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Yale Divinity School
409 Prospect Street, New Haven, CT 06515YDS Home>Notes from the Quad
An electronic periodical for the alumni community of the Yale Divinity School
AUGUST/SEPTEMBER 2004
This issue of "Notes from the Quad" comes to you on the occasion of the launch of the newly redesigned Divinity School Website (http://www.yale.edu/divinity). We are grateful to recent grad Campbell Brock Harmon M.A.R.'04 who serves as the current YDS webmaster and was responsible for conceiving and implementing the new design.
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CONTENTS
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Yale Center for Faith & Culture Invites Alumni to Conference, Sept. 16-17, 2004
New YDS Director of Alumni Relations Appointed
Register for Fall Convocation, Oct 11-14, 2004
Donation Challenge Met
Berkeley Divinity School Celebrates 150 Years of Episcopal Seminary Education
YDS Alum to receive Yale Medal
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THE NEWS
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YALE CENTER FOR FAITH & CULTURE INVITES ALUMNI TO INAUGURAL CONFERENCE, SEPTEMBER 16-17, 2004 .
You are invited to attend the inaugural conference of the Yale Center for Faith & Culture, entitled A Crisis of Trust? Trust in a Culture of Suspicion and Spin . Miroslav Volf, Henry B. Wright Professor of Systematic Theology at YDS and Director of the Center, will offer the introduction and closing to an exciting program of keynotes and workshops, featuring speakers and facilitators who represent the best thinking in the fields of theology, business, philosophy, media, and government.
The keynote speakers will be :
- The Honorable Philip Lader , Chairman of WPP, senior advisor to Morgan Stanley, and former U.S. Ambassador to the United Kingdom;
- Jürgen Moltmann , Professor Emeritus of Theology at the University of Tübingen; and
- Baroness Onora O'Neill , member of the Faculty of Philosophy and Principal of Newnham College, Cambridge University, and Member of the House of Lords.
Workshops will be led by :
- Eric Pillmore , Senior Vice President for Corporate Governance at Tyco Corporation;
- Oliver Williams, C.S.C. , Director, Notre Dame Center for Ethics and Religious Values in Business;
- Gustav Niebuhr , Associate Professor of Religion and the Media, and former religion writer for The New York Times ; and
- Onora O'Neill , member of the Faculty of Philosophy and Principal of Newnham College, Cambridge University, and Member of the House of Lords .
The opening keynote will commence the conference on the evening of September 16 th , and the proceedings will conclude on the afternoon of September 17 th at 4 p.m. The event will be held at yale Divinity School in New Haven, CT. Please contact Dr. David W. Miller , Executive Director of the Yale Center for Faith & Culture, with any further questions or to request conference brochures (david.w.miller@yale.edu; phone 203-432-8669). More information can also be found on the Center's website ( www.yale.edu/faith ).
NEW YDS DIRECTOR OF ALUMNI RELATIONS APPOINTED.
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Elizabeth Strawn M.A.R. '04 was appointed Director of Alumni Relations for the Divinity School on June 17, beginning what she refers to as a “ministry to the alumni.” Prior to her attending YDS as a student, Elizabeth practiced law in Florida , primarily in the areas of estate planning and estate administration. She remains a member of the Florida bar association. She holds a B.A. in English from the University of Florida and received her J.D. cum laude from Stetson University College of Law. |
Elizabeth 's journey to YDS began when she realized that “my life outside of my law practice,” which included active participation in her Episcopal parish, “was so much more fulfilling than my daily work.” As
she completed her M.A.R., she recognized a calling to work in higher education, and found the Alumni Director position to be a perfect match.
“We are delighted to announce the appointment of Elizabeth to this critical position of leadership. Elizabeth not only brings a unique combination of skills as an estate planning attorney and a recent YDS
grad; her appreciation for YDS and vision for engaging the Divinity School's extraordinary network of alums is a great gift.” says John Lindner, YDS Director of External Relations.
Elizabeth hopes to contribute to the “stability and continuity” of YDS by building a solid alumni base that can sustain the school's fulfillment of its unique mission. In her conversations with alumni, she says, “I've realized that what brings me and other alumni back to support this place is that we're connected to something here that's far more than the sum of its parts.”
REGISTER NOW FOR FALL CONVOCATION! LECTURES AND CLUSTER REUNIONS TO BE HELD OCTOBER 11-14, 2004 .
This year's YDS Convocation features a program of esteemed lecturers, dynamic events and worship opportunities, and many opportunities to reunite with classmates. Beginning this fall, the reunions will follow
a new cluster model, wherein alumni from three successive classes will gather at each convocation. Though major emphasis will still be placed on the 50th and 25th reunion classes, the Alumni Board hopes that this
model will help sustain the deep friendships that develop between degree programs and graduation years. Pre-register now to reserve your spot for what promises to be a rich, four-day session!
Otis Moss, Jr. (Olivet Baptist Church , Cleveland), will open the lecture series with the first Beecher Lecture. Other lecturers are Shaffer Lecturer Bart Ehrman (UNC Chapel Hill), Kavanaugh Lecturer
Lawrence A. Hoffman (Hebrew Union College), Cheney Lecturer Mark Allen McIntosh (Loyola University Chicago), and many more.
