MS027: Rev. Michael Cooper-White Presidential Papers 2000-2017

Manuscripts Collection

Sheila Joy and Kristen Wall January 2018

Seminary Archives A.R. Wentz Library United Lutheran Seminary + 66 Gettysburg, PA 17325 717-339-1317 CONTENTS

SUMMARY INFORMATION 3 BIGRAPHICAL INFORMATION 3 SCOPE AND CONTENT NOTE 4 RESTRICTIONS 4 REPRODUCTION 4 RELATED MATERIALS 4 PROCESSING NOTE 5 SERIES DESCRIPTION AND CONTAINER LIST 5-10 SERIES 1: General Records 5-6 SUB-SERIES 1: Faculty Minutes 5-6 SUB-SERIES 2: Miscellaneous 6 SERIES 2: Surveys and Studies 6 SERIES 3: Campaigns and Projects 7 SUB-SERIES 1: Campaigns 7 SUB-SERIES 2: Projects 7 SUB-SERIES 3: Rehabilitation Project 7 SERIES 4: Communications 7-8 SUB-SERIES 1: Memos and Correspondence 8 SUB-SERIES 2: Speeches 8 SUB-SERIES 3: Publications 8 SERIES 5: United Lutheran Seminary Formation 8-9 SERIES 6: Newspaper Clippings 9 SERIES 7: Miscellaneous 9 SERIES 8: Photographs, Audio-Visual, and Objects 10

2

SUMMARY INFORMATION

Repository: Seminary Archives, A.R. Wentz Library, United Lutheran Seminary, Gettysburg, PA

Creator: Sheila Joy and Kristen Wall

Date: 2000-2017

Language: English

Extent: The total extent of the collection is 4.33 linear feet (10 boxes).

Accruals: No further accruals are expected.

Custodial History: This collection was received by Seminary Archives as a records transfer.

Preferred Citation: MS027: Michael Cooper-White Presidential Papers, Seminary Archives, United Lutheran Seminary, Gettysburg, PA.

BIOGRAPHICAL INFORMATION

The Reverend Michael Cooper-White, D.D. was President of the Lutheran Theological Seminary at Gettysburg (LTSG) from 2000 to 2017. He was born in Fergus Falls, Minnesota on August 30, 1950 and graduated from Concordia College in Moorhead, Minnesota in 1971.

His studies at LTSG included an internship with the Lutheran Church in Chile. He graduated with a Master of Divinity degree in 1976. In the same year he was ordained and called to an inner-city parish in Los Angeles. He served as assistant to two synod bishops in California and to the Presiding Bishop of the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America before returning to LTSG as its twelfth president in 2000.

Special projects he oversaw during his time as President included the renovation of Valentine Hall, the rehabilitation of Schmucker Hall to become the Seminary Ridge Museum, and the merge with the Lutheran Theological Seminary at Philadelphia to become United Lutheran Seminary. He received an honorary doctorate from Susquehanna University in 2003.

Sources Consulted “Cooper-White, Michael Roster Dossier Report 2018.” ELCA Archives, Elk Grove, IL.

“The Rev. Michael L. Cooper-White.” Lutheran Theological Seminary at Gettysburg. Accessed January 26, 2018 https://www.ltsg.edu/about-us/faculty-staff-directory/michael-cooper-white.

3

SCOPE AND CONTENT NOTE

This collection documents the activities of the Reverend Michael Cooper-White, D.D. during his time as President of the Lutheran Theological Seminary at Gettysburg (2000-2017). Included are general materials, faculty minutes, studies, campaigns, speeches, sermons, memos, newspaper clippings, guestbooks, photographs, VHS, and gift plates.

The records are arranged in 8 series. Series include 1) General Records; 2) Surveys and Studies; 3) Campaigns and Projects; 4) Speeches and Publications; 5) United Lutheran Seminary Formation; 6) Newspaper Clippings; 7) Miscellaneous; 8) Audio-Visual, Photos, and Objects.

The contents of each series are arranged thematically by subseries and chronologically within subseries. Subseries in Series 1 include Faculty Minutes and Miscellaneous from his presidency. Subseries in Series 3 include Campaigns, Projects, and the Schmucker Hall Rehabilitation Project. Subseries in Series 4 include Memos and Correspondence, Speeches, and Publications.

RESTRICTIONS

This collection is open for research.

REPRODUCTION

Permission to publish, quote, or reproduce must be secured by the Seminary Archives. Contact the archivist for more information.

RELATED MATERIALS

Bacher, Robert and Michael Cooper-White. Church Administration: Programs, Process, Purpose. Minneapolis: Fortress Press, 2007.

Cooper-White, Michael. The Comeback God: A Theological Primer for a Life of Faith. Minneapolis: Augsburg Books, 2009.

