From President Jay Rundell:

On behalf of MTSO and together with Dr. Valerie Bridgeman, I am writing to announce that Dean Bridgeman will retire from her roles as Dean, Vice President of Academic Affairs, and Professor of Homiletics and Hebrew Bible, effective December 31, 2026.

Throughout her tenure, Dr. Bridgeman has served the MTSO community with dedication and distinction. I am deeply grateful for her leadership, her scholarship, and the many contributions she has made to the academic life and mission of MTSO during the past ten years. As the longest-serving MTSO Dean over the past 40 years, her commitment to students, faculty, and the broader community has left a lasting and valued mark on the institution.

Dr. Bridgeman expresses her gratitude for the opportunity to serve MTSO and extends her best wishes to the school, its students, its faculty, and its staff as they continue their important work. MTSO, in turn, extends its sincere thanks and warmest wishes to Dr. Bridgeman for a fulfilling and well-deserved retirement.

MTSO’s Alumni Day brought a capacity crowd of former students, faculty and staff to campus Sept. 21 for a series of events.

The day began with a luncheon honoring three recipients of the Mount Alumni Award for Distinguished Service: Tejai Beulah Howard (MTS ’11), spiritual director, historian and educator; Andy Call (M.Div. ’13), lead pastor of Church of the Saviour in Cleveland Heights; and Brad Davis (M.Div. ’20), United Methodist clergy and co-chair of From Below: Rising Together For Coalfield Justice.

A chapel service with communion followed the lunch, and the day concluded with short presentations from two of MTSO’s newest faculty members, Assistant Professor of Theology Jee Hyun Baek and Assistant Professor of History Beth Stroud, providing insights into their current research projects and implications for ministry.

Dean Valerie Bridgeman offered the invocation at the Mount Awards luncheon.

Brad Davis, Tejai Beulah Howard and Andy Call received Mount Awards.

President Jay Rundell celebrated communion during chapel.

Emeritus Professor Bob Tannehill chatted with Jee Hyun Baek and Beth Stroud following their faculty presentations.

John S. McClure, the Charles G. Finney Emeritus Professor of Preaching and Worship at Vanderbilt Divinity School, will lead MTSO’s Schooler Institute on Preaching March 2 and 3, 2027.

A past president of the Academy of Homiletics, McClure is a prolific author with books covering a vast array of topics in the field. Among his titles are The Four Codes of Preaching: Rhetorical Strategies; Mashup Religion: Pop Music and Theological Invention; and Ethical Approaches to Preaching: Choosing the Best Way to Preach About Difficult Issues.

Ordained in the Presbyterian Church (U.S.A.), McClure served as the pastor of Ensley Highland Presbyterian Church in Birmingham, Alabama, and taught preaching for 17 years at Louisville Presbyterian Theological Seminary before serving on the Vanderbilt faculty for 17 years.

Registration for the Schooler Institute will open in January.