The Chester Alter
Visiting Professorship was established by the Loretto Heights College Board of
Trustees in 1981 and transferred to RegisUniversity in 1988.Since that time, Regis has brought eleven distinguished
Chester Alter Professors to engage our students and faculty in a variety of
ways.The reach of these teachers and
scholars has been extended from undergraduates to graduate students and
faculty, and several have drawn an audience from the general public through
public presentations.
The purpose of the fund is
"to
bring outstanding scholars from the arts, humanities, sciences or business to
teach a course or seminar in their area of specialization or to give a series
of lectures and/or to make one or two public addresses." The
endowment was created with the idea that “one
of the most important attributes of a college is its climate for intellectual
excitement. Nothing contributes more to the realization of such an environment
than the presence of outstanding scholars who just by being on campus serve as
models for students and faculty alike.”
The scholars we have
invited to RegisUniversity as Chester Alter professors
have more than fulfilled that expectation.Outstanding scholars we have hosted include:
Robert Bellah, eminent sociologist of
religion, professor and author of Habits
of the Heart, among many other books.Professor Bellah helped inaugurate the University’s Institute on
the Common Good with a public lecture followed by a seminar for students
and faculty.
Phillip Gleason, historian and author of
numerous books on American Catholicism and professor of history at the
University of Notre Dame, spent time with students and faculty in a series
of four visits.Dr. Gleason
initiated a seminar course with a public address that continued in the
seminar and culminated in student capstone projects.
Raymond L. Fitz, Ferree Professor of Social
Justice and Executive Director of the Association of Marianist
Universities, led the University community in a series of conversations on
issues of diversity and Catholic mission.His three visits to the campus included an initial public address;
dialogs with faculty, staff and students; a series of workshops on the
issues that emerged from those discussions; and a set of recommendations
to the University community and later to the Board of Trustees.
These visiting professors
have stimulated interest, shared new thinking, and addressed questions in a
variety of disciplines.They have
enabled us to reach out to the wider community through their public presence
and have had a lasting impact on the intellectual life of the University and
the curriculum through their work with us.Individuals who demonstrate excellence do make a difference.