Tamara Gieselman Named New University Chaplain
Published: May 21, 2009
The University of Evansville is pleased to announce the hiring of the Reverend Doctor Tamara K. Gieselman as University chaplain.
Gieselman, who received a Bachelor of Arts from UE in 1995, will join the University effective July 1. She comes to the University from the Main Street United Methodist Church in Boonville, Indiana, where she has served as Senior Pastor since 2007. She replaces the Rev. Brian Erickson, who will leave UE on May 31.
“Brian has done outstanding work while serving the University of Evansville; there are big shoes to fill, certainly. Being selected as the one who will succeed Brian is an honor. I am thrilled to be back on campus and look forward to sharing university life with students and faculty, especially within an institution that values diversity and encourages religious expression in diverse ways. Our denomination, The United Methodist Church, has promoted ‘Open Hearts, Open Minds, and Open Doors,’ and should be proud of the University of Evansville, one of its own, which is living the dream of openness. This kind of ministry setting offers great potential and I eagerly anticipate my arrival on campus.”
After receiving her BA from UE in 1995, Gieselman went on to earn the Master of Divinity from Vanderbilt University, The Divinity School in 1998, and in 2008 earned the Doctor of Ministry in Preaching from the Chicago Theological School, with the Association of Chicago Theological Schools. The title of her doctoral thesis was “…With Compassion and Gospel for All: Toward a Homiletical Hermeneutic of Inclusion.”
In the past several years, Gieselman has participated in continuing education events on various subjects, including the annual Festival of Homiletics, studies in conflict management, Jewish/Christian relations, and participation in a seminar entitled “Revisioning Christianity at the Millennium.” The year of her ordination, Gieselman was one of the keynote speakers at her own South Indiana Annual Conference at Indiana University, where she presented: “The History of the United Methodist Church: How Do We Approach the Future?”
“Over the past several years, Rev. Gieselman has compiled a terrific resume of service and accomplishment in the region’s religious community,” said Dana Clayton, UE vice president for student affairs and dean of students. “We are very excited – and feel very fortunate – to have the opportunity to bring her into the UE family, and to have her on campus as a teacher, resource, and spiritual guide for our students.”
