President’s Annual Report
OCTOBER 15, 2026
(Be)ing within our (Be)coming
There is a future already stirring among us—in the stories we carry, the gifts we share, and the dreams God has planted in our hearts. During McCormick Days, we gathered to celebrate the relationships and shared commitments that sustain this beloved community. We also released the annual President’s Report, marking the beginning of a new chapter: implementing our S.T.O.R.Y. Strategic Plan as we journey toward McCormick’s 200th anniversary in 2029.
Our annual theme, (Be)coming What We Imagine: Your Story. Our Mission. A World Transformed, invites us to meet this moment with faithful and creative action. Since 1829, McCormick has been carried by exemplars and ancestors who imagined what this community could become. Their witness reminds us that hope takes root when faithful people give it somewhere to grow. Today, we tend that promise through justice, compassion, academic excellence, and belonging.
As we look ahead, we also honor the (Be)ing within our (Be)coming. As I shared in the report, “God ensured that our presence is ontologically enough, and we posit this theological tenet as we imagine.” Our worth is already affirmed by God. Grounded in that conviction, we honor the inherent dignity of every person and make room for the stillness needed to listen deeply, see beyond the obvious, and discern what God is calling forth among us.
Having now served two years as president, I am grateful for the love and labor this community has offered through a season of transition. Students, alumni, trustees, faculty, staff, and friends have shown up for McCormick and for one another. The strategic plan grows from the faithful listening we began together last year. It responds to the changing landscape of theological education and turns our shared hopes into a purposeful path forward.
Five institutional priorities will guide this work: being student-centered, making theology accessible, strengthening fiscal viability and growth, deepening collaboration, and investing in our employees. These commitments will shape how we develop programs, nurture partnerships, support students and employees, and steward the resources entrusted to us. They must become visible in everyday decisions—in the ways we teach, lead, welcome, and care.
Our progress will require both imagination and accountability. Through a Restorying framework, we will examine our history/herstory/ourstory, attend to voices and experiences that have been missing or excluded, and pursue measurable improvements in governance, policies, and resource allocation. We will assess how faithfully our actions reflect our mission, vision, and core values. As we approach our bicentennial, this work asks us to understand the story we have inherited and take responsibility for the story we are shaping together.
This is an invitation to participate in that unfolding story. Pray with us. Join us. Bring your wisdom and your questions. Help us make room at the table for voices we have yet to hear. May God grant us courage for the work ahead, humility to learn from one another, and grace to keep walking together. Let us become what we imagine and bring forth a world transformed.