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January 2024

Yolanda Pierce, Dean of Vanderbilt Divinity School, wears a black dress with a cream necklace. She stands in front of a blurred background of a building and greenery.

Dear alumni/ae and friends,

I love institutions of higher education and I love the scholarly knowledge that surrounds me everywhere I turn. During any given semester, some of the smartest theological minds visit our campus. In lectures, classes, or workshops, a student or faculty colleague may have access to people who are changing the face of theological discourse. Our library is unrivaled in terms of resources to support theological education. We are abundantly blessed to have a learning community that continues to welcome great scholars and great students.

Yet the collective knowledge gleaned from all the books in the world cannot replace wisdom: wisdom that comes from life experience; wisdom that comes from common sense; and wisdom that comes from God. The book of Proverbs reminds us that "wisdom cries out in the street; in the squares she raises her voice." I want Vanderbilt Divinity School to continue to be a place which celebrates both academic knowledge and wisdom. Wisdom is present in the pews of our congregations as well as in the public square. Wisdom is found in the voices of our children and in the encouragement of our elders. My prayer is that along with the vast array of knowledge at our disposal, we continue as a community to seek the nourishing waters of the fountain of wisdom.

Best,

Yolanda Pierce

Dean
Cornelius Vanderbilt Chair
Professor of Religion & Literature

Watch the video of Dialogue Vanderbilt's Conversation with Rabbi David J. Wolpe and Dean Yolanda Pierce. This conversation is centered on Vanderbilt’s commitment to free expression, constructive dialogue, and mutual respect—even when topics are emotionally charged, and when we strongly disagree.

Watch here>>

Picture of keynote speaker Khalil Ekulona wearing a plaid shirt. Text reads: MLK Commemorative Event 2024 Watch Now featuring keynote speaker Khalil Ekulona host of WPLN's This is Nashville.

Watch the video of Vanderbilt University’s 2024 MLK Day Commemorative Event featuring a keynote from Khalil Ekulona, host of WPLN’s This Is Nashville. The event also includes remarks from Chancellor Daniel Diermeier and Dean Yolanda Pierce.

Watch here>>

A person is sitting at a table with their back facing the camera. Dean Pierce is crouched in front of the person, in conversation with them.

Check out what events Dean Pierce is attending in the coming months.

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Text reads A Project of the Wendland-Cook Program at Vanderbilt University. Below this in larger text reads Religion & Justice. Below the text are two cartoon people with brown hair. The person on the left has a mustache and the person on the right has glasses.

Announcing Religion and Justice, a podcast brought to you by the Wendland-Cook Program in Religion and Justice at Vanderbilt Divinity School. This podcast explore the intersections of class, religion, labor, and ecology, uncovering their implications for justice.

Text reads Where Song and Sermon Meet, Gospel, hosted by Henry Louis Gates Jr. Artwork of a person with long black hair and a flowy long-sleeved purple maxi dress, sitting on a gold stool with red cushion, playing at a gold piano in front of a large stained glass window.

Register now for the Divinity School's “Gospel” event on Feb. 13, 6 p.m. Join us for live performances and a conversation with Dean Yolanda Pierce and Professor Michael Eric Dyson, discussing the docuseries, Gospel. This docuseries explores the rich history of Black spirituality through sermon and song from executive producer, host, and writer Henry Louis Gates, Jr.

Save the Date for the annual Bogitsh Lecture on Feb. 26, 7 p.m. The lecture will be delivered by Lynn Ramey, Vanderbilt University professor of French and department chair of French and Italian. Ramey's lecture is titled “Legacies of Racial Bias in Medieval Literature."

Check with Vanderbilt Divinity School social media for an upcoming invitation.

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Join the Wendland-Cook Program in Religion and Justice and the Center and Library for the Bible and Social Justice on Jan. 27, 8:30 a.m. CT, for an enlightening conversation on "The Bible and Settler Colonialism in Palestine and Beyond" featuring Rev. Prof. Mitri Raheb, Founder and President of Dar al-Kalima University in Bethlehem.

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