President Leanne Van Dyk: A Living Portrait

Dr . Leanne Van Dyk, the tenth president of Columbia Theological Seminary, marked the end of her tenure in July 2022 . In 2015, she entered a seminary grieving the loss of President Steve Haynor and led it through a time of great transition including two-plus years spent navigating the ups and down of the COVID-19 pandemic . Throughout her time here, she worked tirelessly to prepare Columbia Seminary for its 3rd century .

BY JENNIFER CUTHBERTSON, DIRECTOR OF MARKETING AND COMMUNICATIONS

“The Columbia that was, in 2015, is very different from the Columbia of 2022, because of President Van Dyk’s leadership and her commitment to excellence,” says Rev. Dr. Jane Fahey, Chair of Columbia’s Board of Trustees.

Commitment to Online Education Gives Columbia an Edge

President Van Dyk came to Columbia with a commitment to online education. In a video produced soon after she began office, she noted, “It is possible to do online education well, so it is not the second-class citizen of theological education. It’s a careful process of community forming, regular check-ins, thoughtful conversations.”

“One of the obvious contributions that President Van Dyk has made that has served this institution well is her commitment from the beginning to expanding online education,” says Fahey. “Many of our faculty had already done their own work in online pedagogy, but President Van Dyk pushed the whole faculty in this direction.”

Columbia has established an online Master of Arts in Theological Studies MA(TS) program. Students in this program have flexibility to take courses in any MA(TS) discipline area (Old Testament, New Testament, Theology, Church History, or Ethics). This commitment to virtual education served Columbia well as it moved to 100 percent online learning in March 2020.

“This vision for online learning enabled the seminary to pivot very quickly and very effectively when the pandemic hit,” says Florida Ellis, a member of the Board of Trustees.

The pandemic plays into another memory of President Van Dyk that the Columbia community will hold dear for years to come, and that is the depth of her care for and commitment to this community and her role as a pastoral leader. During the pandemic she was a calming presence that regularly checked in and sent notes of encouragement and empathy.

“The last couple of years have been so hard in so many ways, and out of the blue, here will come an email from Leanne that is so pastoral and so very comforting. I am not sure where that energy came from on top of everything else that was happening,” says Claire K. Tate a member of Columbia’s Board of Trustees.

Creating a Community of Belonging

Columbia has changed greatly over the years. As President Van Dyk herself says, “Columbia is very different than we were 30 years ago. I am grateful that we have taken strides forward in diversity, equity, inclusion, and belonging, not without growing pains. But we are certainly on the right path.” In 2020 the Board of Trustees approved Repairing the Breach, a statement explicitly outlining steps Columbia is implementing to directly address the harm that slavery and its aftermath have done to Black people and communities. Those steps include full tuition and fees for all Black students who apply and are admitted to masters-level degree programs. This particular commitment has been fulfilled through the William Thomas Catto scholarship, named for the seminary’s first African American student.

“I think one of the things that has been transformative for Columbia is the Repairing the Breach initiative that we began in the summer of 2020,” says Dr. Love Sechrest, Vice President for Academic Affairs and Dean of Faculty from 2018 to 2022. “There were a lot of companies, schools, and institutions that were making statements in support of Black lives during the summer that George Floyd died, but I’ve seen no other institution make a commitment like the one that was made here at Columbia Theological Seminary.”

Repairing the Breach also included a promise to publicly recognize Dr. Marcia Y. Riggs for her groundbreaking research, teaching, and dedication to Columbia by naming our signature residence hall Marcia Y. Riggs Hall (Riggs Commons). Her name is now etched in stone on that building.

Columbia’s, and President Van Dyk’s, commitment to diversity, equity, inclusion, and belonging has

also resulted in a student body that is very different from classes in the past. Columbia has more students of color as well as a diversity of denominations, while still holding true to its PC (USA) identity.

“I’m convinced we’re living theologically right now straight out of our deep identity as a PC (USA) or reformed theological seminary. I am so inspired by this ecumenical openness and the deep roots of hospitality that is the Presbyterian tradition at its best,” Van Dyk says.

A Strong Foundation for the Future

During President Van Dyk’s tenure, much work has been done to establish a solid foundation as Columbia moves closer to its bicentennial observance in the 2028-2029 school year. She worked with the President’s Council, faculty, and staff to ensure the goals of the 2017 strategic plan were completed, and then moved ahead to begin a new planning initiative.

In the spring of 2021, President Van Dyk was instrumental in helping secure a planning grant from Lilly Endowment, Inc. that allowed the seminary to begin work on a new vision statement. Working with the Arts & Science Group LLC, a steering committee made up of faculty, staff, and trustees engaged in a process of deep listening with the community that culminated in the writing of a new vision statement. The committee began its work with a series of individual discovery interviews with internal and external stakeholders, then held several town hall conversations, and a joint Board of Trustees and faculty retreat before finalizing the new vision statement. This statement was approved at the March 2022 Board meeting. (See page 31 for more about the Vision Statement.)

“President Van Dyk’s tenure was about preparing Columbia Seminary to step through the threshold into its third century. The new vision statement was part of that work and during its development, President Van Dyk has ensured that many voices were heard,” says David Huffine, Vice President for Advancement. “More than that, she has played a role of synthesizing those voices to create a vision that is widely embraced.”

Another way that President Van Dyk has helped ensure that Columbia will continue to meet its mission to educate leaders for the church and the world for many years to come is by helping to secure another Lilly Endowment, Inc. grant. This one for $1 million.

During the summer of 2021, President Van Dyk along with Lucy Baum, Executive Assistant, President’s Office; David Huffine, Vice President for Advancement; and Dr. Love Sechrest, Vice President for Academic Affairs and Dean of Faculty, worked together to write the grant funding the Pastoral Leadership for the Church of Many Cultures initiative. This initiative will help Columbia prioritize and respond to the challenges of preparing pastoral leaders for Christian congregations – now and in the future.

Dr. Jeffery Tribble, Associate Dean for Advanced Professional Studies, Associate Professor of Ministry, and Director of the DMin Program sums up President Van Dyk’s time at Columbia this way, “She kept showing up, doing the work, kept transforming, and kept growing in the midst of it all, and I think that’s a work of grace.”

Remembering and Celebrating

On May 16, faculty, staff, students, friends and family gathered to honor Dr . Leanne Van Dyk’s contributions to Columbia Seminary .

On May 16 more than 200 students, faculty and staff, trustees, alumni, donors, and friends celebrated President Van Dyk’s leadership over the last seven years.

During the event, President Van Dyk was presented with several meaningful gifts including a stained-glass rendition of the Columbia tree logo, a student-made stole signed by event attendees and a pair of hiking boots to wear on her adventures on the road ahead!

A special tribute video was shown which can be viewed on our YouTube channel. A Reflection of President Van Dyk’s Time at Columbia. Scan the QR code or visit https://youtu.be/5t1VmPkWAx0