University of Dubuque Theological Seminary, University of Dubuque announce new fellowship program
Named to honor Dr. Donald Bloesch, the new campus ministry fellowship is designed for graduate students
DUBUQUE, Iowa — A new fellowship program at the University of Dubuque and University of Dubuque Theological Seminary will provide graduate students the unique opportunity to pursue life together in collegiate ministry while obtaining a master’s degree.
The Donald Bloesch Fellowship will place those accepted into a UD/UDTS master’s degree program at the center of Campus Ministry, assisting in the areas of relational, worship and discipleship ministries. Bloesch Fellows’ responsibilities may include overseeing small groups, providing musical leadership for chapels, helping to coordinate worship services, preaching, developing a team of students to support chapel webpages and social media, and more. Bloesch Fellows will serve Campus Ministry for the 2026-2027 academic year, with the potential for renewal in subsequent years.
“The context of collegiate ministry is a wonderful place for future pastors to experience and learn the dynamics of relational ministry. So, whether a candidate senses a call to congregational or collegiate ministry, this is a significant opportunity to be mentored while pursuing theological studies,” said the Rev. James Gunn, the Edwin B. Lindsay Chaplain and dean of chapel.
Bloesch Fellows will be granted tuition remission in exchange for 20 hours of work per week. They will also receive a $500 travel allowance to attend the annual theology conference sponsored by Theology Matters. Additionally, in recognition of Bloesch, his seven-volume Christian Foundations series will be given to each Bloesch Fellow.
Applications are now open. For more information and to apply, please go here.
Qualifications for Donald Bloesch Fellowship include giftedness for collegiate ministry, theological alignment with the Edwin B. Lindsay Chaplaincy Fund, capacity for rigorous studies, and emotional and spiritual maturity.
The Donald Bloesch Fellowship is named after Dr. Donald Bloesch, professor of theology emeritus at UDTS who served as professor of theology from 1957 until his retirement in 1992. He taught hundreds of students at the seminary and thousands more through dozens of published works. Bloesch authored numerous books, including “Essentials of Evangelical Theology”; “The Ground of Certainty: Toward an Evangelical Theology of Revelation”; “Freedom for Obedience: Evangelical Ethics in Contemporary Times”; and the Christian Foundations series which has been hailed as “evangelical theology at its best.” A past president of the American Theological Society, he was widely regarded as one of the leading evangelical theologians in North America with a reputation for outstanding scholarship and creative thinking. All who encountered Bloesch knew him to be a person of gracious spirit and generous personality. He died on August 24, 2010.
“Dr. Donald Bloesch was the greatest theologian in the entire history of the University of Dubuque Theological Seminary, probably its greatest scholar, and certainly its most prolific,” said the Rev. Dr. Elmer Colyer, director of the United Methodist Studies program, Stanley Professor of Wesley Studies, and professor of systemic theology at UDTS. “He published over 35 books and hundreds of articles in book reviews. The depth and breadth of his research and publication are remarkable. A self-designated Catholic Evangelical theologian, Bloesch was part of the Evangelical subculture of North America in the second half of the 20th century. But he was also an ecumenical theologian who transcended evangelicalism. His influence on evangelicalism and among pastors and other leaders in various mainline denominations in the second half of the 20th century is immense. Don was my mentor and his impact upon my life is profound.”
The Rev. Dr. Beth McCaw, dean of the seminary and vice president of the university, echoed Colyer’s sentiments about the significant impact Bloesch had on so many.
“The presence, teaching, and scholarship of Dr. Donald Bloesch has been a tremendous gift to have stewarded among and through the University of Dubuque Theological Seminary,” McCaw said. “Along with countless Christians across the country and the globe, our culture, programs and reach have been shaped by God through Dr. Bloesch’s legacy. What a wonderful next chapter to see a new generation of minister scholars step into the blessings of that legacy to the glory of God.”
About the Edwin B. Lindsay Chaplaincy Fund
An endowment was created in 1983 with a gift from Elizabeth Lindsay Corbett, establishing the Edwin Blair Lindsay Chaplaincy Fund in memory of her late husband Edwin, a longtime trustee of the University of Dubuque. The terms of the endowment are specific and straightforward. The chaplain shall adhere to an evangelical theology within the Reformed tradition, and the funds are to be used for the spiritual birth, renewal and enrichment of college students at the University of Dubuque. Indeed, the articles of the endowment assert that the focus of worship, counseling and all other ministry efforts is to be the proclamation of the evangelical Christian faith, with particular care given to helping college students understand the good news of Jesus Christ, so that they may indeed experience God as Savior and Lord.
You may freely reuse and distribute this article in its entirety for non-commercial purposes in any medium. Please include author attribution, photography credits, and a link to the original article. This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDeratives 4.0 International License.
