Strategic Priorities
Strategic Priorities and Vision
Harvard Divinity School 2030: Many Paths, Shared Hopes
Introduction
Harvard Divinity School (HDS) is at a pivotal juncture in its distinguished history. Renowned for its faculty, scholarship, and decades-long commitment to cultivating a multireligious academic environment, HDS is poised to play an increasingly vital role in advancing rigorous scholarship; preparing skilled, ethical leaders; and facilitating dialogue through a distinctive pluralistic lens at a moment of increasing need around the world.
Under the leadership of Dean Marla F. Frederick, HDS initiated a comprehensive strategic planning process in fall 2024. This effort had three primary goals:
- Engage the broader HDS community in conversation about the School’s future.
- Refresh the HDS mission statement.
- Identify key priorities that would guide the School over the next five years.
Over the course of several months, more than 200 faculty, students, staff, alumni, and Harvard leaders, as well as deans from five peer divinity schools, provided perspectives and input. Through a series of surveys, interviews, and focus groups, participants offered feedback on the School’s strengths, challenges, and opportunities. Extensive data related to admissions, teaching, and the student and alumni experience were analyzed to guide discussions and priority setting.
During this planning process, higher education experienced seismic shifts and the continuation of challenging trends affecting religious studies. Concurrently, several contemporary issues underscore the continued relevance of HDS: sustained scholarly interest in the academic study of religion; the growing religious diversity in the United States; religion’s dual role in fueling and resolving conflicts; and the significant influence of religion in domestic and international politics. These factors highlight the need to advance the academy’s engagement with religious studies and strengthen public understanding of different traditions—promoting knowledge that serves as a foundation for effective work across academic, public, and private sectors.
Harvard Divinity School occupies a unique and vital position in addressing these critical issues. As one of the only explicitly multireligious university-based divinity schools that focuses on academic, ministerial, and professional preparation, HDS is positioned to advance research, form the next generation of scholars and experts, and demonstrate how to engage across differences—a set of competencies the world urgently needs. HDS seeks to solidify its role as a leader in this moment and reinforce a foundation for the School to thrive well into the future.
Strategic Priorities
The strategic plan titled "Harvard Divinity School 2030: Many Paths, Shared Hopes" outlines four priorities to achieve these aspirations:
- Advance and strengthen the academic study of religion.
- Fully realize the promise of a multireligious academic environment.
- Prepare students to lead in a multireligious world.
- Enhance HDS visibility, reach, and impact.
These priorities are critical to advancing the School’s mission, which was refreshed as follows in early 2025 as part of this planning process:
Harvard Divinity School advances scholarly research on religions around the world and educates students for intellectual leadership, professional service, and ministry in a multireligious environment.
The mission read previously as: “Harvard Divinity School educates students of religion for intellectual leadership, professional service, and ministry.”
The vision statement remains unchanged and reads as follows:
To provide an intellectual home where scholars and professionals from around the globe research and teach the varieties of religion, in service of a just world at peace across religious and cultural divides.
It is important to note these priorities do not encompass all the important activities and operations taking place at HDS that are essential to achieving its mission. The School will continue its work across many dimensions while sharpening its focus and targeting key resources to advance the priorities. Achievement of the goals outlined is only possible when built upon the foundation of scholarly excellence and professional preparation that has long set HDS apart.
1. Advance and Strengthen the Academic Study of Religion
The most distinguishing feature of HDS is the broad and deep scholarly expertise and intellectual range of the faculty. HDS faculty are engaged in research and teaching on many different world religions and traditions including Buddhism, Christianity, Hinduism, Islam, Judaism, and the indigenous religions of Africa and the Americas, and they approach their areas of expertise from multiple methodological frameworks, ranging from history and ethnography to textual studies and theology.
Key actions supporting this priority include strategic faculty hiring; reaffirming and strengthening the partnership with Harvard’s Faculty of Arts and Sciences (FAS) through the Committee on the Study of Religion; providing the structures to support pathbreaking and collaborative scholarly research, alongside teaching and other vital responsibilities for faculty; and positioning HDS centers and programs to advance the School’s mission of academic excellence and societal impact.
During a period marked by potential constraints on resources and growth, HDS seeks to maintain both the breadth and depth of scholarly expertise in critical areas, while supporting faculty engagement in their research, which is essential to their continued excellence in the classroom.
2. Fully Realize the Promise of a Multireligious Academic Environment
HDS is home to faculty who have scholarly expertise in many of the world’s religions. It is this environment that attracts both top scholars and students seeking to benefit from the study of religion in a pluralistic scholarly environment. Building upon and strengthening this distinction will be critical to its continued success.
Key actions supporting this priority include steps to benefit more fully from the breadth of faculty expertise to enhance teaching and learning; continuing to pursue our core commitment that students of all religions and no religious affiliation can thrive at HDS; and expanding collaborations to enhance educational resources and vibrant programming.
3. Prepare Students to Lead in a Multireligious World
HDS graduates are teaching, leading, and conducting research at colleges and universities around the world; leading large, faith-based and/or nonprofit organizations; and having direct impact on individuals and communities as ministers and chaplains. HDS prepares students for this wide range of pathways by equipping them to speak knowledgeably about religions today and throughout history. Moving forward, HDS will ensure its programs continue to prepare students to lead in ever-evolving contexts.
Key actions supporting this priority include enhancing access to proven programs, including continued development of the master of religion and public life (MRPL) degree program; strengthening the master of divinity (MDiv) student preparation through curriculum review; evaluating admissions practices, cohort sizes, and financial aid models to develop a more sustainable financial model while advancing the mission of HDS; implementing an enhanced curricular advising model; offering opportunities for students to understand and navigate the role of emerging technologies in their career pathways; developing a range of interdisciplinary opportunities to build an innovative curriculum; and expanding ministry studies, including the development of spiritual life and leadership initiatives around Hindu, Islamic, and Jewish traditions.
4. Enhance HDS Visibility, Reach, and Impact
HDS is positioned to extend the reach of its scholarship and educational programming for meaningful societal impact. By expanding professional and lifelong learning opportunities, HDS aims to offer research-based content to enrich public discourse on critical societal issues while developing leaders who apply humanistic values across diverse professional fields.
Key actions supporting this priority include expanding and disseminating scholarship through new initiatives to contribute to and inform public dialogue; growing professional and lifelong learning offerings by leveraging faculty expertise and scholarship; and in turn, staffing a comprehensive professional and lifelong learning function in order to design, deliver, and scale innovative degree and non-degree educational offerings.
These actions will enable HDS to serve a wide array of audiences seeking religious and spiritual knowledge, contribute to leadership development, and create sustainable new revenue streams to support the School’s mission and vision.
Vision of Shared Hopes
Harvard Divinity School stands at a pivotal moment in its history. These strategic priorities are designed to position HDS to benefit more fully from the scholarly expertise of its faculty and ensure they are able to continue to collaborate, innovate their teaching, and advance the study of religions across the globe. HDS will continue to embrace its unique commitment to a multireligious curriculum and community to prepare academically grounded leaders across diverse fields to address some of society’s most pressing challenges. In addition, HDS will share this knowledge and expertise to strengthen public understanding of religion and its application in the world, thereby fulfilling its mission and vision at ever-higher levels of distinction and impact. Together, these strategic priorities and the entire Harvard Divinity School community will help realize this vision of shared hopes in the years ahead.