Honors, Fellowships, and Prizes
Honors
Honors for the degrees of Master of Divinity (M.Div.) and Master of Arts in Religion (M.A.R.) are determined by the faculty and awarded at graduation on the basis of a student’s performance in courses taken at Yale.
Master of Divinity: Students will be eligible for honors after six terms, on the basis of letter grades attained in courses earning at least sixty term hours.
Master of Arts in Religion: Students will be eligible for honors after four terms, on the basis of letter grades attained in courses earning at least forty-two term hours.
Graduate Fellowships
Graduate fellowships are awarded by the faculty each year to those members of the graduating class who are receiving either the M.A.R. or M.Div. at the Divinity School and have acquired such proficiency in theological studies as best to qualify them for the further work made possible by these grants.
The Day Fellowship was established in 1910 by a bequest from Olivia Hotchkiss Day in memory of her husband, George Edward Day, B.A. 1833.
The Hooker-Dwight Fellowship was established in 1878 and 1885 by gifts from President Timothy Dwight, B.A. 1849, in memory of his sister, Aurelia D. Hooker, and his mother, Susan B. Dwight. Students hold these fellowships for one year after graduation and are expected to pursue courses of theological or other appropriate study under the direction of the faculty, either at Yale, at other universities in this country, or in Great Britain, Europe, or Israel.
The Two Brothers Fellowship, founded in 1926 by Caroline Hazard in memory of her brothers, Rowland Gibson Hazard and Frederick Rowland Hazard, is awarded annually by the faculty of the Divinity School to a student or students chosen by them to pursue biblical study, in Jerusalem when possible.
The S. Ellsworth and Carol S. Grumman Endowed Fellowship Fund was established in 1980 by Helen Burr Grumman. The income from this fund is awarded to needy students whose interest and course of study include the field of Christian social ethics, and whose commitment to ministry emphasizes the renewal, clarification, and practical application of Christian ethics and moral values.
The Jarvis Alumni Fellowships of Berkeley Divinity School at Yale were established by a trust fund created in 1910 by Samuel Fermor Jarvis, D.D. Class of 1854. The fund was received by the Berkeley Divinity School in 1956. One-sixth of the annual income is to be used for two alumni fellowships for graduate study in ecclesiastical law and church history.
The Douglas Clyde Macintosh Fellowship in Theology and Philosophy was established by his wife, Hope Conklin Macintosh, and instituted at the time of her death in 1959. Macintosh Fellowships are awarded by the Department of Religious Studies at Yale to students who are engaged in theological or philosophical study leading to the Ph.D. degree. Recognition of the fellowships is given by the Divinity School because Douglas Clyde Macintosh was a member of the Divinity School faculty from 1909 until his retirement as Dwight Professor of Theology and Philosophy of Religion in 1942.
The Abraham Johannes Malherbe Fellowship was endowed to support doctoral study in New Testament and Early Church History. Awarded solely on the basis of academic excellence, the fellowship is awarded annually to that M.A.R. or M.Div. graduate of the Yale Divinity School who has the most outstanding preparation in Greek and/or Latin and has been admitted to a doctoral program in New Testament or Early Church History at Yale or another university. The fellowship is intended not to be a contribution toward the tuition of the doctoral program, but to enrich the student’s educational experience. Stipulations are available from the associate dean of academic affairs.
The John Henry Watson Fellowship of Berkeley Divinity School at Yale was founded in 1916 by Mrs. Susan M. Watson, in memory of her husband, John Henry Watson, a graduate of the Berkeley Divinity School in the Class of 1871. The faculty may appoint to the fellowship some member of the graduating class, or of one of the five preceding classes, whose work they consider worthy of the recognition and who intends to pursue an approved course of graduate study during the ensuing year at an American or foreign institution of learning. The fellowship may be held by the same graduate for consecutive years, or may be withheld in any year. The title may be held without the income or with only a part thereof.
Prizes
The Bradford E. Ableson Prize for Ecclesiastical Leadership honors two decades of distinguished leadership in ministry by Bradford E. Ableson, M.Div. 1985, an Episcopal priest and captain in the U.S. Navy Chaplain Corps. The prize, with a preference for Episcopal or Anglican students, is awarded annually to the student who possesses the most outstanding qualities of judgment and character for the future exercise of ecclesiastical leadership.
The Julia A. Archibald High Scholarship Prize, founded in 1921 by the Reverend Andrew W. Archibald, B.D. 1876, in memory of his wife, is awarded each year to that member of the graduating class who ranks highest in scholarship, the members of the faculty being judges.
The Roland H. Bainton Book Prize, made possible by gifts from alumni and friends, is presented at the School’s annual Christmas party to two first-year students who display particular facility in ecclesiology, one of Professor Bainton’s special interests. Its purpose is to remind the community of the kindly spirit who graced that event for so many years with his eloquent, moving narrations of “Martin Luther’s Christmas Sermon.”
