Episcopal Press and News
Ruef to Step Down as Nashotah Dean
Episcopal News Service. August 18, 1983 [83150]
NASHOTAH, Wisc. (DPS, Aug. 18) -- The Very Rev. John S. Ruef has told the board of directors of Nashotah House that he will resign as president and dean of the Episcopal seminary next June.
At the same time that the board accepted Ruef's decision, they announced that the Rt. Rev. Stanley Atkins, retired bishop of Eau Claire, would join the seminary staff this coming year as provost.
In a letter to alumni, students and supporters of the school, board vice chairman Bishop William Sheridan of Northern Indiana makes it clear that these moves grew out of a series of meetings initiated by the board in late 1982 "as a direct result of widely-expressed concern for seminary morale". These meetings involved Ruef, an outside "facilitator", and members of the faculty and seminary community. These meetings continued through spring of this year at which time Ruef announced his decision to step down after ten years.
Ruef, according to the letter, will be in charge of "external" matters at the seminary this coming year while Atkins will have charge of "internal" matters such as pastoral, spiritual and disciplinary concerns and will serve as faculty chairman.
Ruef was called as dean in 1974 after a career that included parish ministry in Connecticut, Massachusetts, Illinois and Virginia, teaching at Seabury-Western Theological Seminary and a professorship in New Testament studies at Berkeley-Yale. He was canon-theologian in the Diocese of Western New York before going to Nashotah House.
Atkins, who retired in 1980 after ten years as bishop of Eau Claire, is a native of England where he studied and was ordained to the priesthood. He served cures in England and Canada and from 1955 in the United States. He was archdeacon of Milwaukee when he was elected to the episcopate in 1969. Until recently he was national chairman of the Evangelical and Catholic Mission.