Extending the tenure of one of the University's rising leaders in fundraising and academic programming, Provost Peter Lange announced Gregory Jones' reappointment Wednesday as dean of the Divinity School for a second five-year term.
"During [Jones' leadership], the school's already strong reputation for scholarship and pastoral education has grown, major new interdisciplinary programs have been launched, the endowment has been significantly increased, and an ambitious academic plan has been developed," Lange wrote in a statement.
Since first being appointed in 1997, Jones, Divinity '85 and Graduate School '88, has overseen unprecedented donations to the school.
Jones raised a then-record $4.8 million in his first year, and his since been even more successful, raising over $19 million for the fiscal year that ends this month.
Altogether the school has raised $66 million as part of The Campaign for Duke, allowing for the addition of 12 faculty members, a host of interdisciplinary programs and the groundbreaking this fall for the school's new library and chapel.
"The fundraising is extremely important to the Divinity School because in comparison to our peers we are significantly underendowed," Jones said. "We've been able to achieve a great deal with limited resources, but in order to meet our long-term goals, we're going to need to secure more financial support."
Jones has helped initiate several programs, such as the Duke Institute on Care at the End of Life, which seeks to improve quality of life for the suffering, as well as the Learned Clergy Initiative and Pulpit & Pew--two projects designed to strengthen the quality of church leadership.
Internationally, the Divinity School has also strengthened its presence by partnering with John Wesley College in South Africa. At the same time, its community presence has grown with such projects as the Walltown Neighborhood Ministries. Jones added that in his next term he will need to strengthen these programs "so they can stand on their own legs."
Willie Jennings, associate dean for academic programs at the Divinity School, credited much of Jones' success to his personality. "He's very creative, very energetic--a visionary who loves to create an atmosphere where people do their work in fun and excitement," Jennings said.
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