Rev. Cynthia McCall Campbell became the first woman chosen to head a Presbyterian Church (U.S.A.) teaching seminary when she was elected president of McCormick Theological Seminary, 5555 S. Woodlawn Ave.

At a special meeting called Thursday, McCormick's board of trustees unanimously approved the search committee's recommendation of Campbell. She was chosen from a field of candidates, 50 of whom were contacted for interviews by the nine-member committee, which included two faculty members and two students.

Campbell, who began house hunting in the Chicago area shortly after she was elected, is pastor of First Presbyterian Church in Salina, Kan. She was on the faculty of Austin (Tex.) Presbyterian Theological Seminary, where she directed the graduate program for ministers.