Letter from President Brown

  • May 10, 2010
  • Category: General

Dear Friend,

Northern Seminary has very positive news to share, and it relates to finance!

Northern has been through some difficult years, and the overall recession in the economy worsened that. The same has been true for almost every educational institution in the country, and debt and unbalanced budgets have become normal.

The exciting news is that Northern has now cleared all its debt, and the Board in June approved an 09/10 budget which is balanced! We anticipate income slightly ahead of expenditure. Some observers would have thought that impossible, but it’s been achieved with sacrifice, discipline and many, many hours of careful planning. Of course it’ll take a great deal of work to stay on track, but the Cabinet and Board both have confidence it can be done. This is a realistic budget.

There’s more. Our Lombard site has been for sale, but at its recent meeting our Board, with professional counsel, examined all that’s changed in the last two years. The outcome is the Board voted unanimously now to take the Lombard site off the market. Our land is not for sale. I will now begin exploring options for how Northern can have facilities to meet its future needs.

The decisions that have been made, and Northern’s new financial stability, are immensely important for all of us, and for the future life of the Seminary. Please tell the world that Northern is not only in business, but has every intention of growing larger! We’re optimistic about enrollment and about giving, and very open to both increasing.

These are good days. Faculty and staff and the Board are all pulling together. We believe God has positive plans for Northern. In 2013 we will be 100 years old, and organizations celebrating major milestones often look back to a golden age in the past. Northern’s golden age is not in our past, but ahead. I believe that strongly. Faculty and staff are working heart and soul, because the lives of our students and the churches in which they serve as leaders matter very much. God’s work isn’t a hobby. It’s life-changing service. We will give our best, as we believe our students will study their best, and God will make this seminary’s work matter very much indeed.

We wish well to all the friends of Northern. We’d like to continue sharing news with you, so please ensure we have your details. (If you’re in doubt, please write to and we’ll add you to the list.)

Have a great summer, and by the way it’s not too late to sign up for our Summer 09 experiential courses.

My warmest wishes are with you.

Alistair Brown Signature

Alistair Brown
President

← Previous Page