Dean of the School - Summer 2027

DEANSCHOOL OF THEOLOGY AND RELIGIOUS STUDIESPOSITION PROSPECTUS | FALL 2026THE CATHOLIC UNIVERSITY OF AMERICA · WASHINGTON, D.C. THE CATHOLIC UNIVERSITY OF AMERICADEAN · POSITION PROSPECTUS · FALL 20262THE INVITATIONThe Catholic University of America invites applications and nominations for the positionof Dean of the School of Theology and Religious Studies. The School is the University'sfounding faculty and the only pontifical faculty of theology in the United States situatedwithin a major research university. The University seeks a theologian and leader ofproven administrative ability who honors the School's venerable history, brings thetenacity to build on it, and can represent the School with credibility to the Church, to theacademy, and to the wider public. This is an international search.THE CATHOLIC UNIVERSITY OF AMERICAFounded in 1887 by the U.S. Catholic bishops with the approval of Pope Leo XIII, The Catholic University ofAmerica is the national university of the Catholic Church in the United States and the only Americanuniversity established by papal charter. Its founding purpose was the formation of leaders for the Church andthe nation through graduate study in the sacred sciences, and theology, philosophy, and canon law remainfields in which the University aspires to "special excellence."The University is committed to being a "comprehensive Catholic and American institution of higherlearning, faithful to the teachings of Jesus Christ as handed on by the Church. Dedicated to advancing thedialogue between faith and reason, the University seeks to discover and impart the truth through excellencein teaching and research, all in service to the Church, the nation, and the world." It understands itself as "acommunity of scholars, both faculty and students, set apart to discover, preserve and impart the truth in all itsforms," and as "an intellectual center of highest quality, where the relation between revealed truth and humantruth can be examined in depth."The University is led by Dr. Peter K. Kilpatrick, its 16th President. Responsibility for governance resides inthe first instance in the Board of Trustees; the University is also governed by the Academic Senate. TheInterim Provost and Chief Academic Officer is Dr. Christopher Evans.The University's eleven schools are led by their respective deans. Catholic University holds Carnegie Research1 status - the only pontifically chartered R1 institution in the country - and is located on a 176-acre campusin the Brookland neighborhood of Washington, D.C., adjacent to the Basilica of the National Shrine of theImmaculate Conception. The University's current strategic plan names the formation of Church leadership asone of its six pillars, and the School of Theology and Religious Studies stands at the center of thatcommitment. THE CATHOLIC UNIVERSITY OF AMERICADEAN · POSITION PROSPECTUS · FALL 20263THE SCHOOL OF THEOLOGY AND RELIGIOUS STUDIESFormally inaugurated in 1887, the School of Theology and Religious Studies is the oldest of the University'sschools and one of its three ecclesiastical faculties, alongside the Schools of Philosophy and Canon Law. It is apontifical faculty accredited by the Holy See according to the norms of Sapientia Christiana (1979) andVeritatis Gaudium (2018), and it confers the ecclesiastical degrees of Bachelor, Licentiate, and Doctorate ofSacred Theology (S.T.B., S.T.L., S.T.D.), recognized throughout the Catholic world. Of the handful ofpontifical faculties in the United States, it is the only one situated at a major research university.The School's mission is twofold: to promote excellence in teaching, research, and publication in theology andreligious studies, and to provide the professional training of lay and clerical leaders who will serve theCatholic community in the United States and throughout the world. It gives particular emphasis to aninterdisciplinary approach, to the ecumenical and interreligious dimensions of theological study, to therelationship between religion and culture, and to informed efforts for justice and peace within the Churchand in the world in the light of the Gospel of Jesus Christ. Its faculty and students pursue theology in itsbroadest and deepest sense - as a speculative discipline and as a pastoral and spiritual one - in theconviction that faith and morals, academic theology and the practice of virtue, are inseparable.The School offers roughly thirty graduate and doctoral programs across nine academic areas: Biblical Studies;Catechetics; Church History; Historical and Systematic Theology; Liturgical Studies and SacramentalTheology; Moral Theology and Ethics; Pastoral Studies; Religion and Culture; and Spirituality. Its degreesinclude the civil M.A. and Ph.D.; the ecclesiastical S.T.B., S.T.L., and S.T.D.; the pastoral M.Div. and D.Min.;joint degrees; and online programs, including the Master of Catechesis and the recently launched Master ofArts in Evangelization and Culture offered in partnership with Word on Fire Ministries. At theundergraduate level the School offers the B.A. and minor in Theology and Religious Studies and a combinedB.A./M.A., and its faculty teach the theology courses that every Catholic University undergraduate takes aspart of the core curriculum.The formation of priests is integral to the School's identity in a way that distinguishes it from every