Uriah Kim Named Academic Dean at Hartford Seminary

Hartford Seminary President Heidi Hadsell announcedWednesday that The Rev. Dr. Uriah Kim, Associate Professor of Hebrew Bible, has been appointed to a three-year term as Academic Dean of Hartford Seminary.

Hadsell praised Kim for the dedication, skill and enthusiasm that he has brought to the position since he became interim dean in August. The new appointment is retroactive to July 1.

"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," Hadsell said.

"It is a great honor and joy to serve the faculty, staff and students of Hartford Seminary as Academic Dean. This is a special place. Not only because of Hartford Seminary's long history of innovative and daring scholarship and teaching and its commitment to preparing religious leaders in today's multi-faith and pluralistic world, but also because of its people who genuinely welcome and are interested in knowing and forming relationship with the others," Kim said.

"I am happy and proud to a member of the Hartford Seminary leadership that sincerely desires to know the truth, to love God, and to serve others," he 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." Forthcoming are "The Politics of Othering in the Book of Judges" 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.