Principal Voss Roberts Reflects on Past Three Years
Michelle Voss Roberts, Principal of Emmanuel College.
Greetings, Emmanuel College alumni/ae and friends.
Over the last three years, we have made amazing strides as a theological school. Your partnership has made it possible, and I am grateful for all your ongoing contributions to Emmanuel College.
The Rev. Dr. John H. Young, a long-time friend of the school, will take the lead as Interim Principal while Victoria University conducts a search for the next principal. Our leadership team is committed to working with Dr. Young for a smooth transition.
Even as I look forward to continuing to serve as a member of the faculty after August 15, I hope you will join me in reflecting on our time together. It’s been a profound honour to serve as principal and to cultivate exciting areas of growth for the College.
- We articulated a bold mission and vision, and we have renewed our faculty complement to support it (later this spring, we will make the seventh full-time faculty appointment in my time as principal).
- Emmanuel College now has the most diverse faculty in its history, with over 50% coming from minoritized groups. They bring expertise in decolonial, postcolonial, feminist, Indigenous and other perspectives as they contribute to our Christian, Muslim and Buddhist courses of study.
- We consolidated our multireligious programs and expanded our spiritual life offerings in Christian, Muslim and Buddhist traditions.
- We introduced intercultural development and religious literacy components into all basic degree programs.
- We broadened the ways that courses, continuing education and community life implement the calls to action delineated by the Truth and Reconciliation Commission.
- We revitalized the Centre for Religion and Its Contexts as our hub for academic conferences, lectures, and continuing education partnerships.
- We supported one another throughout the COVID-19 pandemic, thinking creatively about the future of our online programming, and stepping up with inspiring gifts to our annual fund in support of student need.
- We completed a comprehensive self-study towards reaccreditation with the Association of Theological Schools, which has given us an extraordinary opportunity to celebrate how far we have come.
We will build on this positive momentum together. Emmanuel College is on the exciting, leading edge of multireligious theological education: forming vibrant future leaders of the United Church of Canada, contributing to the world’s deep need for spiritually integrated care, and generating creative and rigorous academic work.
Thank you, in advance, for your continued support of Emmanuel College. I am always available to talk with you, and you can reach me via e-mail if you have any questions.
With blessings for the journey,
Michelle