School Notes: Yale Divinity School
September/October 2010

Three women newly appointed as senior faculty

Kathryn Tanner ’79, ’85PhD, the Dorothy Grant Maclear Professor of Theology at the University of Chicago Divinity School, has been appointed professor of systematic theology, joining two other women newly appointed as senior faculty at YDS effective July 1. A proponent of “constructive theology,” Tanner studies how Christian thought might be brought to bear on contemporary issues of theological concern using social, cultural, and feminist theory. Harold Attridge, the Rev. Henry L. Slack Dean of Yale Divinity School, noted that the hiring of the three women is particularly significant at a time when YDS is formally celebrating eight decades of women on campus. Tanner’s hiring follows the appointments of Mary Clark Moschella, a professor of pastoral theology from Wesley Theological Seminary, and Jennifer Herdt, an ethicist from the University of Notre Dame.

School creates first endowed scholarship for Catholic students

A scholarship in honor of the late Henri Nouwen, who taught at Yale Divinity School for a decade beginning in 1971, has been established through a gift of $300,000 from a university benefactor who wishes to remain anonymous. The Henri Nouwen Scholarship will be awarded annually to a deserving YDS student, with preference given to Roman Catholics—the first such scholarship to be created at YDS. For most of the past two decades, Roman Catholics have represented the second-largest denominational grouping at YDS, after Episcopalians.

YDS commitment to inclusivity put in writing

Yale Divinity School has adopted an “inclusivity statement” that formally articulates the school’s intention to embrace “a wide range of Christian traditions” and to welcome “people of various religious and nonreligious traditions.” The statement, which is included in the 2010–11 YDSBulletin, grew out of the school’s participation in a study sponsored by the Westport, Connecticut–based Religious Institute. “We celebrate the fullness of race and color; denominational, political, theological, and cultural difference; the range of expressions of sexual and gender identity; and the varied voices that come with age, life experience, national and community service, and socioeconomic status,” the statement says.  “In ecumenical conversation and in the space created that crosses traditionally entrenched positions, profound educational value is gained and diverse perspectives are presented.” The statement concludes, “We value the worth and dignity of every member of the Divinity School community, as we build an environment where inclusivity and diversity are central and consistently affirmed.”

Women’s reunion

A number of special events are planned for Convocation and Reunions 2010 in October, aimed at celebrating the contributions of women to life on Sterling Divinity Quadrangle—Honoring the Past, Challenging the Future: Celebrating Eight Decades of Women at Yale Divinity School.Among the activities will be an opening event with Professor Emerita Margaret Farley, a panel about YDS women, special worship services, a community meal, and a musical presentation hosted by the Institute of Sacred Music.