Jan Love
Dean
Candler School of Theology
Professor of Christianity and World Politics
Jan Love has served since January 2007 as the ninth dean of the Candler School of Theology. Dr. Love is an internationally recognized leader in church and ecumenical arenas and a scholar of world politics, particularly issues of religion and politics, conflict transformation, and globalization. She is known for facilitating constructive relationships among people and groups with deeply held differences and for her work in racial justice.
Prior to coming to Emory, Dr. Love served as the chief executive officer of the Women’s Division, the administrative arm of the United Methodist Women, an organization with operations in about 60 countries. From 1982 to 2004, Dr. Love was on the faculty at the University of South Carolina in the departments of Religious Studies and Government and International Studies, where she directed the International Studies MA and PhD programs.
Dr. Love represented The United Methodist Church on the World Council of Churches (WCC) in Geneva, Switzerland from 1975 to 2006, and led the WCC delegation to the United Nations 4th World Conference on Women in 1995. Since 1970, she has served on the boards of several United Methodist Church agencies and is currently a member of the General Board of Higher Education and Ministry. She also serves on the UMC University Senate’s Commission on Theological Education as well as the Wofford College Board of Trustees. At the UMC’s General Conference in 2000, the United Methodist Council of Bishops recognized Love for “Exceptional Leadership in Ecumenical Arenas.”
Having traveled extensively, Dr. Love has preached, taught, and lectured in major pulpits and at universities, colleges, and ecumenical events across the world, as well as at UMC annual conferences and various denominational gatherings.
A graduate of Eckerd College (BA) and Ohio State University (MA, PhD), Dr. Love has authored two books on international relations, Southern Africa in World Politics: Local Aspirations and Global Entanglements (Westview Press, 2005) and The U.S. Anti-Apartheid Movement: Local Activism in Global Politics (Praeger Publishers, 1985), as well as scores of scholarly articles, book chapters, and reviews.