Another major gift from the Carpenter Foundation
established the Carpenter Program in Religion, Gender, and Sexuality to encourage
communication within and across religious affiliations, theological bases, and cultural
contexts. The Carpenter Program also sponsors a certificate program allowing Divinity
students to develop an interdisciplinary and individually designed course of study that
addresses the complex intersections of religion, gender, and sexuality.
The Mary and Harry Zimmerman Judaica Collection, made
possible through a gift from the Raymond Zimmerman Family Foundation, adds new archival
materials to the Divinity School Library’s Judaica collection, as well as bound
volumes with special emphasis on contemporary Jewish thought. Here, the vital voice of the
history of Judaism is heard alongside the richness of current Jewish scholarship.
Each year, the Anne Potter Wilson Distinguished Visiting
Professorship brings to campus internationally recognized scholars of religion. These
scholars from other countries, religious traditions, and remarkable life experiences add
their voices to the Divinity School.
The Kelly Miller Smith Institute on the African American
Church, established in 1985 to honor the late assistant dean of the Vanderbilt Divinity
School, educates leaders in African American churches through programs, conferences, and
workshops for laity and clergy. The Institute brings churches, the African American
community, and the Divinity School into partnership to study and examine faith and
ministry issues of African American churches.
