Historic Appointment at Presbyterian Seminary in Richmond

Brian K. Blount was recently inaugurated as president of the Union Theological Seminary and Presbyterian School of Christian Education in Richmond, Virginia. He is the first African American to serve as president of any seminary associated with the Presbyterian Church (USA), the nation’s largest Presbyterian group.

Dr. Blount had been serving as a professor of New Testament studies at Princeton Theological Seminary in New Jersey. He is a graduate of the College of William and Mary. He holds a master’s degree in divinity from the Princeton Theological Seminary and a Ph.D. from Emory University.

African Americans make up about 3 percent of all Presbyterians in the United States. The most recent statistics show that there are 30 blacks among the 365 students at the Richmond seminary.

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