otherCatholic university in the country. Seminarians from Theological College - the national diocesan seminaryof the University, located on campus - and from the many religious houses of formation in the Washingtonarea receive their academic formation in the School alongside lay and religious graduate students. Thisnetwork of relationships with rectors, formation directors, and religious superiors is one of the School's greatstrengths and one of its dean's principal responsibilities.The faculty of the School are recognized scholars and teachers whose textbooks are used on campus and acrossthe country, and as many as nine of them serve as consultants to committees of the United States Conferenceof Catholic Bishops or as members of, or advisors to, pontifical bodies. The School is home to the Bishop BasilH. Losten Endowed Professor and Chair in Ukrainian Church Studies, established in 2022, reflecting its long THE CATHOLIC UNIVERSITY OF AMERICADEAN · POSITION PROSPECTUS · FALL 20264engagement with the Christian East. The School is a member of the Washington Theological Consortium,and its alumni hold significant offices in the Church in the United States and abroad - as bishops, seminaryrectors and professors, diocesan and parish leaders, and scholars.The School enrolls approximately 351 graduate students and 127 undergraduate majors and minors, and itemploys 30 full-time faculty and 3 staff. The Dean is supported by an Associate Dean for Graduate Studies, anAssociate Dean for Undergraduate Studies, an Associate Dean for Graduate Ministerial Studies, and anAssociate Dean for Finance and Planning for the Ecclesiastical Schools. Dr. Brad S. Gregory serves as InterimDean. See https://trs.catholic.edu for more details.THE OPPORTUNITYThe School enters this search from a position of real strength: a distinguished faculty, an unmatched breadthof graduate and ecclesiastical programs, a singular role in the formation of the Church's future priests and layleaders, a University with Research 1 standing and a record fundraising year behind it, and a President andProvost who regard theology as central to the University's mission and are committed to the School's growth.Recent hires have brought new energy and talent to the faculty, and new programs have shown the School'scapacity to reach students it has not reached before.The Dean will have a unique opportunity for supported growth of the School along with a renewedcommitment to the University's mission and strategic plan. As the only pontifically chartered R1 institution inthe United States, deans at the Catholic University of America must be able to uphold the tenets of faith andreason that are at the core of an institution that is both "boldly Catholic" and "academically rigorous." This isparticularly true for the School of Theology and Religious Studies, which is seeking a dean that will keep onefoot in the School's venerable tradition and one foot in innovation. It is vital that this leader is a theologianwho is inquisitive, tenacious, and proactive, able to procure the resources, internal improvements, andrelationships with seminaries and dioceses necessary for the School's future. The dean must be willing to hireinvigorating new voices, expand the School's enrollment opportunities via new educational modalities, andbolster the balance between scholarly and pastoral and catechetical work. Such a leader will strengthen theSchool's standing, raise faculty morale, and honor and build upon the School's image and history.THE DEAN OF THE SCHOOL OF THEOLOGY AND RELIGIOUS STUDIESThe Dean reports directly to the Provost and is responsible for the functioning and strategic direction of theSchool. Working closely with other administrators, faculty, staff, students, alumni, and the School's ecclesialpartners, the Dean serves as the School's chief executive and academic leader by promoting excellence inresearch, teaching, and service in fidelity to the Church. The Dean upholds and articulates the School's THE CATHOLIC UNIVERSITY OF AMERICADEAN · POSITION PROSPECTUS · FALL 20265mission and vision; generates resources in support of that vision; increases the School's external visibility;manages planning, operations, admissions, and budgeting; superintends academic development and review,including the School's obligations to the Holy See as a pontifical faculty; oversees the hiring, promotion, andtenuring of faculty; and oversees the hiring and development of a professional staff.PRIORITIESIn addition to maintaining smooth day-to-day operations, the next Dean's responsibilities will include thefollowing:•Articulate and advance a vision for the School that encompasses both rigorous scholarship and the broaderwork of theology in service to the Church - teaching, formation, and engagement with the wider public;•Recruit, develop, and retain a faculty of accomplished scholars and teachers committed to the School'smission; recognize outstanding candidates and advocate effectively for their hire; and develop the nextgeneration of faculty leadership;•Cultivate and deepen the School's relationships with Theological College, with the religious houses offormation it serves, and with their rectors, formation directors, and superiors, and with the bishops anddioceses who send students to the School;•Grow enrollment in the School's graduate, ecclesiastical, and pastoral programs, including through