Dear alumni/ae and friends,
Waiting. I’ve tried to cultivate patience—genuine patience when I must wait for things. The result is a mixed bag to be sure. I have times of success and times of utter failure, and I must pick myself up and survey the landscape to evaluate what my next steps should be, regardless of the outcome, for there is something to be learned either way. A lot of my job as dean involves waiting and also timing. I’m not sure which one is more of a challenge, but they both require that I take my proclivity for order and control off the table, suspended in midair, as I acknowledge and then act in a fashion that respects that there are many people and factors that are coming together in these moments of discernment.
As I begin this new year as dean of the Divinity School, I find myself both waiting and seeking good timing in these six months as dean. I will share with you over these next few months what I believe I have learned/what I am continuing to learn about theological education, collegiality, scholarship, teaching, and service. They will be, in each case, a conversation starter that I hope will lead to greater reflection on my part and yours as we think through the various ways we can/must do these things or not. One thing is sure…
…it’s a journey.
Best,
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Emilie M. Townes
Dean of Vanderbilt Divinity School
University Distinguished Professor of Womanist Ethics and Society, Divinity School
University Distinguished Professor of Gender and Sexuality Studies, College of Arts and Science
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Q Spirit's top 34 Christian LGBTQ books of 2022 include VDS Professor Stephanie A. Budwey’s book, Religion and Intersex: Perspectives from Science, Law, Culture, and Theology and VDS alumna Lisa Dordal's collection of poetry, Water Lessons.
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Kashif Andrew Graham, outreach librarian for religion and theology, received Chapter 16's Humanities Tennessee Fellowship in Criticism for 2023.
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Healio: Inclusive care is 'essential' for the LGBTQ+ community
Tara McKay, assistant professor of medicine, health and society, is quoted.
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Take a look back at Vanderbilt in 2022: The stories that shaped the year.
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Vanderbilt University: A look ahead at our 150th year.
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Join us for the Black History Month Exhibit, Culture Commodity, with artist Elisheba Israel Mrozik. Exhibit opening and gallery talk is Feb. 3 at 6 p.m. in VDS Room G06.
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Acclaimed journalist Byron Pitts spoke at Vanderbilt’s 2023 MLK Day commemorative event.
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Watch VDS Professor Emeritus Amy-Jill Levine receive the Council of Christians and Jews’ 2022 Bridge Award, presented to persons who have made an exceptional and leading contribution to building bridges between peoples in a Christian-Jewish or wider setting.
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