Founded in 1995 with the support of a $2.5 million endowment from the E. Rhodes and Leona B. Carpenter Foundation, the Carpenter Program in Religion, Gender and Sexuality is the first and oldest program of its kind in the nation. Changing hearts and minds on controversial issues will not happen overnight. Key to long-term success is creating robust and diverse cohorts of future faith leaders equipped with the intellectual and practical resources necessary for that labor.
The Carpenter Program’s work on such issues as LGBTQIA+ equality and reproductive health, rights and justice, is deeply intersectional, intellectually informed, ethically responsible, and practically tested. Students can pursue this work through our co-curricular programming and our Certificate in Religion, Gender, and Sexuality Studies
In 2016, over 200 alumni, current students, and potential students came together to celebrate the Carpenter Program’s 20th reunion. The below image is our collective vision of the Program’s future: