From the Duke News Service

April 13, 2000

The Baptist House of Studies at Duke Divinity School announced a $50,000 gift Thursday to fund continuing education.

The gift from O.W. "Bill" and Nancye Rhodenhiser of Richmond, Va., establishes the Bill and Nancye Rhodenhiser Endowment Fund to support lectures and other programs of the Baptist House.

"The Rhodenhisers' generous support is a response to Duke University's commitment to academic excellence and ecumenical openness," said T. Furman Hewitt, director of the Baptist House of Studies. "This endowment will provide top-flight continuing education for our expanding program. Our lecture series and seminars are drawing lay and clergy participants from the Carolinas and Virginia, as well as Duke faculty and students. These funds will allow us to continue to expand the educational programming at a nominal cost for those who attend."

O.W. "Bill" Rhodenhiser, who has served on the Baptist House board of directors at Duke, was the Camp-Cousins professor of religion at the University of Richmond and a member of that school's faculty for 37 years. Two of the Rhodenhisers' children — James C. Rhodenhiser, of Salinas, Calif., and Ann Rhodenhiser-Verlander, of Monroe, La. — are Duke graduates.

The Baptist House of Studies is a program in Duke's Divinity School that supports students of the Baptist tradition. In addition to offering courses in Baptist history, and practice, the program provides assistance with financial aid, field education and job placement.

Current Baptist enrollment in the Duke Divinity School stands at almost 100 — a 300 percent increase from a decade ago.

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