Vds Voices
-
Through the branches, the spire: on waiting and envisioning a life at VDS
This is for those who have submitted their applications, waded into the ankle-deep waters around their home or on the street, looked up through the trees, and turned down the music on the drive home to find the way around the neighborhood of their heart (see previous blog post). Read MoreMar. 6, 2026
-
Some guidance and reassurance as you prepare your Vanderbilt Divinity School application essays
There’s no singular “personal statement” required in the Vanderbilt Divinity School application. However, there is a series of short essays that gives you a space to answer the questions a traditional personal statement would ask of you. The application questions concern subjects… Read MoreDec. 19, 2025
-
-
Vanderbilt Divinity School brings director Nicholas Ma to campus
Vanderbilt Divinity School is pleased to announce two events that will bring award-winning director, writer, and producer Nicholas Ma to campus. The producer of Won’t You Be My Neighbor?, the highest grossing biographical documentary ever, has released a new documentary called Leap of Faith. Twelve… Read MoreAug. 20, 2025
-
Vanderbilt Divinity School Receives Gift for New Turner-Barnett Program for Pastoral Formation
Summer on campus June 2023. [Nashville, TN] – May 1, 2025 – Vanderbilt University’s Divinity School has received a generous commitment from Cal Turner Jr. and Hoyt R. Barnett for the new Turner-Barnett Program for Pastoral Formation, which will provide mentorship,… Read MoreMay. 7, 2025
-
Vanderbilt Divinity School and The Wond’ry to host collaborative service project
Vanderbilt Divinity School and the Wond’ry’s Fiber Arts Lab will host a collaborative service project with faculty, staff, students, and local communities of faith to quilt mementos for families who have lost a loved one while discussing different faith traditions and pathways toward interfaith solidarity. The mementos will be donated… Read MoreApr. 18, 2025
-
Vanderbilt Divinity School awarded grant to study AI
Vanderbilt Divinity School was recently awarded a $30,000 grant from the Wabash Center to study artificial intelligence and its impact. The project, “We Can Wait No Longer: Educating Theological Educators About Artificial Intelligence,” seeks to inform Divinity faculty of the mechanics behind AI and the latest advancements. As ethicists and… Read MoreApr. 1, 2025
-
Vanderbilt Divinity School welcoming haven for midcareer professionals
An important focus for Vanderbilt Divinity School is supporting midcareer professionals who seek answers to complex questions about religion, humanism, ethics, life’s meaning and more. “We aim to make VDS accessible—removing any obstacles—for those interested in theological education,” said Harper Barton Haynes, Harper HaynesSenior Director of Strategic Enrollment… Read MoreJan. 22, 2025
-
Vanderbilt Divinity School launches practitioner-in-residence initiative
Vanderbilt Divinity School is pleased to announce its practitioner-in-residence program. Each semester, the Divinity School will invite a member of the clergy, a nonprofit leader or a social justice activist to be “in residence” with its community. The PIR host sessions about their work, mentor students and invite them to… Read MoreJan. 9, 2025
-
Vanderbilt cross-disciplinary collaboration creates Intersex Awareness event
Individuals in a population that is often overlooked or misunderstood shared their lived experiences during a speaker series on the Vanderbilt campus Oct. 24 to commemorate Intersex Awareness Day. Intersex people are born with differences in sex traits or reproductive anatomy. The phenomenon is as common as having red… Read MoreNov. 7, 2024