WYNNEWOOD, Pa. (ABP) – To honor the legacy of former president Gordon Palmer, Eastern Baptist Theological Seminary will change its name to Palmer Theological Seminary July 1.
Eastern, located in suburban Philadelphia, is one of 10 seminaries related to American Baptist Churches USA.
Palmer, who led the school in the 1930s and '40s and was the school's longest-serving president, was instrumental in developing scholarship funds to help students at a financial disadvantage. The impetus for the name change grew out of a similar concern for contemporary students, current president Wallace Smith said.
“Our hope is to offer a significant improvement in scholarship aid, so that as many as one-third to one-half of our students may be able to matriculate full-time,” said Smith, an EBTS graduate. “Thanks to the vision of Dr. Palmer … we find ourselves in the wonderful position of being a link between the city and its suburbs. We look forward to continuing to be a place where those who combine an evangelical faith with a deep commitment to justice can come to be educated, nurtured and inspired.”
Currently celebrating its 80th anniversary, Eastern Baptist Theological Seminary was founded in Philadelphia in 1925. Its student body represents about 30 different denominations, and approximately half of its students are African-American and half are women.