The Wolcott Calkins Prize, founded in 1938 by bequest from Charlotte W. Calkins in memory of her husband, Wolcott Calkins, B.A. 1856, is awarded each year for excellence in clear and vigorous pulpit speaking. Open to all students in the first-, second-, and senior-year classes.
The Oliver Ellsworth Daggett Scholarship Prize, founded in 1931 by bequest from Susan E. Daggett in memory of her father, Oliver E. Daggett, B.A. 1828, is awarded each year to that student who, at the end of the second year of study in the School, is in need of financial assistance and who is judged by the faculty to be most worthy in point of ability, diligence, Christian character, and promise of usefulness as a preacher.
The Downes Prizes, founded in 1896 by gift from William E. Downes, B.A. 1845, are awarded annually to those students who shall attain the highest proficiency in the public reading of the scriptures and of hymns.
The Harriet Jackson Ely Prize was founded in 1995 by a gift from Harriet Jackson Ely. The prize is awarded each year to a second-year Master of Divinity student for excellence and promise in theology.
The R. Lansing Hicks Prize was established in honor of Professor Emeritus of Old Testament R. Lansing Hicks by the Berkeley Divinity School Graduate Society in 1989. This prize is awarded to the graduating senior who has done most to benefit the Berkeley community during his/her years in New Haven.
The William Palmer Ladd Prize was established by the Berkeley Divinity School Graduate Society in 1996 in memory of the dean of Berkeley who brought the school from Middletown to New Haven and presided over its life for a quarter of a century. This prize is awarded to a rising senior who has distinguished his/herself academically during the first two years of study.
The Eleanor Lee McGee Prize was established by the Berkeley Divinity School Graduate Society in 1999 to honor the ministry through the Church of the first woman to serve as a member of the Berkeley/Yale Divinity School faculty. This prize is presented to a rising Middler who has distinguished his/herself academically during the first year of study.
The Mersick Prizes, founded in 1906 by a gift from Mrs. Frederick T. Bradley of New Haven in memory of her father, Charles S. Mersick, esq., are designed to promote effective public address, especially in preaching.
The E. William Muehl Prize in Preaching was established in honor of Stephen Merrell Clement Professor Emeritus of Christian Methods E. William Muehl by the Berkeley Divinity Graduate Society in 1989. This prize is awarded to a graduating senior who is the most eloquent preacher in his/her class.
The Jess H. and Hugo A. Norenberg Prize, established in 1984 by a gift from Don R. Norenberg in memory of his father, B.D. 1923, and uncle, B.D. 1926, is awarded each year to a student who excels in preaching and/or the conduct of corporate worship.
The Thomas Philips Memorial Award was established through donations in memory of Thomas Philips, 1989 graduate of Yale/Berkeley, who died in 1996. This prize is presented to a graduating senior who shows exceptional achievement and further promise in the study and practice of Anglican liturgy.
The Marvin H. Pope Prize in Biblical Hebrew, established in 1988, honors the career of Marvin H. Pope, a member of the Yale faculty from 1949 to 1986. The prize is awarded on the basis of outstanding achievement in biblical Hebrew.
The St. Luke’s Award was established in 1998 to honor that person (or persons) who has made an outstanding contribution to the worship life of Berkeley Divinity School through devoted service to St. Luke’s Chapel.
The Tew Prizes, established in 1929 by bequest from Willis Tew of the Class of 1866, Yale College, for the purchase of books, are awarded to those students in the Divinity School and Graduate School who have shown exceptional ability in philosophy, literature, ethics, or history during their first year of study. A list of the books to be purchased must be approved by the dean of the Divinity School or the dean of the Graduate School, and must include the Works and Journals of Ralph Waldo Emerson. Half of the prizes are given to students in the Divinity School and half to students in the Graduate School.
The Henry Hallam Tweedy Prize was established in 1991 by a gift from Mrs. Mary J. Tweedy and her daughters in memory of Mrs. Tweedy’s father-in-law, Henry H. Tweedy, Professor of Practical Theology at Yale Divinity School from 1909 to 1937. The Tweedy Prize is awarded to a graduating Master of Divinity student with exceptional promise for pastoral leadership.
The John A. Wade Prize, founded in 1934 by bequest from John A. Wade, B.A. 1899, B.D. 1901, is awarded each year to that student in the first-, second-, or senior-year class who has shown the greatest originality in expository preaching.
The Edward Ashley Walker Scholarship Prize, founded in 1951 by bequest from Frances E. Walker in memory of her brother, the Reverend Edward Ashley Walker, B.A. 1856, is awarded at the end of each year to that member of the first-year class who in the opinion of the instructors shall have made the most satisfactory progress in studies during the year.
In addition to the prizes described above, the John Addison Porter [University] Prize, the Academy of American Poets Prize, the Albert Stanburrough Cook Prize in Poetry, the Jacob Cooper Prize in Greek Philosophy, the George Washington Egleston Historical Prize, the Theron Rockwell Field Prize, and the Metcalfe Prize are open to students of the Divinity School, as well as to the students of other schools of the University.
