Enrollment decline leads to shutdown of theology institute
Little Rock Theology Institute ends after 21 years; some students given options to finish
Published: January 22, 2018
Faced with declining enrollment, the Little Rock Theology Institute will close in June after 21 years of teaching Scripture, theology and philosophy to lay Catholics.
It is estimated that at least 600 people enrolled in the program, some as casual participants wanting to expand their knowledge to more serious students looking to earn a bachelor’s degree in theology.
The then-Office of Religious Education and Christian Initiation opened the institute in 1996, bringing in college professors from around the country, such as Christian Brothers University in Memphis and St. Gregory University in Shawnee, Okla., and as well as using local Catholic leaders, such as Father Jerome Kodell, OSB, of Subiaco Abbey and Cackie Upchurch, director of Little Rock Scripture Study.
“In a diocese that does not have a Catholic college or university, adult Catholics were — and continue to be — hungry to grow in their faith and to better understand the Church, its teachings and how it makes a difference in the lives of individuals and parish communities,’ said Upchurch, who taught “Prophets, Psalms and Wisdom Literature” and other Scripture courses from 1996 to 2015. “I am saddened that this program seems to have run its course, at least in the way it has been offered up to
Article source: https://www.arkansas-catholic.org/news/article/5449/Enrollment-decline-leads-to-shutdown-of-theology-institute