TheoEcology Award Makes Debut at ITC's 51st Annual Charter Day and 12th James H. Costen Awards Dinner

ITC President, Dr. Michael A. Battle introduced the new “Green” Music room and Chapel Atrium to the community with thanks to its benefactors on Thursday, November 6, 2008 during a special ribbon-cutting dedication ceremony.

(May 11, 2009 – Atlanta, Georgia) – The Interdenominational Theological Center (ITC) in Atlanta recently celebrated the 51st year of its Charter.  The occasion is traditionally celebrated with an awards dinner and ceremony.  A new addition to the awards ceremony was the introduction of the TheoEcology award which was presented to Mrs. Laura Turner Seydel.   Mrs. Seydel, an eco-living expert and environmental enthusiast, sits on the board of several environmentally focused groups namely the Turner Foundation and the Captain Planet Foundation.    

Mrs. Seydel explained her lifelong passion for the environment as something completely organic stemming from her upbringing by famous dad Ted Turner, an American media entrepreneur, conservationist, and philanthropist. Mr. Turner’s stance on the preservation of the Earth impacted Seydel and her siblings immensely growing up.  Currently, Mr. Turner is the largest individual landowner in the United States with more than 2 million acres of land – some of which support many progressive environmental projects including water resource management, reforestation and the reintroduction of native species to the land.

The TheoEcology Award marks the first acknowledgement of its kind for the ITC and it is the institution’s hope that it won’t be the last.

Laura Turner Seydel Attends Ribbon Cutting for the New “Green” Music Room and Chapel Atrium

(l-r) Dr. Michael A. Battle, Dr. Lisa Allen, Dr. Temba Maficon, Mr. Joe Cates,
and Ms. Laura Turner Seydel

ITC President, Dr. Michael A. Battle introduced the new “Green” Music room and Chapel Atrium to the community with thanks to its benefactors on Thursday, November 6, 2008 during a special ribbon-cutting dedication ceremony.

Mrs. Laura Turner Seydel, a national environmental activist and eco-living expert, is also a Trustee of the Turner Foundation.  The Foundation provided the generous funding for the renovation.  The ITC Women’s Ensemble performed the TheoEcology theme song, The Earth is the Lord’s which was written, arranged and directed by ITC’s own Dr. Lisa Allen. 

Greening the ITC campus is one of the strategic goals adopted for the Center in 2005.

Grants to Green Funding Moves ITC Closer To A "Totally Green" Campus

	(Atlanta, GA, February 19, 2009) - The Interdenominational Theological Center (ITC) has received a $50,000 grant to assist with ongoing efforts to “green” the seminary’s 10.2 acre campus as part of its TheoEcology initiative, which launched in 2005.  The gift is made possible by the Grants to Green Fund.

The grant will allow the seminary to upgrade cooling/heating systems which regulate the environment in its principal classroom building. “We are intentional in our efforts to model TheoEcology to the extent that the emphasis on a commitment to better stewardship of the environment is defined as one of the goals of our ten-year Strategic Plan.”, says President Battle.  He says that ITC is infusing TheoEcology into its curriculum as well as campus facilities, and campus lifestyle. “We genuinely appreciate the support we are getting in our efforts from the Grants to Green partners.”

ITC is in the process of trying to green the entire campus with renovations. The institution has successfully renovated its administration building, created “green” “smart-classroom” to support its growing Distance Learning Program in the Classroom Buildings, a Meditative Atrium that provides excellent “green” space as a retreat for faculty and staff from offices and classroom, and recently dedicated a “Green” Faculty Lounge, Chapel Atrium and Music Room.  

With more than $750 million in assets, The Community Foundation for Greater Atlanta connects donors, nonprofits, community leaders and other partners to make philanthropy happen.  The Community Foundation works directly with donors and their families to educate them about issues in the community and support their personal philanthropic goals.  The foundation also provides support to nonprofits through grants and guidance to help them better serve those in need.  Last year The Community Foundation awarded more than 4,600 grants totaling nearly $50 million throughout 23 counties in the greater Atlanta area.  For more information about the Foundation’s programs and initiatives, visit the website at www.atlcf.org.

Grants to Green provides environmentally focused knowledge and funding to strengthen nonprofits in the Atlanta region. The founding partners of Grants to Green are The Community Foundation for Greater Atlanta (www.cfgreateratlanta.org) providing expertise in grantmaking, Southface (www.southface.org) providing expertise in energy efficiency, and Enterprise Community Partners (www.enterprisecommunity.org) providing expertise in community development.

ITC is a premier academy for afro-centric theological study in the world with six participating denominational seminaries, the Lutheran Theological Center in Atlanta, and the Harry V. and Selma T. Richardson Ecumenical Fellowship.  It is the only theological seminary of the United Negro College Fund (UNCF), and is a member of the Atlanta Regional Consortium for Higher Education (ARCHE).  ITC is accredited by the Association of Theological Schools in the United States and Canada (ATS) and the Commission on Colleges of the Southern Association of Colleges and Schools (SACS). 

TheoEcology Elective “Environmental Theology and
Environmental Justice: An Action Seminar”
Offered At ITC This Spring


Dr. George Thompson and Karla Simpson-Brown discuss new TheoEcology course coming to the ITC.
Staff Photo

The Interdenominational Theological Center (ITC) is offering a TheoEcology course for the spring 2008 semester. The purpose of the course is to challenge students to read the literature of both fields and then produce proactive responses to the two equally important but separate fields of Environmental Justice and Environmental Theology.

Students will have the opportunity to use the Environmental Justice practice to promote justice for the poor - particularly those in the African American community. Then they will partner that information with the Environmental Theology component of being a good steward of the Earth in the African American church. Finally, the students will challenge themselves to make the two practices work together.

Click here for course details