ELCA Department for Communication, News &
Information
8765 West Higgins Rd, Chicago, IL 60631
800/638-3522 ext. 2963
HEADLINES FOR ELCA NEWS RELEASE ISSUE
#03, February 19, 1996
-- SEMINARY ENROLLMENT STABLIZING
-- ELCA SPEAKS TO U.S. CORPORATIONS
February 19, 1996
SEMINARY ENROLLMENT STABLIZING
96-03-007-FI
CHICAGO (ELCA) -- Enrollment figures
are stabilizing for the eight seminaries of
the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America.
The 1,548 students enrolled in master of
divinity (M.Div.) programs is equal to the
average enrollment each year since the
church was formed in 1987.
Statistics gathered by the ELCA
Division for Ministry report 1,548 students
currently working toward an M.Div. degree --
the minimum degree required of ELCA clergy.
That's a 4.33 percent drop in total
enrollment from 1,618 in 1994-95. ELCA
seminaries have averaged a total 1,548
students each year enrolled in M.Div.
programs during the past nine academic
years.
The M.Div. program usually requires a
bachelor's degree and four years of seminary
education, with a parish internship during
the third year. ELCA seminaries report 345
Lutherans in their first year of study, 380
in their second year, 351 on internship and
329 in the Class of `96.
NON-LUTHERAN
The number of Lutherans enrolled in
ELCA M.Div. programs dropped from 1,465 to
1,405. The total number of students
enrolled in such programs dropped by 70.
The 1995-96 enrollment includes 143
non-Lutherans, or 9.24 percent of the total,
compared to 189 or 11.6 percent in 1993-94.
In the past nine academic years ELCA
seminaries have averaged enrollments of 135
non-Lutheran students in M.Div. programs --
8.72 percent of average total enrollments.
ETHNIC GROUPS
The number of Caucasian Lutherans in
ELCA M.Div. programs dropped from 1,405 in
1994-95 to 1,340 in 1995-96; and the number
of those of other ethnic groups rose from 60
to 65. ELCA seminaries enrolled 26
African-American, 13 Hispanic, 10 Asian and
three Native American Lutherans in current
M.Div. programs; and 13 non-resident aliens
are recorded also.
The percentage of Lutherans of color
enrolled in ELCA M.Div. programs rose from
3.11 in 1987-88 to 4.63 in 1995-96. An
average 58 Lutherans of color have enrolled
each of the past nine academic years -- for
an average 4.08 percent of the total
enrollment.
About 2 percent of the ELCA's 5.2
million members are people of color or whose
primary language is not English.
GENDER
There were 636 Lutheran women enrolled
in ELCA M.Div. programs in 1995-96 -- 45.27
percent of the total. That percentage rose
from 34.72 in 1987-88 to 40.36 in 1989-90
and has steadily increased in recent years.
An average 589 Lutheran women -- an average
41.38 percent of the total -- have enrolled
in each of the past nine academic years.
Another 110 women make up 23.40 percent
of the 470 students pursuing degrees other
than the M.Div. degree at ELCA seminaries.
The ELCA has ordained women into the
clergy since 1970.
AGE
Of the 1,548 students in ELCA M.Div.
programs approximately 36 percent are in
their 20s, 27 percent are in their 30s, 27
percent are in their 40s, and 8.6 percent
are 50 to 64 years of age. Of the 2,273
students enrolled in all programs of ELCA
seminaries 665 are in their 20s, 618 are in
their 30s, 655 are in their 40s, and 260 are
50 to 64 years of age.
The number of M.Div. students in their
20s ranged from 602 in 1991-92 to 564 in
1995-96 -- for an average 586 over the five
academic years. The number of students in
their 30s ranged from 533 to 419 -- for an
average 476. The number of students in
their 40s rose from 331 to 424 -- for an
average 392. The number of students over 49
years of age fluctuated from 89 to 144 --
for an average 126.
ELCA seminaries:
+ Luther Seminary, St. Paul, Minn.;
+ Lutheran School of Theology at
Chicago;
+ Lutheran Theological Seminary at
Gettysburg, Pa.;
+ Lutheran Theological Seminary at
Philadelphia;
+ Lutheran Theological Southern
Seminary, Columbia, S.C.;
+ Pacific Lutheran Theological
Seminary, Berkeley, Calif.;
+ Trinity Lutheran Seminary, Columbus,
Ohio; and
+ Wartburg Theological Seminary,
Dubuque, Iowa.
###########
February 19, 1995
ELCA SPEAKS TO U.S. CORPORATIONS
96-03-008-FI
CHICAGO (ELCA) -- The Evangelical
Lutheran Church in America has resolutions
for eight U.S. corporations. The motions
targeted for 1996 shareholder meetings
address five topics -- equal employment
opportunity, diversity of board directors,
global corporate standards, the environment
and U.S.-owned factories in Mexico.
The eight companies are American
International, Cooper Industries, Federated
Stores, Ford Motor Company, General Motors,
International Paper, Sprint and United
Technologies.
Not all resolutions reach the annual
meetings but they initiate serious
conversations between corporations and
religious organizations on social issues.
The filer may withdraw a motion when
satisfied the topic is being addressed.
"If we are able to bring about
effective change in that corporation
relative to issues that we think are
important and are consistent with the
church's policy, that to us is the greatest
success," said Allan R. Nelson, Cromwell,
Conn., chair of the ELCA Advisory Committee
on Corporate Social Responsibility.
"Dialoguing with the senior management"
is the most important part of process, he
said, "to get our position out and for us to
understand theirs."
"The process begins with proposing a
resolution," said Nelson. "If we can#t come
to an agreement, then we will let the
resolution stay on the proxy statement and
it will come before the shareholders."
Various ELCA institutions benefit from
stocks held by endowments and foundations.
The church#s Board of Pensions, seminaries,
colleges, social ministry organizations and
some congregations make up the ELCA
shareholder network.
"Our approach with corporations is not
to be conflictive or confrontational," said
Marian Nickelson, ELCA director for
corporate social responsibility. The ideal
is a cooperative effort that would "improve
their bottom line, and improve their
relationship with their employees and with
their shareholders."
As a shareholder the ELCA wants the
companies to be successful, she said, "but
the church has a moral and ethical
obligation to speak to the practices of
corporations."
"The resolutions are very specific and
ask for very specific information," said
Nickelson. "We stick to what we have asked
for within the resolution, and we do not
withdraw the resolution until we are
satisfied that the corporations have shown
in good faith that they will respond to all
the issues addressed."
The ELCA Division for Church in
Society, through its Advisory Committee on
Corporate Social Responsibility, counsels
the shareholder network on resolutions they
could offer the corporations expressing the
concerns of the church. The division works
with its counterparts in other religious
organizations through the Interfaith Center
on Corporate Responsibility, New York.
The advisory committee met here Jan. 17
and recommended that in 1997 the ELCA use
its shareholder status to effect change in
three general areas -- health care, energy
and the environment, and equality in the
workplace.
Nelson said one reason to focus the
attention of the church on three issues is
so that it can do its homework and provide a
professional presentation of its concerns.
"It used to be that if you came
representing an activist group or a church
group the other shareholders would question
your motives for being there. I found it
very interesting that last year at the
meetings that we spoke at we were
applauded," he said. "The shareholders were
very supportive of our bringing the issue
before the meeting and in several instances
even the management thanked us."
The ELCA Advisory Committee on
Corporate Social Responsibility meets in
September to consider stockholder
resolutions for introduction by ELCA
institutions. Generally, resolutions are
filed with corporations before the end of
each year in preparation for stockholder
meetings to be held the following spring.
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