ALLLM has received two grants totaling $95,000 from the Wabash Center for Teaching and Learning in Theology and Religion to support the Association’s work over the next three years. The Lilly-funded initiative provided an initial $5000 in late 2022 to support planning for the larger grant, which will underwrite a three-year effort to cultivate a community of practice among lifelong learning leaders in theological schools and related organizations.
Lifelong learning leaders in theological contexts face numerous challenges in their work, including varied and inconsistent support for these efforts in their institutions and a dearth of professional development resources geared to this distinctive work. The grant will support the work of lifelong learning by cohering a sense of vocational identity among its leaders; identifying the skills and competencies necessary for effective leadership; and naming best practices for effective and sustainable program development.
The grant, initiated by Dr. Israel Galindo, Associate Dean for LLL at Columbia Theological Seminary, will support consultations and resource development for lifelong learning leaders. All resources developed through the initiative will be distributed through ALLLM.
Helen Blier, Ph.D., ALLLM president, said that this Wabash grant is a game-changer; “It signals a recognition by Wabash that theological education happens outside of conventional classrooms and degree programs, led by those who are not conventional faculty. With this grant, we hope to bring clarity to the distinct but complementary ways in which lifelong learning programs and leaders contribute to the educational mission of these institutions and thus support this work.”
Updates to this initiative will be posted here on the ALLLM website as they develop!
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