August 9, 2023
Dean Greg Sterling today made the following announcement.
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I am thrilled to announce the appointment of the Rev. Dr. Frederick “Jerry” Streets ’75 M.Div. to the new position of coordinator of our Joint Degree program in Divinity and Social Work.
It is impossible to imagine someone more qualified for this role and better positioned to support YDS students who wish to pursue this potent joint degree that we offer in partnership with the University of Connecticut.
Dr. Streets is a licensed clinical social worker who has had an outstanding career in theological education, ministry, and social work. He has been an important part of the YDS and Yale communities for many years. He has taught at YDS since 1987 as an adjunct associate professor of pastoral theology. He is the former Chaplain of Yale University and Senior Pastor of the Church of Christ in Yale, a position in which he served from 1992 to 2007.
In another important chapter in his career, Dr. Streets served for a decade as Senior Pastor of Dixwell Avenue Congregational Church—a historically significant New Haven congregation with which YDS has had a strong relationship for many years.
At Yale and beyond, Dr. Streets has led numerous workshops on trauma, spirituality, addressing clergy and staff burn-out, and related topics. As a researcher and scholar, he has conducted studies on topics including clergy wellbeing and self-care. His latest article, on community-based participatory research with Black people and Black scientists, coauthored with Ayana Jordan, is slated for publication this fall.
Dr. Streets is a past recipient of our Lux et Veritas Award, given annually to an alum for excellence and distinction in applying the compassion of Christ to the diverse needs of people and communities. In 2021, YDS named a new student prize in his honor: The Reverend Frederick J. Streets Prize, awarded annually to a graduating student deemed to have made a distinguished contribution to the advancement of social justice.
Dr. Streets’ new position is partly the result of a new state initiative, CT Health Horizons, aimed at addressing shortages of nurses and social workers in Connecticut. Last year, Associate Dean Joyce Mercer successfully applied for a three-year grant offered by the program. YDS is now one of 20 partner institutions in CT Health Horizons and is able, for the first time in the 40-plus years that we have offered a social work joint degree, to have a formally appointed person leading the program.
As Adjunct Associate Professor of Divinity and Social Work, Dr. Streets will develop and teach an integrative seminar for joint-degree students; work in collaboration with the Office of Vocation and Leadership to coordinate internships that meet requirements for both degrees; develop and implement a program to support students going through the joint-degree program; and coordinate with UConn’s School of Social Work. In addition, Dr. Streets will develop partnerships with faith institutions interested in becoming contextual education sites for joint-degree students and potentially hiring program graduates. All that work will be in the best of hands.
Please join me in welcoming Dr. Jerry Streets to his new role at YDS!
Best wishes,
Greg Sterling