(HCHC) - On Friday, August 7, 2020, at a special executive session, the HCHC Board of Trustees unanimously passed a resolution declaring “financial exigency” at the institution, allowing the School to initiate a restructuring designed to meet the serious fiscal challenges of the COVID-19 pandemic, strengthen academic quality, and grow into the future. This process of restructuring, although challenging, is necessary for HCHC to continue to build on the recent progress that has been made. As President George M. Cantonis has stated, “Maintaining academic excellence and fiscal prudence must always be top priorities in all of our reorganization plans.”
The declaration of financial exigency was necessitated by a projected budget deficit significantly worsened by COVID-19. HCHC would have been unable to fund this deficit and, due to its probationary status, a deficit budget would seriously threaten the institution’s accreditation.
All of HCHC’s expenses were evaluated, but the largest expense has been faculty salaries. To achieve the necessary balanced budget, faculty ranks have been reduced by six members (Dragas, Clapsis, Holmberg, Mihopoulos, Lonzano, and MacIntyre), three from Hellenic College and three from Holy Cross–a difficult decision to make, but the only path to right-size the budget. President Cantonis met individually with each of the six faculty members to explain the Board’s actions. These actions were also discussed with government authorities and accreditors prior to their implementation, transparency with these agencies being a hallmark of HCHC’s relationship with them.
In the School of Theology, current qualified faculty trained in the same theological disciplines as the three departing faculty will teach the classes. In Hellenic College, a similar plan is in the final stages of development. President Cantonis says, “Though we are teaching remotely this semester, we are offering a robust array of synchronous classes using our new learning management system and the latest online technology. Our goal is to continually improve and show our stakeholders that we are accountable and good stewards.”
Wednesday, August 19, 2020
HCHC officially announces restructuring
Subscribe to:
Post Comments (Atom)
Posts
If someone runs across a public source as to who the 6 are please link it here.
ReplyDeleteThanks to our host!
DeleteIn a sane world the big three jurisdictions would be looking to merge their seminaries. But there is nothing rational about the jurisdictional alphabet soup in North America.
ReplyDeleteThe Antiochian Archdiocese is an interesting case here: they've made a point of not having "Our Own Seminary"; they send students to one of the existing seminaries, then train them in jurisdictional particulars through internships and their own programs. It seems to work, and I'm not aware of problems with future Antiochian priests being stolen by "those Greeks" or "those Russians."
DeleteJohn, actually given the premise of ethnic solidarity, having the separate facilities is quite rational.
DeleteThe Antiochians also removed all ethnic identifiers from our signs.
Be reminded that SVOTS was founded as an American institution by clergy from St. Serge in Paris. I am unaware of anyone calling OCA ‘the Russians’ besides the Greeks among whom it is still nearly universal, though Abp. Elpidophoros is intelligent enough not to speak that way publicly. Antiochians do not play those games in my hearing, although I overheard one of their clergy, currying favor with a Greek pastor emeritus, complain that his native Hawaiian island had only on OCA parish on it. This derogatory speech is expressive of Greek pride that is not typically shared by non-Greek clergy, though a Hawaiian might put it on to cozy up to a Phanariot.
DeleteAntioch, if you know your Church History, was under the thumb of ethnic Greek hierarchs until Russian engagement in the XIX c. freed them from foreign domination. Syrian clergy remain grateful and MP-AP relations have remained bully ever since. Antiochians don’t have the need or means to run their seminary here. They are wise enough to grasp how cooperation in seminary behooves all of us.
One of the problems "national" churches bring to The Table.
ReplyDeleteAnd I foolishly thought America could "fix" such!
In Christ there is no east or west, no north or south,,when will we become Christian's again and recognize this fact
ReplyDeleteThis one seminary has officially given the boot to Frs. Florovsky, Romanides and Dragas!
ReplyDeleteMaximus: I think we may have found part of the problem...
Delete