the same time an online petition was established supporting the faculty, with hundreds of co-signers including theologians from all over the country who pledged not to speak at GTS until the terminated faculty were reinstated. 2020s During the COVID-19 pandemic, like most other institutions of higher learning, the Seminary quickly pivoted to a hybrid learning model which - for the first time in the Seminary's history - enabled seminary faculty and students to engage in a structure program and education, formation, and training in their home contexts. The program, initially begun in response to the pandemic, helped the Seminary to identify a need within the Church for a high-quality, low-residency, accredited MDiv program. In 2021, the Board of Trustees authorized the Seminary to launch a fully hybrid MDiv program, which welcomed its first cohort of students in 2022. At the same time, under the leadership of Acting Dean and President Michael W. DeLashmutt, the Seminary Board entered into a formal process, aimed at assessing the Seminary's long-term financial and operational model. Through the "Strategic and Faithful Partnerships" the Trustees of General Seminary the need for the Seminary to engage in a substantial partnership with another institution, in order to secure the mission and legacy of the School. In 2022 this led to the establishment of a formal Affiliation Agreement between General Seminary and Virginia Theological Seminary. While remaining separate institutions, the two Seminaries now share a common leadership structure and support services. Academics The mission of the General Theological Seminary is to "educate and form leaders for the church in a changing world." GTS does this chiefly through its Master of Divinity program, which prepares persons for ordination, primarily in the Episcopal Church. The M.Div. requires a foundation curriculum in Old Testament, New Testament, church history, systematic theology, ethics, ascetical theology, liturgics, homiletics, and pastoral theology. Elective courses allow students to more deeply explore areas of particular interest and, if studying full-time, the Master of Divinity is generally completed in three years. Since 1880 the General Theological Seminary has annually hosted the Paddock Lectures, which were founded by benefactor George A. Jarvis and named in honor of Benjamin Henry Paddock (Class of 1852 and Bishop of Massachusetts). The lectures have featured many of the world's leading theologians including Francis Joseph Hall, Diogenes Allen, William Temple, and Rowan Williams. The seminary has been accredited by the Association of Theological Schools in