Duke Chapel Dean Sam Wells, who is leaving the university this summer to lead a prominent parish in London, will reflect on his seven years at Duke in a public conversation with WUNC Radio's Frank Stasio on April 17.
"Exit Interview" takes place at 7:30 p.m. in the chapel. Questions will be taken from the audience near the end of the interview, which is free and open to the public.
The discussion will be the final installment in the chapel's "Dean's Dialogues" series, in which Wells has interviewed fellow deans, community leaders and others about matters of faith and the common good.
"I've spent a lot of time asking questions and listening to diverse voices, all the time seeking to discover the heart of the university and the heart of Durham," Wells said. "I guess it's only fair that one day the tables should be turned and I should be asked to say what all these conversations have taught me."
Stasio is the host of the "State of Things" midday talk show, on which he has interviewed Wells. He will donate his honorarium for the event to the Religious Coalition for a Nonviolent Durham, an organization founded by Duke alumna Marcia Owen, Wells' co-author for their book "Living Without Enemies."
"Sam Wells has been a great gift to our community," Stasio said. "He has opened new channels of communication between the university and the city of Durham, and he has articulated a profound spiritual message for people of faith to 'be with' our neighbors in their times of greatest need.
"It will be an honor, albeit bittersweet, to engage him one last time and hear his final thoughts on his experiences at Duke."
In addition to his role as chapel dean, Wells is a research professor of Christian ethics at Duke Divinity School and author of 17 books. As dean, he created a faith council for interfaith discussions and strengthened the chapel's presence in the West End neighborhood.
The conversation between Wells and Stasio will be streamed live on Duke's Ustream channel. A recording will be available afterwards on the chapel and Duke on Demand websites.