Restructuring in Academic Affairs

June 9, 2006 

Dean L. Gregory Jones has announced the following appointments in the area of academic affairs, part of a restructuring following Willie Jennings’ decision to step down from his position as senior associate dean of academic programs to return full-time to the divinity school faculty: 

• David Toole will serve as associate dean for academic administration. Toole will be responsible for the overall administration of academic affairs, including the academic budget, the curriculum, and the assignment of preceptors. He also will oversee the various offices that provide support for the faculty and the academic life of the school, and he will be the primary liaison with the Duke University Provost’s Office for academic matters. In addition, Toole will be the primary leader developing connections between academic affairs and other programs and initiatives of the divinity school.
 
• Laceye Warner will serve as associate dean for academic formation. Warner will be responsible for the various ways in which the curriculum, spiritual formation, field education, worship, and our houses of studies work together to form students for a life working with and in Christian communities. Further, she will work with students on academic petitions as well as issues of academic integrity. Warner also will serve as liaison with the Association of Theological Schools and with various church judicatories. In addition to these administrative responsibilities, Warner will continue to teach and write in the area of evangelism.
 
• Randy Maddox will serve as associate dean for faculty development. Maddox will be responsible for enhancing the overall development and ecology of the divinity school faculty. He will be responsible for plans to strengthen the faculty, both through new appointments and through the teaching, research and collegiality of the current faculty. He also will oversee the school’s mentoring programs for faculty. In addition to these administrative responsibilities, Maddox will continue to teach and write in the area of theology and Wesleyan studies and to serve as associate director of the Wesley Works Project.
 
• Amy Laura Hall will serve as the director of the Doctor of Theology Program. Hall will oversee this new degree program, which focuses on the ministries and practices of Christian communities. She will field inquiries and work with enrolled students, ensuring that the program is developed in vibrant ways and with appropriate academic rigor. In addition to these administrative responsibilities, Hall will continue to teach and write in the area of Christian ethics.

All of these changes will be effective as of July 1, 2006