The Board of Trustees for St. Herman Seminary, Kodiak, Alaska met by conference call on August 16, 2007. Members from the distant Alaskan villages of Pilot Station and Nunapitchuk joined with those from east coast states of New York and Virginia and locations in between to review and approve plans for the new academic year.

Trustees approved a proposed budget for the 2007-2008 academic year. Twelve students are expected to begin their studies on the idyllic campus overlooking Shelikof Strait on August 29 with a student orientation and retreat. The Rector of the Seminary, His Grace Bishop Nikolai of Sitka, Anchorage and Alaska, confirmed that despite some budget cuts the seminarians would continue to receive quality, theological training without incurring any personal debt.

The Diocese of Alaska provides a full tuition waiver to seminarians committed to remaining and serving in Alaska. His Grace, Bishop Nikolai instituted this policy after observing first-hand the economic conditions in contemporary rural Alaska. Many villages still have no running water, a gallon of milk can cost over $6 and opportunities for clergy to make adequate income are limited.

Trustees also approved a short-term loan to fund Seminary operations while launching an appeal to its nation-wide donor base. Much of the school’s income is derived from Orthodox faithful throughout the country.

This year’s students will learn from faculty currently on-site and visiting instructors from around the state, including the noted and published scholar, Archpriest Dr. Michael Oleksa and Archpriest Sergie Active, a professor well versed in music and liturgics. A full curriculum will be offered for the four-year program.

The student body is enthusiastic about the opportunity of forming the first student government to help oversee the Seminary campus’s day-to-day activities. Father John Dunlop, Professor of Old Testament & Homiletics, will act as the interim on-site coordinator with the Rector.

The Dean Search Committee will resume their goal of filling the position of Seminary Dean, left vacant by Archpriest Chad Hatfield, later in the Autumn.

During the month of August, three former Seminary graduates and their families have been assigned in village parishes: Archpriest Daniel Charles, Bethel; Priest Andrew Kashevarof, Sand Point; Priest James Gust, Newhalen. There are over 100 parishes scattered throughout the Diocese of Alaska and 43 active priests, most of whom are graduates of the Seminary. The mission of St. Herman Seminary, founded in 1972, is to train men and women to serve these parishes, many of which were established during the Russian American period.