School Notes: Yale Divinity School
November/December 2018

New YDS class is most diverse ever

An especially large and diverse class of new students begin their Yale Divinity School careers this semester. According to a statistical profile of the new class presented by Dean Greg Sterling at Opening Convocation, 164 degree-seeking students entered YDS at the beginning of fall semester, the largest class in several years. Thirteen percent of the matriculants are international, arriving in New Haven from every continent except Antarctica and Oceania. The age range of the new class is vast, from 20 to 82, with an average age of 29.9. Thirty-five percent of the domestic total are students from underrepresented groups, making this the most racially and ethnically diverse class in the school’s history. As a percentage of the US total, the racial/ethnic mix breaks down as follows: black, 16.5 percent; Hispanic, 8 percent; multiracial, 6 percent; Asian, 6 percent; Native American/Alaskan, 0.6 percent; and white, 63 percent.

YDS a leader in theologically rooted sustainability

The Divinity School is on track to reach a set of ambitious environmental goals outlined in its 2016 sustainability plan, in areas including housing, academics, and transportation. “Many [seminaries] are doing things somewhat similar to YDS’s initiatives,” says Paul Minus ’55, ’58BD, ’62PhD, a retired professor at Methodist Theological School and member of the YDS Dean’s Advisory Council. “But none is as advanced, comprehensive, or bold as what is going on in New Haven.” The boldest of the Divinity School’s environmental goals is the “Living Village” student housing project, the most ambitious living-building residential venture in the world. Also, to discourage unnecessary air travel, YDS has adopted a surcharge on staff and faculty airfares, with money from the charges to be channeled into sustainability projects. As a show of support for the measure, the Dean’s Advisory Council voted to abide by the same policy.