Higher Education & Leadership Ministries named 5 doctoral students as recipients of either the Ann E. Dickerson Scholarship or the William Gilbert & Florence Leonard Jones Scholarship.
The Dickerson Scholarship honors Ann E. Dickerson who was elected Vice-Moderator of the Christian Church (Disciples of Christ) in August 1975. A member of the faculty of Meharry Medical College in Nashville, Tennessee, she died in October 1975, shortly after receiving her Ph.D. from the University of Illinois. This scholarship is awarded to female members of the Christian Church (Disciples of Christ) pursuing a Ph.D. in religion.
The William Gilbert and Florence Leonard Jones scholarship recognizes members of the Christian Church (Disciples of Christ) working towards a Ph.D. in religion, who are also currently ordained or preparing for ordination in the Christian Church (Disciples of Christ), and who intend to provide leadership to a congregation or other agency of the church.
The recipients for the 2016-2017 academic year include (from left to right):
Teresa Crist – Ann E. Dickerson Scholar
Crist is completing coursework towards a Ph.D. in Religion and Social Change from the joint Ph.D. program at the University of Denver and Iliff School of Theology in Denver, CO. Her research incorporates interdisciplinary methodologies in order to explore the relationship between religious identity and interfaith interactions. Crist serves on the Board of the Council on Christian Unity and is working with Paul Tche (CCU’s President) and interfaith partners in Colorado to develop an Interfaith Toolkit.
Clemette Haskins – Ann E. Dickerson Scholar
Haskins is currently in the qualifying exams stage at the Claremont School of Theology, working towards a Ph.D. in Practical Theology with a focus on Spiritual Formation and Religious Education. Haskins provides extensive pulpit supply within the Christian Church (Disciples of Christ) and has served as instructor, project manager, and keynote speaker. Through love and compassion, Haskins strives to provoke and challenge status quo and to foster and advance the dignity of all persons and the Earth.
HaeJin Park – Ann E. Dickerson Scholar
Park is an incoming Ph.D. student at the Claremont School of Theology where she will specialize in Hebrew Bible with a secondary focus on Feminist Theology. Park is drawn to women’s stories in the Bible and will explore how these stories serve as creative possibilities towards freedom for God’s people. Park is ordained in the Presbyterian Church of the Republic of Korea (PROK) and is under care to receive dual standing with the Disciples through the Pacific Southwest Region.
José F. Morales Torres – William Gilbert and Florence Leonard Jones Scholar
Morales Torres is preparing for examinations towards a Ph.D. in Comparative Theology and Philosophy at the Claremont School of Theology. His professional goal is to bring the church’s theological vibrancy and the realities of the church and the world into a process of theological inquiry and construction. Morales Torres is an ordained Disciples minister who has served as a congregational minister, regional minister, and currently serves as Director of Pastoral Formation at the Disciples Seminary Foundation.
Eddie A. Rosa-Fuentes - William Gilbert and Florence Leonard Jones Scholar
Rosa-Fuentes is an incoming student at Lutheran School of Theology in Chicago where he’ll be working towards a Ph.D. in Theology with focus on Post-Colonial and Liberation Theologies. Called to be a teacher – both as a minister and as a scholar – Rosa-Fuentes embraces the idea of Teología en Conjunto, a grassroots and communal approach that focuses on creating theology together. Rosa-Fuentes serves as member of the Disciples Illinois & Wisconsin Region’s Pro-Reconciliation/Anti-Racism Team among many other ministerial and leadership roles.
For more information about these scholarships, including application process, visit: helmdisciples.org/phdScholars