Dear alumni/ae and friends,
A very healthy and very large turkey came to visit VDS during the first week of April. The faculty, staff, and students in the building took great delight in watching the turkey stroll around our front entrance, catching a glimpse of itself in the reflection of the glass doors. At one point, I pondered exactly who to call in case our turkey visitor decided to actually enter the building. Thankfully, it seemed content just to hang around the front doors, allowing us to admire and post pictures of its routine.
As small as it may seem, this was a much-needed bit of whimsy and fun during these challenging times in higher education and in our nation. Complicated times remind us of the need to hold onto joy wherever and whenever it arises. These small moments – the beautiful tulips in our planter or a visiting turkey – ground us with the knowledge that joy, beauty, and surprise are all still possible. When overwhelmed with all the work that needs to be done and all of the obstacles that must be overcome, it was great to see one of God’s creatures find sanctuary in the shadow of our Divinity School building.
The turkey was gone the next morning when I arrived at the office, but the importance of our work at VDS remains clearer now more than ever. Our mission – to engage in theological inquiry; to help persons prepare for ministry and public leadership; to encourage personal and spiritual formation; to prepare agents of social justice; and to educate future scholars and teachers, locally and globally – can be a balm in a world in need of moral and ethical leadership. There is enough need in the world right now to keep VDS busy and engaged for another 150 years.
Best,
Yolanda Pierce, Ph.D.
Dean
University Distinguished Professor of Religion & Literature
University Distinguished Professor of African & African Diaspora Studies
