to pursue a master’s degree.
The rollout will include information about a new Department of Pagan
Community Education for Lifelong Learning (PCELL), an enhanced replacement
of the current certificate program.
"Recent studies such as the U.S. Religious Landscape Survey by the Pew Forum
on Religion & Public Life clearly indicate the rapid growth of Pagan
practice throughout the country and beyond," said Holli Emore, Executive
Director for Cherry Hill Seminary. "With that growth comes the acute need
for individuals who are adequately prepared to provide Pagan ministerial
services, counseling, chaplaincy, and community leadership. As the modern
Pagan movement comes of age, it is important to set standards of excellence
for ministry. Cherry Hill Seminary is at the forefront of setting those
standards."
Cherry Hill Seminary is a 501(c)3 nonprofit organization, incorporated in
the state of South Carolina, providing education in Pagan ministry and
studies to students throughout the U.S., Canada, the U.K., and other
English-speaking areas. For more information, visit www.cherryhillseminary,
or contact Holli Emore at 888.503.4131, CHS@cherryhillseminary.org.