Darby Whealy

Dear Northern Seminary board, 

My name is Darby Whealy and I'm in my first year in the DMin Women, Ministry, and Theology program. In addition to my seminary studies, I am pursuing ordination in the Anglican church, and am a writing teacher and community volunteer in Omaha, Nebraska. I am also married with two teenage sons. 

I chose Northern Seminary very carefully from a long list of potential seminaries. After many years of struggling to exercise my gifts in oppressive, patriarchal ministry contexts, Northern's support of women, shaped by Dr. Cohick's leadership and informed by Dr. McKnight's work on Tov, felt like a vindication and a homecoming. I kept pinching myself when Dr. Cohick invited me to apply to the DMin program. The program brought together specific courses and faculty that seemed to be a providential fit for my research interests and ministry goals. 

My first encounter with the administrative side of Northern was, however, surprisingly chaotic. Within about eight weeks, my initial success coach left for another position, as did my next one. I spent hours, literally, fishing around the website for a name and phone number to assist with registration, to provide information about financial aid, and to advise me about my upcoming courses. Every staff member was courteous, but none seemed to be able to give me concrete information. I always felt like I was asking the wrong person for help, because the staff was constantly turning over. A fellow student, Kelly Dippolito, took me under her wing and answered my questions, which was incredibly helpful, but she did it as a favor. It was not her job (I commend Kelly Wunderlich, my current advisor, for righting the ship promptly as soon as she joined the team. 

I understand now why the administration was in such disarray. When credible reports of Dr. Sheill's bullying, abusive behavior came to light, and were widely corroborated, it was clear why the staff had such a high turnover rate. It was a devastating shock to discover that Northern, whose identity seemed so marked by Tov culture, was led by a retaliatory bully. 

The board's ongoing support of Dr. Sheill has been disorienting and disturbing. The resignations of Lynn Cohick and Faye Quanstrom, to say nothing of all the staff members who left during Dr. Sheill's tenure, are a huge, painful loss for our community. I am deeply disturbed by the firing of Jennie Boysen. The board's communications with students have consistently been perfunctory, dismissive, and out of step with the ethos of the seminary. 

I'm writing to express that I am personally heartbroken that Dr. Cohick resigned. Her Alabaster Jar podcast was my first exposure to Northern and contributed to my desire to study here. When she deemed it necessary to resign, it was a clear indication that the board lacked moral clarity on Dr. Sheill. I'm seriously considering withdrawing from Northern, because of my lack of confidence and trust in the board's leadership. The board must course-correct or lose students. 

Thank you,

Darby Whealy, DMin WTL