![Decorative transom above Swartz Hall entrance](/sites/g/files/omnuum5526/files/styles/hwp_21_9__1920x825/public/2025-11/05022019-Campus-454.jpg?itok=9XKmoZPK) # Celebrating Impact and Honoring Commitment Giving societies recognize the donors who are sustaining the mission of Harvard Divinity School—now, and for generations to come. November 17, 2025 By Sarah Rubin & Megan Welch Multifaith and multifaceted, Harvard Divinity School focuses on the depth and breadth of many different traditions, areas of study, and professions. From academia and ministry to religious literacy and societal impact, HDS scholars and professionals research and teach the varieties of religion. Additionally, the student experience is enriched by programmatic offerings, such as field education and events for the HDS community and broader public audiences. All of this and more is made possible by gifts from alumni and friends of the School. Their support comes in many forms, including annual gifts to the HDS Fund, which provides unrestricted support for the School’s core priorities, and gifts to targeted areas of the donor’s choosing, such as the Women’s Studies in Religion Program or Religion and Public Life. Some alumni and friends have made gifts to HDS for many years, demonstrating their loyalty. Others choose to support HDS with thoughtful estate planning that entwines their legacy with the future of the School. Through [giving societies](/alumni-friends/giving/societies "Giving Societies"), HDS celebrates the many alumni and friends who provide sustaining philanthropic support. ![HDS Leadership Society](/sites/g/files/omnuum5526/files/styles/hwp_1_1__360x360_scale/public/2025-11/LeadershipSociety-HDS-DR.jpg?itok=OLSXqYSf) The **HDS Leadership Society** celebrates the philanthropic leaders who make annual gifts of $1,000 or more to the school, with lower giving thresholds for recent graduates. ![Emerson Society](/sites/g/files/omnuum5526/files/styles/hwp_1_1__360x360_scale/public/2025-11/EmersonSociety-HDS-DR.jpg?itok=Nv9JWJTh) The **Emerson Circle** recognizes the dedication of those who have made a gift of any amount for the last 10 or more consecutive years, representing the school’s most steadfast supporters. ![James Luther Adams Society](/sites/g/files/omnuum5526/files/styles/hwp_1_1__360x360_scale/public/2025-11/JLA.Society-HDS-Color-600px.jpg?itok=WHcGv0AR) The **James Luther Adams Society** honors those who have pledged their support to the school through life income plans, bequests, or other planned gifts. ## Leadership Society Sejal Patel and her husband, Sanjay Banker, MBA ’00, are part of the [Leadership Society](/alumni-friends/giving/societies "Giving Societies"), which comprises donors who make annual gifts of $1,000 or more. Their contributions play an integral role in advancing the mission of HDS and provide essential support for students, faculty, and degree programs. As philanthropic leaders, members of this society contribute a significant portion of total gifts to HDS each year. Leadership Society donors are also among HDS’s most engaged and dedicated friends, and many stay closely connected to the School’s work and community. ![Sejal Patel headshot](/sites/g/files/omnuum5526/files/styles/hwp_3_4__480x640/public/2025-11/Sejal-Patel.jpg?itok=Z5Dd3Res) Attending HDS after establishing my career as an attorney completely transformed the way I practice law and renewed what was my depleted optimism in the justice system. I am enormously grateful for the ways in which my HDS education helped me connect my identity as an attorney with my values through a thoughtful, challenging, and rigorous interdisciplinary education. That’s why I choose to support HDS at the leadership level—so that the School can continue to shape others’ lives as profoundly as it has shaped mine. Sejal Patel, MTS ’14 ## Emerson Circle John Coggin is part of the [Emerson Circle](/alumni-friends/giving/societies "Giving Societies"). Named for Ralph Waldo Emerson—a student of HDS and thinker whose philosophy celebrated the individual spirit as well as the shared soul of humanity—this society recognizes those who have made gifts to HDS for at least 10 consecutive years. Through their steadfast generosity, Emerson Circle members support HDS’s commitment to rigorous intellectual engagement and the work of ministry in service of a just world at peace. In Emerson’s famous 1838 “Divinity School Address,” delivered in what is now known as the Emerson Chapel, he challenged mainstream Christianity and argued for a new form of spirituality based on one’s innate access to the divine. A Harvard Gazette article from February 2012, “When Religion Turned Inward,” reported that the speech was deeply polarizing at the time; however, it was “a catalyst for a Divinity School that would eventually educate not just ministers for New England, but men and women for the world.” This legacy is reflected in the School’s mission to educate students of religion for intellectual leadership, professional service, and ministry. Emerson Circle members help sustain this vital work. ![John Coggin