Emilie Townes

A new co-edited volume by Vanderbilt researchers is a tribute to the late Katie Geneva Cannon, who in 1974 became the first African American woman ordained in the United Presbyterian Church. Cannon’s work lays the groundwork for continued discussions on moral thought among scholars today.   Read More

Members of the Vanderbilt University and Vanderbilt University Medical Center communities are invited to attend a special “Faith and Politics” panel discussion featuring Michigan state Sen. Mallory McMorrow. The event, which includes fellow panelists Dean Emilie M. Townes of Vanderbilt Divinity School and Professor Katherine Crawford of the College of Arts and Science, will take place Monday, Oct. 3, at 5 p.m. in Wilson Hall, Room 103. Read More

In two unique courses offered by the Divinity School, students explore issues around incarceration and punishment alongside 14 death row inmates at Tennessee’s Riverbend Maximum Security Institution. Read More

Provost and Vice Chancellor for Academic Affairs C. Cybele Raver has appointed a committee to conduct a national search for the next dean of Vanderbilt Divinity School. The committee includes faculty members, deans, an alumnus and a current student. Read More

Emilie M. Townes, who has led the reenvisioning of theological education at Vanderbilt Divinity School while increasing the visibility of the institution’s historical commitment to seeking justice, will step down as dean effective June 30, 2023. Read More

Vanderbilt University will launch the James Lawson Institute for the Research and Study of Nonviolent Movements during a livestreamed celebration featuring the Rev. James Lawson and keynote speaker John M. Seigenthaler on April 7. Read More

The Most Rev. Michael Bruce Curry, presiding bishop of the Episcopal Church, and Pulitzer Prize-winning author Jon Meacham discussed the complex intersection of religion and politics in American democracy on Jan. 13 as part of a virtual event hosted by the Vanderbilt Project on Unity and American Democracy and Vanderbilt Divinity School. Read More

Vanderbilt University has received a $1 million grant from Lilly Endowment Inc. to help Vanderbilt Divinity School establish a project focused on educating pastoral leaders who are exploring alternative pathways in ministry, today and the future. Read More

The Most Rev. Michael Bruce Curry, presiding bishop of the Episcopal Church, and Pulitzer Prize-winning author Jon Meacham will discuss the intersection of religion and politics in the U.S. during a Jan. 13 discussion hosted by the Vanderbilt Project on Unity and American Democracy and Vanderbilt Divinity School. Read More

Nashville’s newest public high school will be named in honor of the Rev. James Lawson, a civil rights icon and Vanderbilt University Distinguished Professor, emeritus. Read More

Lifelong Learning at Vanderbilt Divinity School, a new curricular-based program open to the community, aims to expand the public discussion surrounding religious issues. Read More

The Graduate School welcomed more than 400 students to campus for New Student Orientation on Aug. 23. The day included a convocation in the Student Life Center that was followed by an information fair and reception in Alumni Hall. Read More

Vanderbilt Divinity School and the College of Arts and Science will honor one of the university's most revered alumni with the launch of the James Lawson Institute for the Research and Study of Nonviolent Movements. Read More

Rather than allowing faith to fracture our politics, it should be used as a guiding force to help unify our communities, said former two-term Tennessee Gov. Bill Haslam in a virtual discussion on May 25 with Vanderbilt Divinity School Dean Rev. Emilie Townes and author and political columnist Peter Wehner. Read More

The Vanderbilt Project on Unity and American Democracy and Vanderbilt Divinity School will present a discussion on the role that religious faith plays in politics as explored in "Faithful Presence: The Promise and the Peril of Faith in the Public Square," a new book by former Tennessee Gov. Bill Haslam. The virtual event is scheduled for Tuesday, May 25, from noon to 1 p.m. CT. Read More

On Thursday, April 8, the Vanderbilt Divinity School will host the first of three panel discussions focused on exploring the experience of Asian and Asian American people. Read More

The Rev. James Lawson, a civil rights icon and Vanderbilt University distinguished professor, emeritus, has received the prestigious NAACP Chairman’s Award, which recognizes individuals who demonstrate exemplary public service and use their distinct platforms to create agents of change. Read More

Chancellor Daniel Diermeier will reflect on the past academic year and present many of the university’s highest honors at the Spring Faculty Assembly on Thursday, April 1. The event—to be held virtually—will begin at 4:10 p.m. CT. Read More

Vanderbilt Divinity School has received a LEED Silver certification from the U.S. Green Building Council for its renovation and addition project that was completed in 2020. LEED, or Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design, offers a framework for healthy, highly efficient and cost-saving green buildings. Read More

Rare photographs of the Rev. James M. Lawson Jr., a pivotal figure in the history of the civil rights movement and Vanderbilt University, have been acquired by the Jean and Alexander Heard Libraries. Read More