Cooper-White, Michael. Luther, War, and Violence. 2006 Luther Colloquy. CD-R. 2006.

Cooper-White, Michael. On a Wing and a Prayer: Faithful Leadership in the 21st Century. Minneapolis: Augsburg Fortress, 2003.

Cooper-White, Michael. “Opening Eucharist Sermon.” Lutheran Theological Seminary at Gettysburg Chapel. VHS. September 6, 2000.

Cooper-White, Michael. “Social Ministry at the Crossroads: The Legacy Lives On.” Leading the Way in Church and Society: Essays, Addresses, and Reflections Inspiring the Church’s Role in Social Ministry. Gettysburg, PA: Lutheran Theological Seminary at Gettysburg, 2004: 3-4.

4

Cooper-White, Michael. “Troubling and Untroubling the Waters.” Connecting with Today’s Theological Students: Contemporary Theological Students—A New Generation. Washington, DC: Washington Theological Consortium, 2001: 31-33.

Cooper-White, Pamela and Michael Cooper-White. Exploring the Practices of Ministry. Minneapolis: Fortress Press, 2014.

PROCESSING NOTE

This collection was donated by the Reverend Michael Cooper-White in May 2017. The materials arrived in one large banker box, two small boxes, and multiple unboxed binders and folders. They are largely presented in the order in which they arrived. The processors made alphabetical and chronological changes to aid in preservation and added folder titles for ease of access for the patron.

SERIES DESCRIPTION AND CONTAINER LIST

Series 1. General Records

This series contains documents that give a general overview of the Reverend Michael Cooper- White’s presidency including his notes on faculty minutes, documents from his first year in office, leadership development curricula, and long-range strategic planning for the Lutheran Theological Seminary at Gettysburg.

Subseries 1. Faculty Minutes

Box Folder

1 1 January – May 2002 1 2 September – December 2002 1 3 January – May 2003 1 4 September – December 2003 1 5 January – June 2004 1 6 2004 1 7 February – June 2005 1 8 October – December 2006 1 9 January – June 2006 1 10 September – December 2006 2 1 2007 2 2 January – June 2008 2 3 September – December 2008 2 4 January – June 2009 2 5 September 2009 – June 2010 2 6 August 2010 – December 2010 5

2 7 January 2011 – June 2011 2 8 August 2011 – June 2012 2 9 March 2012 – May 2012 3 1 September 2012 – June 2013 3 2 September 2013 – March 2014 3 3 April – June 2014 3 4 September – December 2014 3 5 February – June 2015 3 6 September 2015 – June 2016 3 7 September 2016 – June 2017

Subseries 2. Miscellaneous

Box Folder

4 1 Presidency, 2000 4 2 Donald Heiges’s Notebook, 1971-2015 4 3 Long Range Planning Reports, 1987-1989 4 4 Diaconal Ministry Proposal, Consortium, Lay School, 1993-1994 4 5 Gettysburg and Collaboration, 2011 4 6 Seminary Strategic Planning, 2013-2015 4 7 Suicide Prevention Ministry, 2017 4 8 “If Properly Led” Leadership Curriculum, undated

Series 2. Surveys and Studies

This series contains self-studies of the Lutheran Theological Seminary at Gettysburg between 1997 and 2012.

Box Folder

4 9 Luther A. Gotwald Research, 1997-1998 and 2000-2001 4 10 Site and Space Study, 1998 4 11 ATS-MSA Self-Study, 1999-2000 5 1 Responses to Student Survey, 2000 5 2 Geothermal Heating of Chapel and Refectory, 2009 5 3 Decennial Self-Study, 2010 5 4 Decennial Self-Study 2010 draft (1 of 2) 5 5 Decennial Self-Study 2010 draft (2 of 2) and ATS Report 2012 *On temporary loan to ULS Institutional Assessment Office. Estimated return date: 7/31/2020

6

Series 3. Campaigns and Projects

This series contains bids, drawings, plans, and meeting minutes from major capital campaigns and building renovations at the Lutheran Theological Seminary at Gettysburg, especially the Crossroads Campaign, David Willis House, Valentine Hall, and Schmucker Hall (later the Seminary Ridge Museum).

Subseries 1. Campaigns

Box Folder

5 6 Crossroads Campaign, 2006-2010 5 7 David Willis House, 2009

Subseries 2. Projects

Box Folder

5 8 Valentine Hall Renovation 1999-2001 5 9 Faculty Reorganization Proposal, 2002-2003

Subseries 3. Schmucker Hall Rehabilitation Project

Box Folder

6 1 Voices of History (1 of 10) 6 2 Voices of History (2 of 10) 6 3 Voices of History (3 of 10) 6 4 Voices of History (4 of 10) 6 5 Voices of History (5 of 10) 6 6 Voices of History (6 of 10) 6 7 Voices of History (7 of 10) 6 8 Voices of History (8 of 10) 6 9 Voices of History (9 of 10) 6 10 Voices of History (10 of 10)

Series 4. Communications

This series contains, memos, sermons, commencement addresses, public speeches, blog posts, and other public communication items.