headshot](/sites/g/files/omnuum5526/files/styles/hwp_3_4__480x640/public/2025-11/John-Coggin.jpg?itok=I-2uMUWS) Through my volunteer service with HDS and the Harvard Alumni Association, I have seen the difference philanthropy can make. And as a recipient of a full scholarship, I’ve lived it as well. Like me, approximately 90 percent of today’s students depend on financial aid to make their education possible. I give every year because I believe the world needs more of what HDS teaches. John Coggin, MTS ’11 ## James Luther Adams Society James Luther Adams, STB ’27, was one of the most renowned theologians and social ethicists of the twentieth century. He had a long and distinguished career as a Unitarian parish minister, professor, and labor activist and civil rights advocate and was one of the earliest Americans to offer a theological critique of Nazism, a direct result of his travels to Germany in the mid-1930s. As the Edward Mallinckrodt, Jr. Professor of Christian Ethics at HDS from 1956 until his retirement in 1968, Adams taught and mentored generations of ministers, scholars, and ethical leaders. The [James Luther Adams Society](/alumni-friends/giving/societies "Giving Societies") celebrates the renowned theologian’s legacy and recognizes the enduring impact planned giving donors have on the future of HDS through bequests, annuities, life income plans, and other planned giving arrangements. For many donors, a planned gift is a powerful way to make a difference for future HDS students and scholars and help ensure the Divinity School’s strength and excellence for generations to come. Russ Savage, a member of this society, has a unique personal connection in his own fond memories of Adams: “\[He\] was retired at the time that I was at HDS, but he lived directly across the street from campus. Every Tuesday afternoon, he invited students to come to his house. He served us peanut butter sandwiches and told us stories about being in Germany before the war, seeing the rise of authoritarianism and the oppression of minorities like Jews, gay people, and so on. He saw the beginnings of what turned into World War II.” Like Adams himself, James Luther Adams Society members help shape a world that can be guided by ethical conviction, spiritual inquiry, and compassionate leadership—values at the heart of HDS. ![Russ Savage](/sites/g/files/omnuum5526/files/styles/hwp_3_4__480x640/public/2025-11/russ_savage.jpg?itok=G-K2-LUs) I appreciate what I experienced at HDS, and my gift is my way of expressing that appreciation. I’d also like to help make it possible for other people to have the same experience. That’s why I make a gift every year, and that’s why I’ve made a provision to support HDS in my will. Russ Savage, MDIV ’93 ## Leadership, Loyalty, Legacy More than 39 percent of all those who support HDS are members of at least one [giving society](), and many, like Arlene Hirschfeld, belong to more than one. All gifts to HDS are critical to fostering a thriving multireligious academic community in service of a just world at peace. Thanks to philanthropic gifts, HDS is able to provide educational resources; students receive financial aid and support for field education and experiential learning; and professors advance knowledge of global religion in an increasingly complex world. Through their leadership, loyalty, and legacy, the generous members of the School’s giving societies make this work possible. ![Arlene Hirschfeld headshot](/sites/g/files/omnuum5526/files/styles/hwp_3_4__480x640/public/2025-11/Arlene-Hirschfeld.jpg?itok=fihlgMOU) The culture of respect for one another—for religious beliefs and viewpoints—shows all of us what we must do to move forward together for the betterment of our global community. In light of HDS’s impeccable scholarship and meaningful work, it enjoys a well-deserved reputation as a worldwide leader. As such, when HDS speaks about issues, others listen. I am honored to be able to share my time and financial support with HDS—one of the best investments I can make in our future. Arlene Hirschfeld With so many ways to support the School and its mission, HDS is especially grateful to the dedicated alumni and friends who are members of all three giving societies. This year, we recognize the following individuals for their leadership gifts, for their many years of loyalty, and for their decision to make HDS part of their legacy with a planned gift: Rosalie and Thomas W. Anderson, MTS ’98 Katherine Cheney Chappell Thomas M. Chappell, MTS ’91 Alice W. Erickson, MTS ’76, MDiv ’00 Kenneth W. Erickson, Esq., AB ’69, JD ’75 Arlene And Barry Hirschfeld Debi Powell Maxwell Kyle V. Maxwell, STB ’61 Diana W. Phillips, MDiv ’82 R. Jeffrey Pollock, MTS ’71 Guy C. Quinlan, AB ’60, JD ’63 George E. Rupp, PhD ’72, and Nancy F. Rupp ### Dean's Report Learn more out about Harvard Divinity School’s recent research, teaching, and impact. [Read the Report chevron\_right](/alumni-friends/deans-report) ![2025 Dean's Report cover](/sites/g/files/omnuum5526/files/styles/hwp_1_1__480x480/public/2025-11/2025-DeansReport-sq.jpg?itok=xUjPiRss) See also:- [ Alumni News and Profiles ](/discover-stories-about/alumni-news-and-profiles)