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,
Senior Director of Strategic Enrollment Management
senior director of strategic enrollment management. “For individuals in fields like law, business or medicine, divinity school can be a form of service to their own humanity or self-care. I’ve never heard that language used for other graduate programs.”
An article in the November 2024 issue of Town & Country includes VDS on a short list of theological programs at Ivy and alt-Ivy universities attracting seasoned professionals in top-tier careers.
While pausing one’s career for graduate school might seem like a break, that does not describe the VDS experience. “Attending VDS is not an intellectual rest, although we hope to provide ‘balm’ for those wrestling with difficult questions,” Haynes said.
Tayana Hardin: Black literature scholar thrives at VDS
Tayana Hardin took a leave of absence from the University of Denver, where she was an associate professor of African American literature, to enroll at VDS in fall 2023. After two successful semesters as a master of divinity student, Hardin resigned from her professorship. “Every day I wake up knowing that this is the best decision I could have made for myself,” Hardin said.
About 20 years ago she considered going to seminary, but stayed on the PhD path, earning a doctorate in American cultural studies from the University of Michigan. She joined the faculty at the University of Denver, where she weaved performance and visual arts into classes on African American literature. Hardin received tenure in 2019, but six months later the COVID pandemic required a quick pivot to online teaching. “I had a family tragedy happening at the same time. All of that pressed in and really compelled me to ask what was going to be my legacy? What would I leave behind?”
Hardin is on track to graduate in 2026. “From my professorial perspective, I’ve enjoyed seeing how African American literature plays into thinking theologically about the Black experience,” Hardin said. “I’ve had VDS courses that use African American fiction to represent experience, and as a way to then catapult us into asking ethical questions—theological questions—about the Black self in a larger white and American society. I’m excited to see how literature plays an influential role in the work of scholars who focus on the Black religious experience in the United States.”
Hardin has fully embraced her field education at the Frist Art Museum, where she is engaged with programs that are public facing and arts forward. “It is exciting to see what teaching looks like when students range in age from pre-k to 80s,” she said. “I am intrigued with the idea of bringing together some kind of work in spiritual care with the arts.”
Graeme Dennis: Consultant to biopharma finds VDS ‘life changing’
As a Vanderbilt undergraduate, Graeme Dennis, BS’99, was on an atypical path for theological education. He earned a bachelor of science in chemistry and spent the next five years as a teaching fellow at Harvard University. Then he went to work at Vanderbilt University Medical Center, where he was the scientific informatics lead for the Program in Drug Discovery. After holding key positions at three software companies, Dennis became an independent consultant to biopharma in scientific informatics strategy.
“I loved the teaching, learning and problem-solving that working with pharma required, and it took me around the world, too.“ Dennis said. “But I had questions and concerns about how we experience the world and our frequent alienation from others, and this drove me toward theological studies.”
Dennis took a “giant leap of faith,” starting an MDiv track in fall 2023. “My greatest interest is theological understanding of self,” he said. “Who are we in relation to God? I would like to develop that understanding, and help others develop it, too.”
He enjoyed a course on prisons and restorative justice taught by Graham Reside, assistant professor of ethics and society and executive director of the Cal Turner Program for Leadership in the Moral Professions. “I was the student curator for a VDS gallery exhibit, “The Art of Living on Death Row.”
Dennis continues to focus on intersections of the sacred and everyday life. “One of my interests is chaplaincy, and how chaplains’ vital role might expand beyond institutions like hospitals and prisons.”
VDS is university-embedded
In addition to classes taught by renowned scholars, VDS students enjoy a diverse and supportive university community. A variety of speakers, panel discussions, films and other special events are offered on campus. In addition, VDS students can sign up for graduate courses in other Vanderbilt schools and colleges.
Continuing and executive education are excellent options for adult learners not seeking a degree,” according to Nathan Cost, associate director of VDS Lifelong Learning. “We are building out new courses and embedding certificate programs into the curriculum,” Cost said. “A few decades ago this access to divinity classes did not exist.”
While the median age for a VDS student is 27, there’s a wide age span in the classes—from 20s to 80s. “Even with age and other demographic differences, our students find they share more similarities than differences,” Cost said.
“We welcome those striving to become ‘whole’ through theological education, whether they are preparing to work in a religious institution or not,” said Yolanda Pierce, dean of Vanderbilt Divinity School and holder of the Cornelius Vanderbilt Chair in Religion and Literature. “Knowing that lifelong learners never stop discerning and growing, we are committed to their success.”