Nieman Named to Lutheran Seminary Presidency; Kim To Become Interim Dean

Hartford Seminary President Heidi Hadsell announced Monday that The Rev. Dr. James Nieman, Academic Dean, left, will be leaving the Seminary at the end of July to become President of theLutheran School of Theology at Chicago.

She also announced that The Rev. Dr. Uriah Kim, Associate Professor of Hebrew Bible, right, will become Interim Academic Dean of Hartford Seminary, effective August 1.

Hadsell said it is difficult to bid farewell to Nieman, who has been Academic Dean since 2011 and Professor of Practical Theology since 2005.?Jim has been a much appreciated faculty colleague over the years, and he stepped in and took hold of the deanship in a very short time. I know we have all benefited from his leadership and his steady hand. But of course, I am genuinely glad for Jim. This is a great appointment for him and for the Lutheran School of Theology.?

At the same time, "I am very pleased that Uriah has accepted this important position at Hartford Seminary", Hadsell said. "Uriah is an excellent scholar who has shown great skill in developing new, fresh interpretations of Hebrew Bible texts and also an excellent colleague who has worked collaboratively with faculty and staff at the Seminary on a variety of initiatives".

"I am confident that Uriah will contribute significantly to keeping Hartford Seminary academically innovative", Hadsell said.

Kim also directs the Seminary's Cooperative Master of Divinity program. He was Senior Editor of Reviews in Religion and Theology, a quarterly publication, for four years.

Kim earned a Bachelor of Arts degree in philosophy at New York University, a Master of Divinity degree at Princeton Theological Seminary and a Master of Theology degree at Emory University. He received his Ph.D. from the Graduate Theological Union in Berkeley, CA, in 2004.

Previously he was Assistant Professor of Religious Studies at Canisius College in Buffalo, NY and Visiting Professor at Yonsei University, Seoul, South Korea, and Pacific School of Religion, Berkeley, CA.

Kim has published "Decolonizing Josiah: Toward a Postcolonial Reading of the Deuteronomistic History" and "Identity and Loyalty in the David Story: A Postcolonial Reading". Forthcoming are "The Politics of Othering in the Book of Judges: A Postcolonial Reading" and "1 & 2 Chronicles".

He is a member of the American Academy of Religion, the Society of Biblical Literature, and the Asian Pacific Americans and Religion Research Initiative.

"My decision to go to a seminary after college, to do doctoral studies in biblical studies, and to serve as a professor at Hartford Seminary is a result of my sincere desire to know the truth, to love God, and to serve others", Kim said.

Hadsell said that a Search Committee will be appointed to fill the Academic Dean position on a permanent basis.