Three more staff to leave Wycliffe

Even more depressing news about Wycliffe. Three of the most highly respected members leaving, who are also members of Fulcrum.

 

 

http://www.religiousintelligence.com/news/?NewsID=1008

 

Three more staff to leave Wycliffe Friday, 21st September 2007. 12:16pm By: Ed Beavan. THREE senior members of academic staff are leaving an under-fire Oxford theological College, The Church of England Newspaper learned today.

In the latest blow to Wycliffe College, which has come under mounting criticism in recent months for adopting a more conservative evangelical stance, its Principal the Rev Dr Richard Turnbull confirmed that three staff members are to leave, following another five academics who have left the institution in recent months. The doctrinal change has coincided with the appointment of the new Principal, whose management style also been criticised. In May one anonymous staff member claimed the College had become 'openly homophobic' and 'hostile to women priests' since his appointment. The three staff members are Dr Elaine Storkey, formerly senior research fellow in social philosophy, the Rev Dr Andrew Goddard, tutor in Christian Ethics, and his wife, the Rev Lis Goddard, who was tutor in Ministerial Formation. Dr Turnbull told The Church of England Newspaper the changes had been agreed by the College Council, which concluded they were 'in the best interests of the college'. He said: "Andrew and Lis Goddard are still employees at the College but we are negotiating severance terms with them. "Elaine Storkey is no longer employed here and we are also seeking agreement on terms of severance with her. "We've just started the new year and we're fully staffed. "We have already filled a quarter of our places for next year and the number of women students has increased this year." Dr Storkey confirmed to The Church of England Newspaper she had parted company with Wycliffe but was unable to comment further. Meanwhile Eeva John, the former director of the Diploma of Biblical and Theological Studies at Wycliffe, who resigned last term because she no longer had 'respect or confidence' in the leadership of the new Principal and the College Council, said she was saddened to hear of the news. She said: "I can't see any reason for losing these staff and they represent a huge loss. "What's happened is a symptom of the kind of leadership there that I couldn't respect, that saw the unnecessary loss of highly qualified and valuable members of staff which seems inexplicable. "I would never deny that in any institution change has to occur and I'm sure the time was right for change, but the way it has been managed is not compatible with the Christian values at Wycliffe Hall." She added that the recent high turnover of staff had led to very low staff morale, but she hoped the college might be able to return to its open evangelical ethos. Earlier this week Wycliffe, a permanent private hall of the University of Oxford, was criticised in an independent report into the seven permanent halls which said they did not offer a rounded-enough education experience in line with the University's liberal ethos.