Dear alumni/ae and friends,
Vanderbilt Divinity School, along with the Blair School of Music, was honored to host an evening on the Vanderbilt-NYC campus as part of the “Vanderbilt in the City: Conversations on America” series. Our theme was “Divine Rhythms: Jazz and the Sacred.”
In addition to a wonderful evening of conversation and sacred jazz performances, this event was an opportunity for me to reflect on the many ways that VDS honors the sacred as part of its work and mission. As an ecumenical, interfaith, and multi-denominational institution, questions of the sacred show up in the classroom; during informal conversations over meals; and in field education and experiential learning.
Many members of our community express their sense of vocation as “sacred work” even if their ministry is in secular settings. While being shaped and formed in the halls of the Divinity School building, the sacred work of VDS shows up in hospital wards, corporate boardrooms, nonprofit agencies, pulpits, and classrooms. The reverberations of this sacred work is felt in the city of Nashville and well beyond, as students, faculty, staff, and alumni sojourn throughout the world with their divine gifts and talents.
Just as jazz music is an interplay between harmony and dissonance, VDS is a beautiful embodiment of the shifting interplay between the sacred and the secular: a professional training ground for ministry and a home for the academic study of religion, embedded into a research-intensive university environment. And like jazz, all of these rich elements and people, including clergy, laity, scholars, practitioners, and students, bring life and vitality to the sacred work of our Divinity School.
Best,
Yolanda Pierce, Ph.D.
Dean
University Distinguished Professor of Religion & Literature
University Distinguished Professor of African American and Diaspora Studies
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Nominated by their peers, mentors and community members, Rev. Dr. Forrest Harris, MDiv’83, DMin’91, is this year’s recipient for the Divinity School, while Mark Noll, MA’74, PhD’75, is being honored by the Graduate Department of Religion.
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Lifelong Learning at Vanderbilt Divinity School offers faith-informed programs, including certificates, seminars, and vocational training, designed to cultivate skills and deepen your calling. LLL sessions will be offered during Reunion, giving attendees a chance to engage with our programs in person, with a virtual option also available.
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Learn more about “Divine Rhythms: Jazz and the Sacred," moderated by Dean Pierce at Vanderbilt’s new NYC location. The evening brought together artists, theologians, and musicians to explore how spirituality has shaped jazz and the significance of sacred elements within the jazz tradition.
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PhD student Royal Todd, MDiv ’23, was recently featured in EDU Ledger discussing the intersection of faith and academia. A third-year student in Christian ethics, Todd reflects on balancing the demands of church and the academy.
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Alumni Spotlight
Each year, Nashville Scene receives votes for "community favorites." This year, Connection UMC was awarded Best Place to Worship, and Connection UMC's senior pastor, Rev. Darren Mayberry Wright, MDiv’17, was named Best Religious Leader.
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Join us November 6–8, 2025, for Vanderbilt Divinity School’s 150th anniversary reunion. Come together with alumni, students, faculty, and friends for a weekend of celebration, conversation, and community.
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Jung Mo Sung delivered the Cole Lecture last week, presenting "Sacred versus Holy: and the Inversion of Ethical Values in the Contemporary World."
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Make a gift today to support Vanderbilt Divinity students as they pursue their calling, lead with faith, and serve the world.
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