The Claremont School of Theology Connection

Since its founding in 1960, the Religion program at CGU has been a cooperative venture of the faculties and administrations of Claremont Graduate University and Claremont School of Theology. Ernest Cadman Colwell, the first president of the School of Theology, gave the first endowment he received to CGU (then known as the Claremont Graduate School) in order to found a university department of religion.  Since that time, these two independent institutions have combined their efforts to build a world-class program in the study of religion. CGU has provided a non-affiliated university setting, including vast resources in the humanities and social sciences, for the religion program.  The School of Theology, in addition to numerous other tangible and intangible assets, has provided the majority of faculty members and an excellent theological library. Both institutions have reaped extraordinary benefits from this unusual relationship. In summer 2000, this 40-year tradition of excellence was acknowledged and extended with the establishment of the School of Religion at CGU.  The distinctive quality of the school, formerly known as the Department of Religion, is sustained by this unique and historic cooperation with the Claremont School of Theology as well as its frequent collaboration with faculty in the Center for the Humanities and its reliance upon the scholarly contributions of undergraduate faculty at The Claremont Colleges.  These cooperative efforts place the School of Religion among the finest graduate programs in religion in the world.