SMU Names Alyce McKenzie University Distinguished Professor and Le Van Chair of Worship and Preaching

Alyce McKenzie, a scholar and teacher at Perkins School of Theology and clergy member of the North Texas Conference, has been selected as a recipient of Southern Methodist University’s 2011 Altshuler Distinguished Teaching Professor Award. McKenzie also has been promoted to an endowed faculty position at Perkins.

McKenzie was one of four SMU faculty recognized by the Center for Teaching Excellence for their notable commitment to and achievements in fostering student learning. Official guidelines designate the annual Altshuler Distinguished Teaching Professor Awards for “faculty whose concerns for higher education go beyond classroom boundaries and often the boundaries of their own discipline. In student mentoring, in discussions about teaching and in continuous reflection about their own successes and ways to improve, they represent the highest achievement in reaching the goals of higher education.” For two years following the award, University Distinguished Professors participate actively with other members of the Academy in faculty forums on pedagogical issues.

Additionally, McKenzie, previously Professor of Homiletics at Perkins, has been appointed to the George W. and Nell Ayers Le Van Endowed Chair of Preaching and Worship at Perkins. She succeeds Marjorie Procter-Smith who retired as LeVan Chair in June 2011.

In announcing the appointment to the Le Van Chair of Preaching and Worship, SMU Provost Paul Ludden said “The appointment of a faculty member at SMU to an endowed chair signals that the individual has attained the highest levels of accomplishment in scholarship and teaching. Alyce McKenzie is a tremendously accomplished scholar with a vast array of publications in Biblical studies and in preaching, and she is remarkably respected for her teaching within and beyond the University.”

Perkins School of Theology Dean William B. Lawrence praised McKenzie’s work as well. “Alyce combines in her career both professional experience as a pastor in the church and academic accomplishments as a scholar. She is among the leading Biblical interpreters of wisdom literature. And she is one of the most widely sought preachers at conferences of persons in ministry.”

A nationally respected scholar and preacher, McKenzie will be 2012 President of the Academy of Homiletics, the most prestigious guild of academicians working on the topic of preaching in North America.

McKenzie joined the SMU faculty in 1999, after having taught at Princeton Theological Seminary. She has also been the pastor of United Methodist churches in eastern and central Pennsylvania. She currently serves on the North Texas Conference Board of Ordained Ministry.

As a scholar, McKenzie became one of the nation’s most widely recognized authorities on the wisdom tradition in the Bible, particularly as it is expressed in preaching. More recently, she has turned her attention in research to the creative process of preparing and delivering sermons. Her newest book, Novel Preaching, examines the generative work that moves from images, ideas, and texts toward the proclaimed message.

After completing a bachelor’s degree in religious studies at Bryn Mawr College and a Master of Divinity degree at Duke University Divinity School, she earned her Ph.D. at Princeton Theological Seminary. She has been a leader both in academic and ecclesiastical circles regarding preaching. Her contributions have included conferences focused on the professional development of ministers, publications addressing scholarly issues in the guild of homileticians, and programs of theological education for laity.

In 2001, she was selected as a Lilly Faculty Fellow by the Association of Theological Schools and was awarded a grant through the generosity of the Lilly Endowment Inc. In 2010, she began writing a blog on lectionary preaching that has attracted between 2,000 and 2,300 readers each week.