Graduate Fellowships

Graduate fellowships are awarded by the faculty each year to those members of the graduating class who have acquired such proficiency in theological studies as best to qualify them for the further work made possible by these grants.

The Day Fellowship was established in 1910 by a bequest from Olivia Hotchkiss Day in memory of her husband, George Edward Day, B.A. 1833.

The S. Ellsworth and Carol S. Grumman Endowed Fellowship Fund was established in 1980 by Helen Burr Grumman. The income from this fund is awarded to needy students whose interest and course of study include the field of Christian social ethics and whose commitment to ministry emphasizes the renewal, clarification, and practical application of Christian ethics and moral values.

The Hooker-Dwight Fellowship was established in 1878 and 1885 by gifts from President Timothy Dwight, B.A. 1849, in memory of his sister, Aurelia D. Hooker, and his mother, Susan B. Dwight. Students hold these fellowships for one year after graduation and are expected to pursue courses of theological or other appropriate study under the direction of the faculty, either at Yale, at other universities in this country, or in Great Britain, Europe, or Israel.

The Jarvis Alumni Fellowships of Berkeley Divinity School at Yale were established by a trust fund created in 1910 by Samuel Fermor Jarvis, D.D. Class of 1854. The fund was received by the Berkeley Divinity School in 1956. One-sixth of the annual income is to be used for two alumni fellowships for graduate study in ecclesiastical law and church history.

The Abraham Johannes Malherbe Fellowship was endowed to support doctoral study in New Testament and Early Church History. Awarded solely on the basis of academic excellence, the fellowship is awarded annually to that M.A.R. or M.Div. graduate of YDS who has the most outstanding preparation in Greek and/or Latin and has been admitted to a doctoral program in New Testament or Early Church History at Yale or another university. The fellowship is intended not to be a contribution toward the tuition of the doctoral program but to enrich the student’s educational experience. Stipulations are available from the associate dean of academic affairs.

The Two Brothers Fellowship, founded in 1926 by Caroline Hazard in memory of her brothers, Rowland Gibson Hazard and Frederick Rowland Hazard, is awarded annually by the faculty of YDS to a student or students to pursue biblical study, in Jerusalem when possible.

The John Henry Watson Fellowship of Berkeley Divinity School at Yale was founded in 1916 by Mrs. Susan M. Watson in memory of her husband, John Henry Watson, a graduate of the Berkeley Divinity School in the Class of 1871. The faculty may appoint to the fellowship some member of the graduating class, or of one of the five preceding classes, whose work they consider worthy of the recognition and who intends to pursue an approved course of graduate study during the ensuing year at an American or foreign institution of learning. The fellowship may be held by the same graduate for consecutive years or may be withheld in any year. The title may be held without the income or with only a part thereof.

Prizes

The Bradford E. Ableson Prize for Ecclesiastical Leadership honors two decades of distinguished leadership in ministry by Bradford E. Ableson, M.Div. 1985, an Episcopal priest and captain in the U.S. Navy Chaplain Corps. The prize, with a preference for Episcopal or Anglican students, is awarded annually to the student who possesses the most outstanding qualities of judgment and character for the future exercise of ecclesiastical leadership.

The Julia A. Archibald High Scholarship Prize, founded in 1921 by the Reverend Andrew W. Archibald, B.D. 1876, in memory of his wife, is awarded each year to that member of the graduating class who ranks highest in scholarship, the members of the faculty being judges.

The Harold W. Attridge High Scholarship Prize recognizes a graduating student who ranks highest in scholarship among those earning the Master of Arts in Religion.

The Frederick Buechner Prize in Writing, founded in 2014 by the Frederick Buechner Center, is awarded each year to a student who has submitted a sample of theological or religious writing that, in the minds of the faculty, represents the highest standard of writing by Yale students, following in the traditions of Frederick Buechner.

The Wolcott Calkins Prize, founded in 1938 by bequest from Charlotte W. Calkins in memory of her husband, Wolcott Calkins, B.A. 1856, is awarded each year for excellence in clear and vigorous pulpit speaking. It is open to all students in the first-, second-, and senior-year classes.