7

Subseries 1. Memos and Correspondence

Box Folder

7 1 President’s Memos, 2000-2014

Subseries 2. Speeches

Box Folder

7 2 Chapel Sermons, 2000-2017 7 3 Commencement Addresses, 2001-2017 7 4 Miscellaneous, 2000-2016

Subseries 3. Publications

Box Folder

7 5 From the President’s Office, May 2001-March 2004 7 6 From the President’s Office, April 2004-May 2006 7 7 Gettysburg Blog, January 2007-August 2008 7 8 Well Wishes to 2005 Graduates 7 9 Miscellaneous, 2005-2014

Series 5. United Lutheran Seminary Formation

This series contains documents relating to the formation of United Lutheran Seminary, especially a 2010 exploratory task force and the intensive planning and transitional period between 2015 and 2017.

Box Folder

8 1 LTSP, LTSG, LTS Exploration Task Force Front Binder Pocket, 2010 8 2 LTSP, LTSG, LTS Exploration Task Force Agenda and Minutes, 2010- 2011 8 3 LTSP, LTSG, LTS Exploration Task Force Correspondence, 2009 8 4 LTSP, LTSG, LTS Exploration Task Force Finances, 2009-2010 8 5 LTSP, LTSG, LTS Exploration Task Force Miscellaneous Documents, 2009-2010 8 6 “New School” Creation Cover Sheet, Front Pocket, Preliminary Thoughts February, 2016 8 7 “New School” Creation Board Actions, 2015-2016 8 8 “New School” Creation Accreditation and PA DOE, 2016 8 9 “New School” Creation Budget and Finance, 2014-2016 8 10 “New School” Creation Communications, 2015-2016 8

Box Folder

8 11 “New School” Creation Design, 2016-2017 8 12 “New School” Creation History, 2010-2015 8 13 “New School” Creation Press and Publicity, 2016 8 14 “New School” Creation Proposal, etc., 2015 8 15 “New School” Creation Work Groups, 2015-2016 8 16 “New School” Creation Miscellaneous, 2016-2017 8 17 Accreditation, 2016 8 18 Announcement Meetings, Webinars, Q&A with Stakeholders, 2016 8 19 New Board of Directors January, 2017 9 1 Bylaws, 2016-2017 9 2 Close of Final LTSG Board Meeting and Other Closing Services, 2017 9 3 Correspondence, 2015-2016 9 4 Curriculum, 2015-2017 9 5 Faculty Transition Plan, 2016 9 6 Finance, 2015-2016 9 7 Joint Board Meetings, 2016 9 8 Legal Matters, 2016-2017, documents from 1988, 2005, 2006 9 9 Department of Education, 2016-2017 9 10 Preliminary Studies, 2014; Essays 1967 9 11 Press Releases, 2016 9 12 Presidential Transition LTSG-ULS, 2017 9 13 Property Matters, 2011, 2015-2016 9 14 Transition Team, 2016-2017

Series 6. Newspaper Clippings

Box Folder

10 1 Newspaper Clippings 1984, 2000-2017

Series 7. Miscellaneous

This series contains the guestbooks from the President’s residence during his time in office as well as publications by his wife, Pamela Cooper-White.

Box Folder

10 2 Lewars House Guestbook 2000-2010 10 3 Lewars House Guestbook 2010-2017 10 4 Pamela Cooper-White 2000, 2013-2014

9

Series 8. Photographs, Audio-Visual, and Objects

This series contains photographs, VHS, a commemorative pectoral cross from the Church of the Abiding Presence and gifts from the Lutheran Church in Argentina with gratitude for his consultation.

Box Folder

10 5 Photographs 2000-2015 10 6 Lutheran Identity in the 20th Century LTSG 1994 VHS 10 6 Faith for the Future Video Letter, 2000 VHS 10 6 WITF Our Town Gettysburg December 3, 2001 VHS 10 6 Lutherans Alive! Michael Cooper-White, President, LTSG VHS 10 7 Pectoral Cross replica of LTSG Chapel processional cross 2007 10 8 Luther Rose Plate (gift for consulting in Argentina) 2006-2012 10 9 Congregacion Martin Lutero Plate (gift for consulting in Argentina) 2006- 2012 10 10 Framed Image – “III a sainblea vida y mission, IGlesia Evangelica Luterana Unida, Buenos Aires”, November 2007

10