Dr. Marla F. Frederick, dean of Harvard Divinity School (HDS) at Harvard University, visited the Divinity School of Chung Chi College (DSCCC) at The Chinese University of Hong Kong on March 9 to outline a vision for theological leadership in an increasingly multi-faith and politically complex world.
In a featured dialogue titled "Reflections on Two Divinity Schools," Dean Frederick sat in conversation with DSCCC Director Prof. Francis Yip to discuss the mission of HDS, the personal faith journeys that shape scholarship, and the shifting landscape of global higher education.
"Religion can be such a source of good, or religion can also be such a source of great divide, great tension, and the cause of enormous war and calamity," Dr. Frederick said. "To the extent that HDS is invested in developing scholars and civic and public leaders who enter into a world from a perspective of empathy and wanting to understand, I think those are the best types of leaders."
Reflecting on her personal history, Dean Frederick detailed how her upbringing in South Carolina shaped her academic focus. Raised in a faith community connected to Morris College, a historically Black college (HBCU), she was inspired to move beyond abstract theology to study "what faith looks like on the ground."
She described HDS as a unique institution—one of only two multi-religious divinity schools situated within a major U.S. research university. While noting that similar programs at the University of Chicago focus primarily on doctoral research, Dean Frederick emphasized that HDS prepares students from approximately 35 different faith traditions for diverse careers in academia, specialized ministry, and public service.
A key challenge, she noted, is building out ministry preparation programs beyond the school's historical strength in Christianity. While HDS has a deep historical strength in Christian studies, the school is currently developing Buddhist, Muslim, and Hindu ministry initiatives. "Historically, people who wanted to serve as a minister in a mosque have had to be trained through Christian ministry," she explained.
During the subsequent Q&A session, Dr. Frederick spoke candidly about the significant external pressures on U.S. higher education. She identified a new endowment tax passed by the U.S. Congress as a major financial strain. She also described a challenging political climate for academic research, and in response to a direct question, she acknowledged the difficulty of researching politically sensitive "red line" topics. While external pressures are a serious concern, she affirmed that HDS remains committed to evaluating faculty based on "scholarly merit" and "rigor," not political palatability.
