DURHAM — After a six-month national search, Duke University found the next head of its divinity school already sitting in the dean’s chair.
The university announced Monday that Richard Hays, who has been serving as dean since August 2010, has been appointed to a full term as the head of Duke Divinity School.
“Richard Hays embodies the union of faith and knowledge that lies at the heart of the divinity school’s mission,” said Duke President Richard Brodhead in making the announcement.
“He has led the school’s broad work of scholarship and spiritual training with wisdom, devotion and imagination. Duke is lucky to have him continue his service in this key role.”
Hays, the George Washington Ivey Professor of New Testament, is a scholar of the letters of Paul and on New Testament ethics. His work has bridged the disciplines of biblical criticism and literary studies, exploring the innovative ways in which early Christian writers interpreted Israel’s Scripture.
Hays, the school’s 12th dean, came to Duke in 1991 from the faculty of the Yale Divinity School, where he earlier received a Master of Divinity degree. He earned a Ph.D. at Emory University.
His book, “The Moral Vision of the New Testament: Community, Cross, New Creation,” was selected by Christianity Today as one of the 100 most important religious books of the 20th century.
His other influential books include “Echoes of Scripture in the Letters of Paul” and “The Conversion of the Imagination.” He has lectured widely in North America, Europe, Israel, Australia and New Zealand.
Ellen Davis, the Amos Ragan Kearns Distinguished Professor of Bible and Practical Theology, chaired the 13-person search committee, made up of members drawn from the Divinity School faculty, other university faculty, Duke’s board and administration, the United Methodist Church and Duke Chapel.
“While we had some truly excellent candidates, we came to the conclusion after much deliberation and prayer that the best choice for the divinity school at this time is the person who has been serving as dean for the past two years,” Davis said.
“Richard has brought both innovation and stability to the divinity school during an important transition, and he is an energetic advocate for the centrality of theological education within the larger ministry of the church.”
