Arthur Holder Receives 2019 GTU Excellence in Teaching Award
The Graduate Theological Union is pleased to announce that Dr. Arthur G. Holder, professor of Christian Spirituality and former Dean and Vice President for Academic Affairs (2002-2016), is the recipient of the 2019 GTU Excellence in Teaching Award. The Excellence in Teaching Award is given annually to recognize a member of the GTU’s core doctoral faculty for exemplary embodiment of interreligious sensitivity and commitment, interdisciplinary approach to religious studies, and creative and effective classroom pedagogical methods and performance. Dr. Holder’s receipt of the award was announced at the GTU’s 2019 Commencement Exercises at Zaytuna College on May 9, 2019.
Arthur Holder is a historian of Christian spirituality with particular interests in early medieval biblical interpretation, mysticism, and the writings of the Venerable Bede. During his time as dean of the GTU, he played a critical role in overseeing the revision of the school’s doctoral program curriculum to better reflect the GTU’s interreligious commitments and interdisciplinary approach; he continues to serve as the GTU’s liaison with its two academic accrediting agencies. Prior to becoming GTU dean, Dr. Holder served as a professor and academic dean at Church Divinity School of the Pacific. An ordained Episcopal priest, he has been co-chair of the Christian Spirituality Group (2003-2008) of the American Academy of Religion and served on the AAR’s Theological Education Committee (2013-2016). He is active in the Society for the Study of Christian Spirituality, for which he served as President in 2009.
“Arthur Holder is an extraordinary educator whose work as both professor and dean has been of inestimable worth to the GTU and to countless students, alumni, and faculty members throughout his decades here,” said Uriah Y. Kim. “In fact, Arthur is held in such high regard by his fellow faculty that many of us were shocked to discover that he’d not received the Excellence in Teaching Award previously! We are delighted to honor one of the GTU’s finest with this year’s award.”
The GTU Excellence in Teaching Award, formerly known as the Sarlo Excellence in Teaching Award, was instituted in 2003, and was funded until 2016 through the annual generosity of the Sarlo Family Foundation. Previous winners include Jean-François Racine (2018), Barbara Green, OP (2016), William O’Neill, SJ (2014), and Mia Mochizuki (2013).
Congratulations, Dr. Arthur G. Holder, winner of the 2019 GTU Excellence in Teaching Award!