The opening night highlight will be a special Jazz Vespers concert in Battell Chapel, presented by Dwight Andrews M.Div '78 Ph.D '93 , pastor of First Congregational Church in Atlanta and faculty member at Emory University Music Department. In addition to arrangements of hymns and spirituals and compositions by jazz masters Ellington, Coltrane, and Adderly, the service will also feature original works by the outstanding musicians conducting the service: trombonist Wycliffe Gordon, Jay Hoggard on vibes, the Atlanta Community Jazz Chorus, and others.
In addition to the Jazz Vespers, worship will punctuate the week. Morning worship preachers are Stephen Bauman '79, Barbara Lundblad '79, and Javier Viera '98, and Berkeley Divinity School will host Vespers on October 13 with Peter Gomes, Pusey Minister at Harvard's Memorial Church .
Contact YDS Alumni Relations Office (email: laura.kramer@yale.edu or phone 203/432-5358) for convocation brochures and/or registration information. Information and a downloadable registration form can be found on the YDS Convocation Website.
CHALLENGE MET! GOAL OF 100 ALUMNI DONORS EXCEEDED.
Earlier this year, J. Scott Pidcock M.A.R. '82 issued a challenge grant to YDS alumni. If 100 new donors would contribute to the Annual Fund by June 30 th , 2004 , Pidcock would match their giving up to
$10,000. “I'm pleased to announce that the generous challenge was exceeded by the dedicated alumni of YDS!” says John Lindner, YDS Director of External Relations. “As a result of generous giving to the
Annual Fund, sixty students will benefit from annual fund scholarships this year.”
A total of 110 alumni donors met the challenge by stepping up to become new donors to the 2003-2004 Annual Fund.
“Recent world events continue to confirm the essential role YDS can play on the national and world stage,” said Pidcock. Enter the challenge grant: “to assist the Divinity School in expanding its donor base.”
The challenge grant was a great success, but there's always more to do! No matter how much you are able to give, your support is critical. YDS now has an online giving system, which you can access by clicking
here, or call 1-800-395-7646 to make a contribution over the phone.
BERKELEY DIVINITY SCHOOL CELEBRATES 150 YEARS OF EPISCOPAL SEMINARY EDUCATION
In 1854, the Bishop of Connecticut, John Williams established a theological school in Middletown, naming it for Bishop George Berkeley of Cloyne, an early patron of higher education in America. In 1928, when it became increasingly clear that if Berkeley was to train clergy for the modern world and church it needed larger contacts and academic training, it moved to New Haven to be closer to Yale University, culminating in a formal affiliation with Yale Divinity School in 1971.
Join Berkeley Divinity School on October 13, 2004 as it celebrates its "sesquicentennial," looking forward to a renewed commitment to training leadership for the Episcopal Church.
- 1:30 PM: The Cheney Lecture, given by the Reverend Prof. Mark McIntosh, Canon Theologian to the Presiding Bishop on the topic "How God Makes Theologians"
- 6:00 PM: Evensong, with the Reverend Prof. Peter Gomes of Harvard University's Memorial Church preaching
- 8:00 PM: Dinner with the Rt. Reverend Paul Colton, current Bishop of Cloyne
Join the Very Reverend Joseph H. Britton, Dean and President of Berkeley, Graduate Society, Board of Trustees and National Advisory Committee as we confer honorary degrees and honor our history (including the class of 1954), and former Berkeley Deans. For more information contact Pamela Wesley.
YDS ALUM TO RECEIVE YALE MEDAL FROM ASSOCIATION OF YALE ALUMNI.
The Rev. Richard Mather Mapes '49, B.D. '52, has been announced as one of five 2004 recipients of the Yale Medal, the highest award given by the Association of Yale Alumni, “conferred solely to honor outstanding individual service to the University.” He will receive the award during a ceremony on November 12, 2004 .
Mapes has supported Yale in a variety of ways over the past fifty-two years, but he says that he is receiving the award “primarily for the ways I've been involved with the Divinity School .” As class agent for the YDS Class of '52, which has sponsored several scholarships, Mapes has helped to maintain the strong bond between his class and the ongoing work of YDS. He also served the Divinity School as interim Director of Development and as Church Relations Coordinator.
The Rev. Dick Stazesky B.D. '52, editor of the Class of '52 letter and former co-Class Agent with Mapes, says of his long-time friend: “Rick has been an assiduous Class agent for many years, making YDS '52 one of the top classes in percentage of participation and amounts given to the annual fund. Additionally, he has given leadership to raising over $150,000 in endowed scholarships.”
Since his graduation from YDS, Mapes has served as a pastor in Ohio and Florida and worked at Oberlin Seminary and Vanderbilt Divinity School , as well as in the UCC denominational offices. Born and raised in New Haven , the self-avowed Yankee has also maintained an active connection to this place, including tenures as Vice President of Community Action Agency of New Haven and President and Treasurer of the Interfaith Cooperative Ministries, a collection of forty interfaith congregations in New Haven .
The Yale Medal is only the latest in a list of lifetime accolades for Mapes. Notable other honors include—but are not limited to—the B'nai B'rith Anti-Defamation League's Torch of Liberty award, recognition as a Master Builder by Habitat for Humanity, and the God & Country award from Yale during the Tercentennial celebrations.