May 14, 2002

Ms. Jean Avnet Morse Executive Director Commission on Higher Education

Dear Ms. Morse,

We at UTS are pleased with the entire process of this self-study. It has helped us assess the challenges we faced, the progress we have made, and the areas still in need of attention. While some minor corrections were left unattended to, the evaluation team's report and recommendations are extremely helpful in shaping our priorities and we accept the report as written. I deeply appreciate the work done by Dr. Babb and his colleagues.

It could be observed that the Seminary's cup is "half-empty," but we definitely feel it is half-full, given our perspective on the turnaround over the last two years. We are pleased with the implementation of two new programs (the Extension Center and Foundation Program), a responsible reduction of the budget, the replenishment of the endowment and scholarship funding, five consecutive terms of enrollment growth, enhanced student satisfaction and improved staff effectiveness.

Underlying these achievements is a greater responsiveness to the needs of the sponsoring church and market environment, and a reciprocal renewal of commitment on the part of our church. On this foundation, our faculty, administration and staff energetically look forward to our next phase of teaching and learning.

We have put a good deal of reflection into the Report and Recommendations and will find them useful for determining our priorities. On behalf of our entire UTS team, we want to thank the CHE for the spirit of warmth and collegiality that we all felt from the team during the visit last month.

Sincerely,

Tyler Hendricks, Ph.D.
President