A Texas seminary affiliated with The Episcopal Church has dismissed its dean and president over an “inappropriate relationship with an employee.”
The board of trustees for the Seminary of the Southwest in Austin voted last week to immediately remove Scott Bader-Saye from his position, having been elected to the office the year before.
Diocese of Texas Bishop C. Andrew Doyle and board chair the Rev. Kathryn Ryan stated in a letter sent to seminary alumni and friends that Bader-Saye was terminated “following his admission of developing an inappropriate relationship with an employee with whom he was in a supervisory relationship.”
“The behavior violates the professional standards required of all employees of the Seminary by the Personnel Handbook and the Safeguarding God’s People policies included therein, and of the faculty by the Faculty Handbook,” Ryan and Doyle wrote.
“As Dean and President, he was responsible for abiding by those policies himself, as well as ensuring they were upheld by all members of the community and responding appropriately when they were not.”
The letter noted that the board “is looking for a short-term Acting Dean preparatory to calling an Interim Dean to serve during a search process.”
“I know that this news will be unsettling individually and collectively,” they continued. “I invite you to join me in prayer for all those affected, especially for our students, faculty, and staff.”
“We place our trust in God’s deep love and power to heal. Know that we are providing pastoral resources for the community and for individuals in the coming days and weeks.”
Founded in 1952 to educate priests after World War II, Seminary of the Southwest has seen over 1,475 graduates serve in 50 states and 25 countries. Today, it has an enrollment of over 100.
In May 2024, Bader-Saye was unanimously elected by the board of trustees to serve as dean and president of Southwest, taking office on July 1, 2024, and being installed in January.
Bader-Saye had joined the faculty in 2009, serving as the Helen and Everett H. Jones Chair in Christian Ethics and Moral Theology and as academic dean since 2013.
He succeeded the Very Rev. Cynthia Briggs Kittredge, who concluded her term as dean and president on June 30, 2024, which had been announced in October of 2023.
In a statement released at the time of his election, Bader-Saye said that “I am grateful to work alongside the amazing faculty and staff of this institution.”
“I have no doubt that we will continue the significant momentum that the seminary has built in recent years, and I look forward to navigating the opportunities and challenges that will come our way,” he stated.
