CWL
endows Chair for Catholic Studies at St. Mary’s
CALGARY — St. Mary’s University College and the Catholic
Women’s League (CWL) have jointly announced a $1.2 million endowment
for a permanent chair for Catholic studies at St. Mary’s University
College. The agreement was signed at a formal ceremony in the historic
Le Fort Centre on the St. Mary’s campus followed by a luncheon
for special guests.
The endowment was made possible
by funds raised by the CWL Chair Foundation, whose original members,
Agnes Bedard, Marie Cameron, Joan Baudais, Florence Bernakevitch and
Betty Lodermeier, pioneered the idea of supporting a Chair for Catholic
Studies at St. Mary’s. Special guests who attended the signing
ceremony included Rev. Fredrick Henry, Bishop of Calgary, and Chancellor
of St. Mary’s University College, Bernice Thomas, chair of St.
Mary’s CWL Chair Foundation, and Joe Ladouceur, chair of the St.
Mary’s University College Board of Governors.
The CWL Chair for Catholic
Studies, the first of its kind in Western Canada and the first endowed
chair in St. Mary’s history, will establish a permanent academic
position in the area of Catholic studies. The senior academic position
was founded to encourage and foster the advancement of Catholic knowledge
and education through exemplary teaching and pre-eminent research. In
addition to classroom teaching responsibilities, the chair will be a
source of intellectual leadership for St. Mary’s and for the broader
Catholic and local communities through an annual public lecture, guest
lectures, invited presentations and regular publications. The position
will be in the humanities area and report directly to the vice-president
academic and dean.
The appointment will be a
reputable scholar who either holds or is qualified to hold a tenure-track
or tenured appointment at the rank of associate professor or professor
in one of the disciplines of theology, religious studies or philosophy.
St. Mary’s University College will consider nominations in the
coming months and expects to fill the position by September to coincide
with the beginning of the 2010/2011 academic year.
“We are profoundly
grateful to the CWL for their sustained support of St. Mary’s
over many years and in particular for making possible this historic
milestone whereby we establish the first Chair for Catholic Studies
in Western Canada,” said Dr. Terry Downey, president of St. Mary’s
University College. “This endowment ensures the presence of strong
scholarship to advance Catholic knowledge and education now and for
the time to come. We know that all members of the community, Catholic
and otherwise, will greatly benefit from the intellectual leadership
provided by the Chair for Catholic Studies.”
“We, the members of
the Calgary Diocesan Catholic Women’s League of Canada are proud
to have achieved our goal of more than $1,000,000 to support a Chair
for Catholic Studies at St. Mary’s University College,”
added Bernice Thomas, chair of St. Mary’s CWL Chair Foundation.
“Educating our members and the community at large is a primary
focus of the CWL. The Chair for Catholic Studies honours this mission
and will enrich both the community and the students at St. Mary’s.
We give thanks to God for the courage to embark on this journey and
the perseverance to stay the course.”
St. Mary’s University
College is a Catholic post-secondary, student-focused liberal arts and
sciences teaching and research institution open to people of all faiths
and traditions. St. Mary’s offers bachelor of arts degrees, a
bachelor of education degree and university courses in 33 different
academic disciplines and programs. For more information, visit www.stmu.ab.ca.
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