University of New Mexico interim Provost Viola Florez today joined Archbishop Michael Sheehan of the Archdiocese of Santa Fe in announcing the establishment of an Endowed Chair for Roman Catholic Studies at UNM. The chair will be in Religious Studies in the College of Arts and Sciences.
Photo: Archbishop Michael J. Sheehan and UNM President David J. Schmidly, engage in discussion after signing documents establishing the Endowed Chair for Roman Catholic Studies in the UNM College of Arts and Sciences.
This is the third endowed chair in Arts and Sciences. The others are in biology and English. Religious Studies at UNM was established in 1985 as an interdisciplinary program supporting the study of religion on the human condition, contemporary human societies, intellectual and social history, spirituality and ethics.
The archbishop presented UNM President David J. Schmidly with a check for $500,000, the first installment in a $2.5 million endowment. The Archdiocese will announce shortly its fundraising campaign to fully endow the chair.
“This is an exciting endowment for the university which is focused on teaching about particular religious communities, themes and traditions. We hope for other scholarships to support faculty teaching. We are very thankful for the endowment and look forward to implementing the work that comes with it,” Florez said.
Academic positions in Catholic Studies exist at other secular universities including the Universities of Kansas, Illinois, Toledo, as well as Pittsburgh, and Iowa State Universities.
UNM will conduct a national search for a qualified individual. “This is an academic appointment. All students will become better informed about Catholic intellectual tradition,” said Richard Wood, director, UNM Religious Studies.
Wood stressed that this position will focus on teaching about the Catholic tradition, historical contributions and thought. “Universities are about teaching, inviting conversation about what matters in the world, particularly in the social sciences and humanities,” he said.
Media Contact: Carolyn Gonzales, (505) 277-5920; e-mail: cgonzal@unm.edu