This summer, resident and second year MA, Ethan Yu, is spending eight weeks in residence at the annual Kierkegaard Institute at St. Olaf College in Northfield, Minnesota. 

Sailesh Srinivas, current resident and second year MA student, is enrolled in a Classical Arabic study program based in Amman, Jordan. However, because of tensions in the region, he has had to participate remotely, from the U.S. One class is a close reading of a medieval Islamic philosophical text and the other is speaking, listening, and writing Arabic, while learning about Islamic history and culture. 

Morganne Talley (2022) was ordained to the Christian Ministry on July 26 at Timberlake Christian Church in Lynchburg, Virginia. The preacher was Stephanie McLemore (1978), who was Morganne's undergraduate college chaplain. 

Kristel Clayville (2001) gave the Northey Lecture on July 29 at the University of Divinity in Melbourne, Australia. She was invited by fellow Divinity School alum, Robyn Whitaker, Associate Professor of New Testament. Kristel's talk was entitled, "Dei Ex Machina: The Images of God in our Conceptions of AI."

W. David Hall (1989) retired from Centre College at the end of the academic year and was granted emeritus status; his title is now W. George Matton Professor Emeritus. He is currently Visiting Professor of Religion and Philosophy at Augsburg University.

Two incoming House scholars, Allison Nash and Fiyori Kindane, were invited to a gathering of emerging young leaders with the General Secretary, Jerry Pillay, at General Assembly. Several DDH alums were also present: Virginia White, Sarah Zuniga, Victoria Wick, Alexa Dava, and Vy Nguyen. Kidane was invited to write a reflection for the WCC blog, linked here.

Congratulations to Beau Underwood (2006), whose newest book has won two national awards. From Chalice Press: "In April, the Religion Communicators Council named "Baptizing America" the Best Book of 2024, awarding it the top prize in the Non-Fiction: Adult – Single Work category. The Associated Church Press granted the book its highest nonfiction honor, the Award of Excellence. One judge called it “an important book for our time,” noting how clearly the authors help readers make sense of the rise of Christian nationalism and its impact on democracy."

Cynthia Lindner (trustee; 1978) joined with Divinity School colleagues Sarah Fredericks and Erika Dornfield to obtain a grant for Living Well Through Climate Change, a project that culminated in a multi-disciplinary Divinity School conference on May 8. Rebecca Anderson (2007) and Virginia White (2014; current scholar) participated in a panel and Nate Travis (current scholar) was a research assistant.

On April 30, the fiftieth anniversary of the fall of Saigon, Vy Nguyen (trustee; 2004), was in Geneva for a meeting with global partners. He reflected on the anniversary: 50 years ago today, Saigon fell — and like millions of others, my family would eventually have to leave everything behind to find safety and a new place to call home. It didn’t happen overnight. It took decades of people fleeing, risking everything for a chance of peace. I didn’t flee until almost a decade later. I’ll always be grateful to the NGOs, churches, and countries, including the US, that opened their doors to us when we needed it most.... Over 120 million people are displaced around the world today, and too many places have stopped welcoming refugees. Today, the challenges are heavy, but so is the hope and determination in this room. On this anniversary, I’m reflecting on what it means to be a stranger in need — and how important it is that we don’t turn our backs on those seeking safety. Someone made room for us once. It’s on us to do the same.

Sympathy to Colton Lott (trustee; 2015) on the loss of his grandmother, Jayne Lott, who died on April 26 in Ada, Oklahoma. She was 86.