The Martin B. Copenhaver Preaching Prize was established in 2019 in honor of the retirement of Martin B. Copenhaver, M.Div. 1980, and in recognition of his great preaching legacy. This prize is awarded to a student in the Andover Newton Seminary program for exceptional achievement in, and promise for, outstanding preaching.

The Harriet Jackson Ely Prize was founded in 1995 by a gift from Harriet Jackson Ely. The prize is awarded each year to a second-year Master of Divinity student for excellence and promise in theology.

The R. Lansing Hicks Prize was established in honor of Professor Emeritus of Old Testament R. Lansing Hicks by the Berkeley Divinity School Graduate Society in 1989. This prize is awarded to the graduating senior who has done most to benefit the Berkeley community during the student’s years in New Haven.

The Koinonia Award Fund Prize was transferred from Andover Newton Theological Seminary in 2019. The prize is awarded to students with extraordinary achievement in subject areas of the Andover Newton Seminary faculty’s choosing that are complementary to existing Yale Divinity School prizes.

The William Palmer Ladd Prize was established by the Berkeley Divinity School Graduate Society in 1996 in memory of the dean of Berkeley who brought the school from Middletown to New Haven and presided over its life for a quarter of a century. This prize is awarded to a rising senior who has achieved academic distinction during the first two years of study.

The Linda LeSourd Lader Prize, established in 2012 by Linda LeSourd Lader, M.Div. 2008, is awarded annually to one or more students from the Reformed tradition pursuing ordained ministry who show outstanding promise for leadership.

The Eleanor Lee McGee Prize was established by the Berkeley Divinity School Graduate Society in 1999 to honor the ministry through the church of the first woman to serve as a member of the Berkeley/YDS faculty. This prize is presented to a rising middler who has achieved academic distinction during the first year of study.

The E. William Muehl Prize in Preaching was established in 1989 by the Berkeley Divinity School Graduate Society in honor of E. William Muehl, Stephen Merrell Clement Professor Emeritus of Christian Methods. This prize is awarded to a graduating senior who is the most eloquent preacher in the senior class.

The Thomas Philips Memorial Award was established through donations in memory of Thomas Philips, M.Div. 1989, a Berkeley graduate who died in 1996. This prize is presented to a graduating senior who shows exceptional achievement and further promise in the study and practice of Anglican liturgy.

The Marvin H. Pope Prize in Biblical Hebrew, established in 1988, honors the career of Marvin H. Pope, a member of the Yale faculty from 1949 to 1986. The prize is awarded on the basis of outstanding achievement in Biblical Hebrew.

The St. Luke’s Award was established in 1998 to honor that person (or persons) who has made an outstanding contribution to the worship life of Berkeley Divinity School through devoted service to St. Luke’s Chapel.

The Reverend Frederick J. Streets Prize was established in 2021 for a graduating student deemed to have made a distinguished contribution to the advancement of social justice.

The Tew Prizes, established in 1929 by bequest from Willis Tew of the Class of 1866, Yale College, for the purchase of books, are awarded to those students in YDS and the Graduate School of Arts and Sciences who have shown exceptional ability in philosophy, literature, ethics, or history during their first year of study. A list of the books to be purchased must be approved by the dean of YDS or the dean of the graduate school and must include the works and journals of Ralph Waldo Emerson. Half of the prizes are given to students in YDS and half to students in the graduate school.

The John A. Wade Prize, founded in 1934 by bequest from John A. Wade, B.A. 1899, B.D. 1901, is awarded each year to that student in the first-, second-, or senior-year class who has shown the greatest originality in expository preaching.

In addition to the prizes described above, the Academy of American Poets Prize, the Albert Stanburrough Cook Prize in poetry, the Jacob Cooper Prize in Greek philosophy, the George Washington Egleston Prize in American History, the Theron Rockwell Field Prize, the James S. Metcalfe Prize, and the John Addison Porter Prize are open to students of YDS, as well as to the students of other schools of the university.