HARVARD GAZETTE ARCHIVES

Divinity Dean Stepping Down

Ronald F. Thiemann

Ronald F. Thiemann, Dean of the Divinity School since 1986, last Friday announced that he will step down from the deanship and return to teaching and research.

"For nearly 13 years I have had the privilege of leading one of the most outstanding schools of theological education in the world, and I am grateful for the support of all those who have assisted in making this such a productive time for the School," Thiemann said in his letter to the Divinity School community. "I believe we have built a legacy of accomplishment that equips the School for continued strength in the years ahead. I care deeply about this School and the people in it, and I will continue to work for its welfare in any way I can."

"Ron Thiemann has led the Divinity School through an important time of change, both within the School and in the larger world of religious thought and religious institutions," said President Neil L. Rudenstine. "During his years of service as Dean, the faculty has grown in stature and academic scope, excellent students have applied and enrolled in increasing numbers, and the high caliber of the School's programs has been sustained and enhanced. The School is now well positioned to carry forward as a leader in theological education and scholarship, and to build on the significant accomplishments of recent years."

In his letter to the community, Thiemann said that, following a sabbatical leave in 1999, he will return to the Divinity School faculty to resume his teaching and research. Rudenstine is expected to appoint an Acting Dean, who will take up the duties of the deanship as soon as is practicable, and Thiemann said he would work to ensure the smoothest possible transition.

Rudenstine said that he intends promptly to launch a full search for a new Dean of the Faculty, soliciting advice broadly from the Divinity School community and beyond.

Thiemann came to Harvard in July 1986, having served as professor and chairman of the Religion Department at Haverford College, and as Haverford's Acting President in the spring of 1986. A native of St. Louis, he holds a bachelor's degree from Concordia Senior College, the M.Div. from Concordia Seminary, and the M.A., M.Phil., and Ph.D. degrees from Yale. He is an ordained Lutheran minister whose scholarly works include such books as Revelation and Theology (1985), Constructing a Public Theology (1991), and Religion in Public Life (1996).