Written by: United Theological Seminary August 3, 2018

Women as Seekers and Pursuers of Peace

The Susan Draper White lectures at United were established in 1991, when United alum Cil Braun’s grandmother died and left her some inheritance. Cil used $10,000 to establish a 10-year lectureship in women’s studies in honor of her grandmother, Susan Draper White.

In 1997, then-faculty members Mary Farrell Bednarowski and Christie Cozad Neuger, together with their spouses, decided to endow the lecture series to ensure it would continue.

“We were very intentional about creating a space for a diverse representation of feminist thinkers as well as rotating fields of study,” says Cozad Neuger ’80, who served as a professor of pastoral theology and pastoral care for many years. “The people we’ve invited in over the years are pushing the edges of some of these fields, bringing different layers of deconstruction to the task. The Susan Draper White lectures are an opportunity to ask good and hard questions, to engage in conversation with some of the leading voices in feminist thought.”

This year’s Susan Draper White lecture was focused on peacebuilding–in particular, women’s efforts to seek and secure peace in the Middle East. United alum Amy Eilberg was the featured speaker. Her lecture, “Women as Seekers and Pursuers of Peace,” is below. Enjoy!

Explore More Articles

December 17, 2025

Community Relationships Faith

Lauren Busey (’07) Ministers to a New Beloved Community at Pickledilly Skokie

Lauren Busey (’07) grew up in the Lutheran church, earned an undergraduate degree from Luther College, and thought she would probably attend a Lutheran seminary. Then, at a Luther College women’s retreat, Rev. Dr. Christie Cozad Nueger (’80)— Professor Emerita of Pastoral Counseling and Pastoral Theology (1992–2005)—was the featured speaker and knew Lauren’s campus pastor. “So,” Lauren remembers, “we just kind of got to talking, and within a couple of weeks, I was enrolled at United.” United “was a good fit,” Lauren asserts. She found a welcoming community of fellow students and treasured professors. Those who had the greatest impact include Rev. Dr. Jann Cather Weaver (Associate Professor Emerita of Worship, and Theology and the Arts, 2001–2012), Dr. Marilyn Salmon† (Professor Emerita of New Testament Theology, 1989–2014), and Dr. Carolyn Pressler (Professor Emerita of Biblical Interpretation, 1990–2020). (more…)

Images of Hope: Advent in Art

Art has the tremendous power to restore us in a time when our world seems to make no sense and we need a moment of respite and encouragement from our daily struggles. A single photograph of a flower or a laughing child can buoy our spirit to carry on. (more…)

Alex Sánchez Rodriguez Finds Vocational Inspiration at United

Alex Sánchez Rodriguez, who plans to graduate from United in 2026 with an MA in Religion and Theology, was initially drawn to the seminary’s Interreligious Chaplaincy program. Since taking more classes, engaging with his professors, becoming involved in the Student Leadership Collective, and taking on other extracurricular activities, he has settled on a new calling. “I discovered,” Alex shares, “that I have a natural affinity toward academics.” In fact, he admits, “I want to be like my professors.” Before coming to United, Alex was a substitute teacher in Puerto Rico. Since he moved to Minnesota, he has been working in student development and promoting student success. The priority of student success is the throughline, Alex perceives, from his current role and an academic career. “If I am to go into academia,” he explains, “part of my success as a teacher, professor, and researcher depends on the success of my future students.” (more…)