From Charles E. Batten
Author: Batten, Charles E. (Crozer Theological Seminary)
Date: October 29, 1947
Location: Chester, Pa.
Genre: Letter
Topic: Martin Luther King, Jr. - Education
Details
Responding to King’s letter of inquiry, Charles E. Batten of Crozer Theological Seminary, who served the small Baptist seminary as registrar and librarian, introduces King to Crozer and invites his application.1 Batten discusses features of seminary life that would be significant for King, such as the “personal contact” and “informality” the school encouraged among faculty and students.
My dear Mr. King:
I have your letter of October 27 inquiring about Crozer. Under separate cover I have sent you a copy of our latest catalogue together with a pamphlet entitled, “The Crozer Pattern.” After you read this material, if you have any questions, please do not hesitate to write me.
I am enclosing herewith an application blank. If you are interested in coming to Crozer, I would suggest as early an application as possible. I think that it is good for men to decide as soon as possible where they wish to do their theological work. Then too, there is always the problem of accommodations.
I do not know how well acquainted you are with Crozer but I am sure you will be interested in knowing that Crozer is fully accredited by the American Association of Theological Schools. We have an excellent faculty of consecrated Christian teachers who are leaders in their respective subjects. All full-time faculty members reside on the campus hence there is much opportunity for personal contact between students and professors. Life on the campus is marked by an informality and a high sense of community responsibility as professors and students face their respective tasks in theological education.
In any graduate school the library is an important feature. Crozer has a complete and usable library with an open stack system.
There is a wide offering in courses. The curriculum is marked by its flexibility. Because the school is a small one, attention can be given to the individual needs of students. Through an agreement with the University of Pennsylvania, students at Crozer are admitted to courses in the Graduate Schools of the University in fields related to their seminary studies. Thus the resources of a large metropolitan university are available to Crozer students.
I trust I shall hear from you. You may be sure of our interest in you and our willingness to cooperate in every possible way.
With all good wishes, I am
Sincerely,
Charles E. Batten
CEB:w
1. Charles Edward Batten (1910–1963) earned a B.S. degree from Temple University in 1935 and a B.D. from Crozer in 1938. Batten was registrar at Crozer from 1938 to 1948, librarian from 1943 to 1948, and dean from 1948 to 1953. He became minister of education at an Episcopal church in Winchester, Massachusetts, in 1954 and a professor of Christian education at the Episcopal Theological School in Cambridge in 1956.
Source: CRO-NRCR, Crozer Theological Seminary Records, Colgate-Rochester Divinity School, Rochester, N.Y.