Columbia Theological Seminary gets $1 million gift from anonymous donor
Decatur-based Columbia Theological Seminary has received a $1 million endowment gift from an anonymous donor to create the Rev. Dr. Thomas W. and Jan C. Walker Presidential Scholarship.
The gift is among the largest the school has received in recent years.
“Columbia Theological Seminary was formative in Tom’s pastoral leadership,” said President Leanne Van Dyk in a press release. “This endowment gift will provide a permanent way to recognize their ministry and continue to support the development of future ministerial leaders at Columbia Theological Seminary.”
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It will be used to fund a scholarship for a three-year master of divinity degree, covering the cost of tuition, plus a stipend for students from the Presbyterian Church. The Walkers have worked in a pastoral ministry in several places for more than three decades, including at Palms Presbyterian Church in Jacksonville Beach, Fla. for the last 17 years. Tom Walker is a 1989 graduate of Columbia Theological Seminary.
Columbia has an enrollment of 300 students.
About the Author
Shelia has worked at The Atlanta Journal-Constitution for more than 30 years. Previously, she worked at The Lexington Herald-Leader and The Louisville Defender. Her beat is a bit of a mixed bag that includes religion and spirituality, culture and trends, race and aging. She earned degrees from Spelman College and Northwestern University.
