Cuts Force HDS To Suspend Program

As part of University-wide budget cuts, the Harvard Divinity School has decided to temporarily suspend its Program in Religious Studies and Education (PRSE), according to program director Diane L. Moore.

PRSE is a two-year program that allows students to simultaneously obtain a masters in religious studies and a middle or secondary school teaching license.

Beginning in the 2009-10 academic year, no students will be admitted to the program for at least two years.

“Though disappointing, I believe the decision to put the Program in Religious Studies and Education on hold for two to three years is the right one in the face of the fiscal challenges facing the school,” said Moore in an e-mail statement. “I am hopeful that we will be able to secure outside funds to reinstate the program in a few years time. It is unique in the country and nearly 40 years old.”

Recently, HDS announced that it would be cutting back its budget by 4 to 8 percent in the next fiscal year. HDS Dean William A. Graham announced that the school would reduce the number of adjunct and visiting positions offered the next year. According to Moore, this decision affected several core faculty in PRSE.

This decision, however, should not affect the students currently enrolled in PRSE. The 16 students currently in the program will be able to finish their degree in a normal fashion, according to the PRSE Web site.

“We are really making certain that our students who are in the program are certainly taken care of,” said PRSE Assistant Director Mary Frazier-Davis.

According to Matthew A. Lewis, a first-year student at HDS, a number of first-year students expressed interest in transferring into the program before it was cut. “I’ve heard rave reviews about this program,” he said.

“It’s a transformative educational experience,” said Andrew Housiaux, a PRSE alumnus. “I think about education, the role of an educator, and the ability and capacity of students to learn in fundamentally different and more sophisticated ways because of it. It is disappointing that other students won’t have the chance.”

PRSE alumnus Jocelyn Beh agreed with Housiaux.

“It’s a program that focuses on creating a space for adolescents to decide who they’re going to be—not just what kind of profession, but what kind of person they want to be,” she added.

Retired Lexington High School history teacher Jeff Glew, who has worked with many student teachers from PRSE, said that the religious training has brought a “unique twist” and “significant value” to their teaching.

“This will affect us enormously. The connection between Harvard and Lexington High School has been incredibly significant,” Glew said. “Having these younger, highly educated, sensitive people, trained through Harvard Divinity—the facilitation of learning was so significant. To see that go is a shame. It’s a loss to students.”

—Staff writer Melody Y. Hu can be reached at melodyhu@fas.harvard.edu.