Pittsburgh Theological Seminary Names Barbara Blodgett Associate Dean for Academic Programs and Assessment
Pittsburgh Theological Seminary is pleased to name the Rev. Dr. Barbara J. Blodgett as associate dean for academic programs and assessment. She’ll begin her work at the Seminary March 1, 2019.
“Dr. Blodgett’s deep wisdom, strong experience, and passion for the work of theological education make her a great fit for this new position. I look forward to the leadership and coordination she’ll bring in support of the Seminary’s core academic mission,” said the Rev. Dr. Heather Hartung Vacek, vice president for academic affairs and dean of faculty and associate professor of church history.
Most recently Blodgett served as Donald and Lillian Nunnelly Assistant Professor of Pastoral Leadership at Lexington Theological Seminary, where she designed and taught a new curriculum in leadership studies, chaired the academic program committee for institutional re-accreditation, and redesigned the orientation course for online students. Prior to teaching at Lexington Theological Seminary, Blodgett was an instructor at Case Western Reserve University, director of supervised ministries and instructor of ethics at Yale Divinity School, visiting instructor at Oberlin College, and coordinator of Working at Teaching, a teacher training program for doctoral students, at Yale University Graduate School. Additionally, as an ordained minister Blodgett served as minister for vocation and formation for the United Church of Christ and was associate pastor of First Congregational Church in Amherst, Mass.
She is a graduate of Wesleyan University (BA), Yale Divinity School (M.Div.), and Yale University Department of Religious Studies (Ph.D.). Blodgett’s published books include Brimming With God: Reflecting on Cases in Ministry, Becoming the Pastor You Hope to Be: Four Practices for Improving Ministry, Lives Entrusted: An Ethic of Trust for Ministry, and Constructing the Erotic: Sexual Ethics and Adolescent Girls. She has also written a number of book reviews, papers, and presentations.
Blodgett is a member of various organizations including Association for Theological Field Education (for which she is chair of the Research and Publications Committee), Academy of Religious Leadership, and the American Academy of Religion.
“I like imagining where theological education might go next,” said Blodgett. “I stay involved in conversations around innovations such as competency-based education, credentialing, and online teaching strategies.”