VCU announces new Catholic Studies Chair

By Tom Gresham

Virginia Commonwealth University has announced it will establish the Bishop Walter F. Sullivan Chair in Catholic Studies in its School of World Studies.

The chair is believed to be the first in Catholic Studies at a public university in the United States. R. McKenna Brown, Ph.D., director of the VCU School of World Studies, said the new program would closely examine Catholicism’s role in shaping the world over the ages and its current impact on global events.

“The Catholic Studies chair is an important addition to the School of World Studies,” Brown said. “It gives students the opportunity to study Catholicism and the major influence it has had on much of the world’s history and culture and its continuing creative developments in our day.”

Cliff Edwards, Ph.D., a professor of philosophy and religious studies at VCU, said the Catholic Studies program had “untold possibilities.”

“This program can include the study of important figures, the history of Catholicism, theology – there are many, many areas that we could develop,” said Edwards, who currently teaches a course on the Catholic philosopher Thomas Merton. “There are also lots of possible tie-ins to other programs on campus, such as history and art history.”

A fundraising effort netted VCU approximately $1 million in gifts and pledges to make the Catholic Studies chair possible.

VCU is expected to soon begin the process of identifying candidates for the chairmanship. A chair should be in place within a year. The chair will coordinate the courses for the Catholic Studies program and will work to recruit and hire faculty members.

VCU first made a Catholic Studies minor available to students this fall. The program has so far proved popular; 334 students are enrolled this semester in courses that count toward the degree.

The Catholic Studies program will be modeled on the Judaic Studies program. The School of World Studies also has a newly approved minor in Islamic Studies, making for a well-rounded exploration of the Abrahmic traditions, Brown said.

The Catholic Studies chair is named in honor of Bishop Walter F. Sullivan, who headed the Diocesan Church of Richmond from 1974 to 2003. The diocese is located adjacent to VCU’s Monroe Park Campus.