Union Theological Seminary’s first female president will retire after 18 years at the end of the 2025-2026 academic year.
According to an announcement made on Monday, the Rev. Serene Jones plans to step down in next year but also expects to return as a faculty member of the New York-based Seminary following a sabbatical.
Cliff Hudson, chair of Union’s Board of Trustees, praised Jones’ leadership, stating, “President Jones’ legacy at Union is extraordinary. She led with heart, vision, and unrelenting purpose — guiding Union through a period of remarkable growth, renewal, and impact.”
He added, “She has provided tremendous and courageous leadership during one of the most challenging periods in the history of higher education in this country. The Board is deeply proud of the way she rose to this moment with moral clarity, courage, and conviction.”
The Board of Trustees announced that they will initiate a national search for her successor, with the search committee led by Vice Chair Rhonda Joy McLean.
Jones stated in the announcement, “I deeply love this community. It has challenged and inspired me in ways that have allowed me to grow and evolve alongside the institution. In times such as these, it is absolutely critical that Union continues this vibrant global witness against the many forces of destruction that plague our earth while also being generatively supportive of the many beautiful voices that are standing up for truth, love, and justice.”
Founded in 1836 as a non-denominational seminary, Union selected Jones to be its first female president in 2008, succeeding Joseph C. Hough Jr., and she officially took office on July 1 of that year.
She earned her Bachelor of Arts from the University of Oklahoma in 1981, her Master of Divinity from Yale Divinity School in 1985, and her Doctorate in Theology from Yale University in 1991. In addition, Jones was ordained in two Mainline Protestant denominations, the Christian Church (Disciples of Christ) and the United Church of Christ.
Throughout her tenure, Jones has occasionally expressed progressive viewpoints in public. For example, in 2021, she denounced Texas’ heartbeat abortion law as “un-Christian.”
However, she faced backlash in April 2019 when, in an interview with The New York Times, she appeared to question core Christian doctrines such as the bodily resurrection and virgin birth of Jesus.
“For Christians for whom the physical resurrection becomes a sort of obsession, that seems to me to be a pretty wobbly faith,” she said. “What if tomorrow someone found the body of Jesus still in the tomb? Would that then mean that Christianity was a lie? No, faith is stronger than that.”
Upon facing criticism, Jones issued an apology, stating she was sorry for appearing “dismissive of those who hold other views” and expressing a wish that she “could have expanded and nuanced my responses.” She also explained that she regards “the ‘virgin birth’ story of Jesus” and “the ‘bodily’ resurrection of Jesus” as “deeply important Christian claims” that are “near and dear to my own heart and my own profession of faith.”
