Tuition to Remain Unchanged in 2009-10

It is always a pleasure to announce good news from Claremont. The Board of Trustees group recognizes the hardships that the current national recession may have on our student body, so they have taken a bold step to support our current students and encourage prospective students to choose Claremont.

The Board voted to keep tuition for the 2009-2010 academic year at its current level, effective for all degree programs. Keeping next year’s tuition rates flat will hopefully offer you some financial relief as you continue in your theological education. The School is fortunate to be in a sufficiently positive financial position to make this important adjustment for our current and prospective students.

In other news ... the School’s faculty also voted to reduce the number of units in the three-year Master of Divinity (M.Div.) program from 90 to 81, thereby reducing the overall cost of the School’s core degree program for the next academic year. The existing curriculum often results in students taking more than three years to complete the degree, which can present additional financial hardships. so a reduction in the units is to the benefit for the student.

The reduction in units for our core program will reduce student dependence on borrowing. At the same time, it gives the School the opportunity to offer more scholarship assistance to those who need it and deserve it most.

You can read more about these decisions at the School's Web site at www.cst.edu.

Obama and The Golden Rule

Earlier this week, when President Obama spoke at the National Prayer Breakfast, he announced the creation of an Advisory Council on Faith, as well as an overhaul of the White House Office for Faith Based and Neighborhood Partnerships (see the video of his remarks below). Those of us in positions of religious leadership in this nation applaud his commitment to support those organizations (which are often religiously affiliated) which are providing the much-needed care and support for our local communities.

Though recent presidents have made similar commitments to community organizations, Obama's efforts are remarkable for their religious breadth. He recognizes the radical diversity of religious belief and secular commitment which often animates our service to local communities. But he also sees the commonalities that can bridge the differences, between Christian and secularist, Jew and Muslim. On this point, he says:

We know too that whatever our differences, there is one law that binds all great religions together. Jesus told us to "love thy neighbor as thyself." The Torah commands, "That which is hateful to you, do not do to your fellow." In Islam, there is a hadith that reads "None of you truly believes until he wishes for his brother what he wishes for himself." And the same is true for Buddhists and Hindus; for followers of Confucius and for humanists. It is, of course, the Golden Rule – the call to love one another; to understand one another; to treat with dignity and respect those with whom we share a brief moment on this Earth.

At Claremont, we are set on a similar path: to bring those of diverse religious belief and humanistic convictions together to learn from one another in order to act with compassion and responsibility in an often-divided world. The Golden Rule is a good starting point for finding commonalities among a world of religious perspectives. Though we may believe in different truths, we can be committed to the repair of the world together.