Eastern Baptist Seminary to be Renamed to Honor its Former President

The eighty-year-old Eastern Baptist Theological Seminary (EBTS) based in Wynnewood, Pa. will officially be called Palmer Theological Seminary (PTS) beginning July 1, 2005.

This move was taken by the seminary to commemorate its former president who actively helped seminarians fulfill their dreams.

The late Rev. Dr. Gordon Palmer, the institution’s longest-serving president in the 1930s and 1940s, was an influential figure in developing scholarship funds for financially disadvantaged students.

According to the American Baptist News Service (ABNS), the name change was spurred by the similar situation facing the seminary with its current students and the school’s efforts to improve in scholarship aid.

It is the wish of the current seminary President Rev. Dr. Wallace Charles Smith and the seminary constituents for the seminarians to be able to become full-time students.

"Our hope is to offer a significant improvement in scholarship aid, so that as many as one-third to one-half of our students may be able to matriculate full-time," said Smith, an EBTS graduate.

"The school is particularly grateful for the wealth of denominational, racial and ethnic diversity in the area," Smith said. "Thanks to the vision of Dr. Palmer...we find ourselves in the wonderful position of being a link between the city and its suburbs. We look forward to continuing to be a place where those who combine an evangelical faith with a deep commitment to justice can come to be educated, nurtured and inspired...."

The seminary will hold a reception on May 19 for the celebration of the new name as well as of its 80th anniversary. The event is free, open to the public, and will feature an exhibition of the seminary's history.