Dr Bennett is Director of Postgraduate Studies in Pastoral Theology for the Faculty of Arts, Law & Social Sciences at Anglia Ruskin and Programme Director for the Professional Doctorate in Practical Theology, which is run in close partnership with the Cambridge Theological Federation. She received the award for her “outstanding contribution to theological education in East Anglia and beyond”.
Dr Bennett said: “I am delighted that through this award our Cambridge Theological Federation-Anglia Ruskin partnership in theological education receives public recognition. My hope is that it will be a beacon of good practice for the Church of England and indeed for other churches and faith communities.”
The award is named after Lanfranc, Archbishop of Canterbury from 1070 to 1089, who was a scholar and teacher. The design of the award, in Fairtrade silver, incorporates an open Bible, the importance of which is explored in Dr Bennett’s latest book In a Glass Darkly.
Dr Bennett’s citation explained: “For over twenty-five years she has been at the forefront of adult theological education in East Anglia, has pioneered innovative forms of pedagogy and created graduate courses in particular which have transformed the work of clergy and lay people alike in the region and now further afield.
“Her career has been one of championing innovation in curriculum development, with two major graduate programmes, which are entirely her own creation, and a consultative role in the construction of a successful undergraduate programme.
“She has demonstrated experience, organisational and interpersonal skills, intellectual and creative interpretation, and empathetic ability, in ways which rightly earn her the respect, admiration and affection of her colleagues and students.”
Image: Dr Bennett with the Archbishop of Canterbury, the Most Reverend and Right Honourable Justin Welby, after receiving the award.
About the Cambridge Theological Federation
The Cambridge Theological Federation is an ecumenical partnership of 9 institutions with over 300 students from 25 different countries.
Since 1972 the Cambridge Theological Federation has welcomed students to a city that has been a centre for theological education for over 800 years. The Federation is not only inter-denominational, bringing together Anglican, United Reformed, Methodist, Roman Catholic and Orthodox Christian churches, but also inter-faith; the Woolf Institute provides a unique environment for the study of relations between Jews, Christians and Muslims.
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For more press information please contact:
Jon Green on t: 01245 68 4717, e: jon.green@anglia.ac.uk
Jamie Forsyth on t: 01245 68 4716, e: jamie.forsyth@anglia.ac.uk
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