Dr. Cynthia Mccall Campbell Delivers Commencement Speech
Well-known theologian chosen as Alma College Commencement speaker.The Reverend Dr. Cynthia McCall Campbell, McCormick Theological Seminary president, delivers the Commencement speech at Alma College's Commencement April 20. Dr. Campbell receives an honorary degree, Doctor of Letters, from Alma's newly inaugurated president, Dr. Saundra J. Tracy, during the ceremony.
Campbell has served on numerous Presbyterian Church (U.S.A.) task forces and committees developing theological statements. For the General Assembly, she chaired the Special Committee on Examination of Candidates, co-moderated the Presbyteries' Cooperative Committee and served on the Board of the Vocation Agency. She was a member of the Task Force on Christian Obedience in a Nuclear Age. As a member of the Special Committee of Fifteen, she helped prepare the final text of the Brief Statement of Faith approved in 1990. She represented the Presbyterian Church on the theology commission of the Consultation of Church Union (COCU) in the preparation of the final draft of the COCU consensus and chaired the General Assembly special committee on COCU.
Campbell is the author of a monograph, Theologies Written From Feminist Perspectives, and several articles on theology, ministry, ethics and worship. She contributed the Trinity entry in the Encyclopedia of the Reformed Faith and wrote the forward to Presbyterian Polity for Church Officers.
Ordained in 1974 by the Presbytery of San Gabriel, Campbell advanced through several Presbyterian Churches in Texas until 1988 when she became one of the first women to head a large Presbyterian congregation, First Presbyterian Church in Salina, Kan.
A native of Pasadena, Cal., Campbell received a Bachelor of Arts magna cum laude in 1970 from Occidental College and was elected to Phi Beta Kappa. She earned a Master of Divinity magna cum laude from Harvard Divinity School in 1974 and a Doctor of Philosophy from Southern Methodist University in 1981. In 1991, Hastings College awarded her the honorary Doctor of Divinity.
Alma's 115th Commencement ceremony begins at 2 p.m. in Cappaert Gymnasium with 332 candidates receiving degrees.
Alma College, a four-year, liberal arts college in the middle of Michigan's lower peninsula, is known for its strong academic programs emphasizing a global perspective. Students actively engage in learning through original research projects, often addressing community issues. Founded in 1886 by the Presbyterian Church, Alma has positioned itself as one of the top liberal arts colleges in the country.
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