Yale Divinity School

• Information for:
• Prospective Students
  • Introduction
  • Admissions Office
  • Financial Aid
  • Apply Online
  • Request Information
• Current Students
  • Introduction
  • Classes V*2
  • Student E-mail
  • Student Info Systems
  • Q-Source Newsletter
• Faculty & Staff
  • Introduction
  • Classes V*2
  • Room Resources
  • Academic Calendar
  • Q-Source Newsletter
• Donors & Friends
  • Introduction
  • Giving Goals
  • Give to YDS Online
  • Mail a Gift to YDS
  • The Gift of a Lifetime
• Alumni
  • Introduction
  • Alumni Relations Office
  • Alumni Events & News
  • Convocation/Reunions
  • Notes from the Quad
• Media
  • Introduction
  • Contact Us
  • Faculty Expertise
  • News from YDS
  • Publications
  • Webcasts

• Alumni Awards
• Schedule of Events
• Hotel Accomodations
• Lectures
• Preachers
• Preliminary Response Form
• Reunions
• Shuttle Information
• Convocation 2004
• Convocation 2005
• Convocation 2006
• Convocation 2007
• Convocation 2008
• Alumni Office
• Convocation Home

What is a cluster reunion? Why cluster reunions?

Cluster reunions recognize that friendships formed at Yale Divinity School are influenced primarily by collective experiences of study, worship, and play—more so than by common year of graduation.  With this in mind, cluster reunions for groups of classes in consecutive years are periodically held to authentically recreate the spirit of friendships at YDS, instead of relying entirely on the single-class reunion model.  The cluster model is not perfect; some friends might find themselves in different clusters.   However, on balance the cluster model does a very good job of bringing together friends from a particular era.

Everyone in a single class is assigned to the same cluster, which is composed of people who graduated in that year and a year or two before or after.  After the cluster has met once, it will come together every five years for a reunion, as determined by a schedule maintained by the Alumni Relations Office.  The frequency of reunions is the same as it was under the single-class model.  Still, Yale Divinity School recognizes the especially important milestones of 25th, 50th and 55th year reunions, and each class gathers to celebrate these unique events alone.