A $5 million gift has given Divinity School Dean Harold Attridge a new title: the Henry L. Slack Dean of Yale Divinity School.

The new endowed deanship was created by Robert McNeil Jr. ’36 in honor of his grandfather, a leader of the Congregational Church in Connecticut who graduated from the Divinity School in 1877.

The donation comes at a time when the Divinity School has been struggling to meet its fundraising targets and expand its financial aid offerings. As of March, contributions to the school’s annual fund, which is earmarked directly for financial aid, were down nearly 20 percent compared to the 2008 fiscal year.

(Photo: Yale Divinity School)