Rev. Thomas J. Regan, S.J., will present his lecture, “Fairfield University 1942-2017: Seventy-Five Years and Counting!” at the annual Fairfield University Bellarmine Lecture in the Dolan School of Business Dining Room on Wednesday, February 22 at 7:30 pm.
The event, which is free and open to the public, is sponsored by the University’s Center for Catholic Studies. Fr. Regan argues that “from its humble beginnings in the early years of World War II, Fairfield University has emerged as one of the remarkable success stories in American higher education. In only 75 years, it has earned its rightful place alongside other institutions whose roots date back to the seventeenth century. The quality of the Jesuit education that Fairfield offers to undergraduates is really second to none.”
A native of Waltham, Mass., Fr. Regan entered the Society of Jesus in 1976, and was ordained a priest in 1987. Prior to ordination, he taught religious studies at Fordham Prep and philosophy at Fairfield University and Boston College. In 1988, he was appointed assistant professor of philosophy at Fairfield University where he subsequently received tenure and was promoted to associate professor. He served as acting chair (1992–1993) and then chair of the Philosophy Department (1993–2000) and co-director of the program in legal studies from 1996–2000. From 2000–2002, he was associate dean in the College of Arts and Sciences. He served six years as the national president of Alpha Sigma Nu, the Honor Society for all Jesuit colleges and universities in the United States, and is a past president of the Jesuit Philosophical Association. In 2003, he was appointed to a six-year term as Provincial of the New England Province of the Society of Jesus. After completing his term as provincial, he taught philosophy as a visiting professor at Loyola Marymount University in Los Angeles (2010) and at Fordham University in New York (2010–2011). He currently serves as the Dean for the College of Arts and Sciences at Loyola University Chicago.
The Bellarmine Lecture is an annual lecture sponsored by Catholic Studies that features a distinguished Jesuit. Past speakers include Rev. James Martin, S.J., Rev. Paul Crowley, S.J., and Rev. John W. Padberg, S.J.
For more information about the lecture or the Center for Catholic Studies, contact Michelle Ross at mross@fairfield.edu.
