CHICAGO – April 23, 2018 – Chicago Theological Seminary is pleased to announce PhD students Whitney Bond and Malene Johnson have been selected to receive a 2018 Doctoral Fellowship from the Forum for Theological Exploration (FTE).

FTE awarded its Doctoral Fellowships to 30 students of color across 17 institutions to support their PhD or ThD program in religion, theological studies, or biblical studies. Students in this year’s class will either receive the Fellowship for Doctoral Students of African Descent or the Fellowship for Latino/a, Asian, and First Nations Doctoral Students. Each Fellow will receive a living stipend up to $25,000 to help further their studies beyond the coursework stage.

“We are overjoyed at the good news that both Whitney and Malene received FTE doctoral fellowships,” said Dr. Emily Vogt, Assistant Dean for Academic Administration and Director of the PhD Program. “This prestigious honor recognizes the innovative quality of both their work and research, and highlights their potential to lead the charge in the advancement of theological education.”

As part of the fellowship award, Fellows will have the opportunity to attend the 2018 FTE Forum for Theological Educators, held November 14-16, in Denver, Colorado, prior to the annual meetings of the American Academy of Religion and Society of Biblical Literature. The Forum will provide opportunities for networking, professional development, vocational exploration, and mentoring.

Bond is in the second year of her studies at CTS, and Johnson is in the pre-candidacy stage of her program. Before attending CTS, Bond studied at Spelman College and Candler School of Theology. She’s the creator of Unbossed and Unbought, an online clothing store. Johnson studied at Keller Graduate School of Management, McCormick Theological Seminary, and Xavier University of Louisiana. She’s worked in the Chicago area as a minister and professor.

For a full list of FTE’s 2018 Doctoral Fellows, visit fteleaders.org/2018fellows