Saint Michael's College

Title: Professor of Religious Studies

Education: B.A. University of Dayton; M.A. St. Louis University; Ph.D. McMaster University

Areas of Expertise/Research Interests: Hindu and Buddhist religious thought and Christianity in Latin America.

Testimonial: Saint Michael’s--because it is a small Catholic residential college--has an unusually strong support system both academically and personally.

What do you like most about teaching/working at Saint Michael's College? It’s great to be able to work with colleagues who have expertise in such a variety of exciting and relevant areas of study, from medical ethics, women’s spirituality, biblical studies, Catholicism in America, Islam etc. When issues such as the Terri Schiavo case, the DaVinci Code, or the election of a new Pope are making the rounds, there is usually someone in our department with the inside scoop to enlighten us about what is really going on.

What do you like about Saint Michael's students? I like that our students are very comfortable in relating to faculty as persons more than as authority figures. I also like the fact that our students are able to see connections between their various courses and even across disciplines. I have often had students come to talk with me about a project they are working on in another course which they see related to what they studied in one of my courses.

What is your favorite class to teach, and why? Christian Liberation Theology and Buddhist Religious Thought are probably my two favorite courses to teach. I have been teaching the religions of India, China and Japan for over thirty years and have received a lot of positive feedback from students whose eyes were opened to a whole new and enlightening way of thinking.