newprograms, modalities, and partnerships that extend the School's reach without diluting its standards;•Develop, together with the Division of University Advancement, a sustainable program of philanthropicsupport for endowed chairs, scholarships, and fellowships;•Strengthen the School's external reputation and visibility, and represent it with credibility to the Churchin the United States, to the Holy See, to the academy, and to the wider public;•Engage the breadth of the Catholic theological tradition and the range of voices within the Church in theUnited States, and sustain the School's ecumenical and interreligious commitments, including itsengagement with the Christian East and the Orthodox Churches;•Build morale and maintain and promote collegiality among faculty, staff, and students, and cultivate aculture in which good administration frees the faculty to pursue their scholarly and teaching goals;•Oversee the ongoing renewal of the School's self-understanding and the ongoing assessment of itsprograms, operations, structures, and policies, and ensure the School's continued compliance with thenorms of Veritatis Gaudium and the expectations of the Dicastery for Culture and Education;•Coordinate the School's cooperation with the University's other schools - above all the Schools ofPhilosophy and Canon Law - and with University-wide initiatives in Catholic formation and theCatholic intellectual tradition;•Strengthen relations with alumni. THE CATHOLIC UNIVERSITY OF AMERICADEAN · POSITION PROSPECTUS · FALL 20266QUALIFICATIONSThe University's first and indispensable criterion is a deep and demonstrated commitment to the mission ofthe School of Theology and Religious Studies and of The Catholic University of America. That commitmentis necessary but not sufficient. An ideal candidate will also:•Hold an earned doctorate in theology or a cognate sacred science and fulfill the degree requirementsindicated in the norms of Veritatis Gaudium or be willing to enroll in the expedited STL program atCatholic University;•Qualify to receive the nihil obstat for tenure and the confirmation of appointment as dean from theDicastery for Culture and Education (see Veritatis Gaudium, Art. 18 and Art. 27 §2);•Hold tenure at the rank of Ordinary (Full) Professor, or possess a record of scholarship and teaching thatqualifies for tenure and appointment at that rank at the University; candidates whose scholarly trajectoryplaces them clearly on the path to that rank and whose administrative record meets the School's needs arealso encouraged to apply;•Have substantial experience in academic administration, including responsibility for budgets, personnel,and strategic planning, and a demonstrated record of getting things done;•Have a demonstrated ability and willingness to carry out significant fundraising efforts in partnershipwith University Advancement;•Understand the formation of seminarians and the work of seminaries and houses of formation, and beable to cultivate relationships of trust with rectors, formation directors, religious superiors, and bishops;•Have a deep understanding of the significance of theology for the life of the Church and for intellectual lifein general, and a broad familiarity with the history of theology and its bearing on contemporarytheological inquiry;•Be able to articulate a compelling vision for the School's future with respect to research, teaching(undergraduate and graduate, lay and seminary), enrollment, and the School's place in the academy and theChurch;•Value both scholarly and popular theological work and be able to lead a faculty engaged in both;•Exhibit energy, honesty, transparency, an entrepreneurial and innovative outlook, and a consultative andcollaborative spirit;•Possess a vision for the diversification of the academic portfolio of the School.•Be able to represent the School both inside and outside the University, in secular and ecclesial contexts(e.g., engagement with the USCCB); in particular, be able to engage with the media as an expert as needed.•Be a committed Catholic in good standing. THE CATHOLIC UNIVERSITY OF AMERICADEAN · POSITION PROSPECTUS · FALL 20267NOMINATIONS AND APPLICATIONSReview of applications will begin immediately and continue until the position is filled. The anticipated startdate is July 1, 2027. Applications should include a letter of interest addressing the qualifications and prioritiesabove, a curriculum vitae, a brief statement on the candidate's understanding of and commitment to themission of the University and the School, and the names and contact information of at least three references,who will not be contacted without the candidate's permission.The University is conducting this search directly. Interested candidates, and those desiring to nominatecandidates, should contact Dr. Lynn Mayer, Vice Provost and Chair of the Search Committee, atSTRS-deansearch@cua.edu. All inquiries, nominations, and applications will be held in confidence.The Catholic University of America is an Equal Opportunity Employer. As a Catholic institution, the Universityreserves the right to give preference in hiring to Catholic candidates in accordance with applicable law. All employeesmust be able to affirm and support the mission of the University in performing their duties. NOMINATIONS AND APPLICATIONSDr. Lynn Mayer, Vice Provost and Chair of the Search CommitteeSTRS-deansearch@cua.edu