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Van Dusen Scholarship Fund for Doctoral Studiesby Jim Lawrence
A new scholarship fund explicitly to support the highest level of training—doctoral degrees—has been established as the Wilson Van Dusen Doctoral Scholarship Fund at the Swedenborgian House of Studies. Inaugurating this fund has been made possible by the dedicated gift of $60,000 by the family Dr. Van Dusen—his wife Marge and their daughters Joann Van Dusen Aramaki and Rebekah Lee Van Dusen. They responded to an offer by SHS to set up a permanent fund in Wilson Van Dusen’s name for the purpose of furthering scholarship in Swedenborgian Studies at the doctoral level.They were able to make this gift from the funds of a charitable foundation established by Wilson Van Dusen for education in the arts and sciences, of which they were the remaining trustees. Marge, Joann and Rebekah realized that such support to the highest level of Swedenborgian scholarship would ideally suit Van’s desires. Wilson Van Dusen, Ph.D., placed tremendous value on the contributions made to the advancement of religion by scholars, and he was a life-long supporter of Swedenborgian scholarship. He often dedicated his works or made special tributes to contemporary luminaries of Swedenborgian scholarship such as George Dole, Bill Woofenden, and Hugo Odhner. The challenge of building Swedenborgian scholarship is very great, due especially to the expense required to do the training involved in obtaining a doctoral degree. The Graduate Theological Union is the only place in the world where a Swedenborgian academic center is a part of the learning environment for accredited Ph.D. programs. At the GTU, a student can pursue a doctoral degree in biblical studies, theology, history, ethics and social theory, homiletics, liturgical studies, art and religion, or Christian spirituality and do so with the resources of the Swedenborgian House of Studies faculty and library as a part of their program. The Wilson Van Dusen Doctoral Scholarship Fund now exists to support doctoral students at the Graduate Theological Union in Berkeley, California, whose work relates explicitly to Swedenborgian Studies. It will be administered by the board of trustees of the Swedenborgian House of Studies and will expend interest income only. We now extend an invitation for others to make further contributions to the Wilson Van Dusen Doctoral Scholarship Fund to help it grow to better serve the future potency of Swedenborgian Studies. We are deeply grateful to the Wilson Van Dusen family for their vision in establishing this Fund. Jim Lawrence is dean of the Swedenborg House of Studies in Berkeley, California. |
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