The hiring of Abbington as the inaugural endowed chair was made possible by a $5 million award from The Duke Endowment to boost Black Church studies at the school.
The grant will be used to recruit and support a senior faculty member specializing in Black church studies to foster research and field-defining work in an academic, theological context.
The grant from the Office of the Provost will support Dr. Wilson's project, which addresses the Black maternal health crisis in North Carolina by engaging bioethics, healthcare, and Black churches. Read more from the Duke Office of Interdisciplinary Studies.
For many students, like Samira Foster, M.Div. '27, field education is their first opportunity to work in a ministry setting and is an invaluable component of their theological education. These placements involve serving in contextual learning opportunities in churches, nonprofits, and other settings under the guidance of a trained supervisor.
The Very Rev. Timothy Kimbrough, Jack and Barbara Bovender Professor of the Practice of Anglican Studies will direct the Anglican Episcopal House of Studies; and the Rev. Dr. Eric Lewis Williams, assistant professor of theology and Black Church studies will direct the Office of Black Church Studies.
Duke Divinity School must be a leader in examining and seeking to change systemic patterns of racism and other injustice, the dean writes in a letter to the Divinity School community.