School Notes: Yale Divinity School
November/December 2026

Student loans at YDS decrease significantly

Yale Divinity School’s alumni and friends delivered a record-breaking Annual Fund year—$1,032,228.65 from 1,370 donors—helping sustain YDS’s tuition-free model for qualified students. Divinity School graduates traditionally go on to serve in congregations and ministries, pursue further academic study, and lead in nonprofits, schools, and public life—vocations that are vital to communities but often not highly compensated. Under the leadership of Dean Sterling, the Divinity School committed to removing the financial barriers that could keep many well-qualified students from attending YDS. Staying true to that commitment, 94 percent of YDS students received financial aid last year, and the percentage of YDS students taking out loans dropped from 74 percent (in 2012) to below 14 percent (last year). 

Biblical movie posters on display

A new exhibition, Silence & Spectacle: Biblical and Religious Movie Posters from the Silent Era to the Golden Age of Hollywood, recently opened at Yale Divinity School. Curated by Christopher J. Renz and Richard A. Lindsay ’04MDiv, this collection tells a story about the history of biblical and religious films, using historic first-edition movie posters that show the evolution from pioneering experimental films to silent epics of the early studio era to big-budget Technicolor spectaculars of the Golden Age of Hollywood. The display includes studio promotional materials, movie stills, and other ephemera alongside the posters and is open through December. 

Professor elected to British Academy

Chloë Starr, professor of Asian Christianity and theology at Yale Divinity School, has been elected an International Fellow of the British Academy—the academy’s highest honor for scholars who reside outside the UK. Starr, whose research explores the intersection of Chinese Christian theology and literature, joins a cohort of 32 distinguished international scholars recognized for their outstanding contributions to the humanities and social sciences.