Elaine Heath, former McCreless professor of evangelism at Southern Methodist University and co-founder of the Missional Wisdom Foundation, was named the new dean of the Duke Divinity School in March after a national search. She will take over the position from interim dean Ellen Davis, who has served since Richard Hays retired last August. Heath discussed her goals and the future of Duke Divinity with The Chronicle's Rob Palmisano over email.
The Chronicle: Can you describe your initial reaction upon learning you had been chosen as the new dean of the Duke Divinity School?
Elaine Heath: Upon learning that I had been chosen, I felt a deep sense of rightness, an affirmation of what I had experienced as God's call to Duke that initially led me to apply for the position.
TC: If you had to name your principal goals for the Divinity School during your time as dean, what would they be and why?
EH: My principal goals are to build upon and draw from the outstanding historic strength of Duke as one of the top divinity schools in the world, to focus on the leadership needs of the church and its institutions of tomorrow. We have tremendous resources at Duke for shaping the kind of leaders the church needs so that it can fulfill its missional vocation. The church needs leaders who can help it heal the wounds of racism, sexism and other sinful “isms.” It needs leaders with moral courage and integrity, visionary leaders who can inspire the church to respond instead of react to the immense spiritual, economic, environmental and political challenges of the world. Duke Divinity School has, in addition to its own world class faculty, incredible resources in the University for interdisciplinary collaboration that can help us provide the learning experiences Christian leaders will need going forward.
TC: Do you see yourself applying any of the lessons you obtained during your previous endeavors to your new position here at Duke?
EH: I have learned a lot from my work in pastoral ministry and as an innovator in theological education that is directly relevant to my work now as dean of the Divinity School... The time I have spent with the church at large has taught me much about what is needed in theological education from the church’s perspective.
TC: What do you foresee to be the greatest challenges of presiding over the Divinity School, and how do you plan to overcome them?
EH: We are in a time of profound culture shift in the world and in the church, which is going to require adaptation in both content and delivery of theological education. Leading the Divinity School through this time of shifting educational needs of the church will be both challenging and rewarding. We will listen closely to our contexts in the academy, church and world.
TC: What is your impression of Duke Divinity's commitment to diversity, and how will you address this commitment during your time as dean?
EH: One of the reasons that I was chosen as dean is my long history of working to increase and honor diversity in the church, academia and society at large. Throughout my discernment process leading up to being offered the job, the search committee made it clear to me that the new dean must be committed to and capable of leading the school into greater diversity and helping to heal wounds of division relating to diversity, particularly in matters of race and sexuality. My first priority in responding to this need is to listen carefully to the stories and experiences of our students, faculty, staff and administration who are part of minoritized communities, and build good relationships with them as well as with the rest of our community. That is something that I started to do within weeks of accepting the job, well before I began officially working at Duke. I am now learning about resources available to us within and beyond the University that can help us move toward greater diversity in healthy ways. Out of this listening process I will gain needed insight that will help with subsequent steps toward increased, genuine diversity.
TC: What are you most excited about moving forward?
EH: I am really excited about the people I get to work with. Our faculty, staff and students are incredible, and we are in an institution that is changing the world for good in so many ways. I get to be part of that, and it is a rare privilege. I thank God for the opportunity to serve in this place at this time.
Get The Chronicle straight to your inbox
Signup for our weekly newsletter. Cancel at any time.