Oswald P. Bronson, 1968-1975

Dr. Oswald P. Bronson was the second president of the Interdenominational Theological Center. He earned a Bachelor of Science degree from Bethune-Cookman College in 1950. He would go on to graduate from Gammon Theological Seminary where he earned a Bachelor of Divinity degree, and receiving a Ph.D. from Northwestern University in 1965. In that same year (1965), Bronson became Director of Field Education at ITC. One year later in 1966 he would become ITC’s Vice President. Having been a personal protégé of Harry V. Richardson and his hand-picked successor, two years later Bronson was selected as ITC’s President in 1968, serving as ITC’s president until 1975. Bronson was president during a period of social unrest. ITC curriculum had from its beginning had been rooted in European methods of Christianity. The rise of the Black Power Movement and Black Liberation Theology put pressure on the ITC administration to create a more inclusive curriculum of ITC during Bronson’s tenure. Although earlier challenges had been made by professors such as Charles B. Copher for a more inclusive curriculum, ITC had remained rooted in European pedagogy, and this rise of the Black Power Movement and Black Liberation Theology during the late 1960s challenged this approach. This was a challenge to Bronson, who like his predecessor Richardson, had not been an advocate of Afro-Centrism. He did support student participation in the Selma, Alabama protest when he was the Director of Field Education. The Black Power and Liberation Theology Movements were so strong they eventually impacted ITC’s curriculum. In fact, the National Committee of Black Churchmen (NCBC) statement in 1969 had its origins on the campus of ITC during Bronson’s tenure.