Nationally recognized authority on the transcendent implications of contemporary astrophysics
Rev. Robert J. Spitzer, SJ, will deliver the 32nd Annual Aquinas Lecture at the University
of Dallas on Tuesday, Jan. 28, 2014, at 7:30 p.m. in Lynch Auditorium. Spitzer, who
serves as president of the Magis Center of Reason and Faith in Irvine, Calif., a Catholic
institute dedicated to educating people of all ages about the complementary relationship
between science and faith, will speak on "The Evidence of Creation from Contemporary
Big Bang Cosmology: Extending the Legacy of Monsignor Georges Lematre." The lecture
is free and open to the public.
"The UD community is delighted to welcome Fr. Spitzer to discuss the legacy of Msgr. Lematre, who first formulated the Big Bang hypothesis," said Philipp Rosemann, professor of philosophy and department chair.
Spitzer served as president of Gonzaga University for 11 years before joining the Magis Center. He has debated God and physics with Stephen Hawking on Larry King Live and euthanasia on NBC's Today Show. A scholar whose academic interests include the philosophy of science and metaphysics, Spitzer earned a doctorate in philosophy from the Catholic University of America.
Christopher Mirus, associate professor of philosophy and director of the university's philosophy and history of science program, will deliver a response to Spitzer's lecture immediately afterwards.
The Aquinas Lecture series, begun in 1983, is an annual event sponsored by the Philosophy Department. It features distinguished contemporary thinkers who address topics in the spirit of St. Thomas Aquinas. In recent years, Aquinas Lecturers have included luminaries such as Robert George from Princeton University, William Desmond from the University of Louvain (Belgium), Thomas Hibbs from Baylor University, Timothy Noone from the Catholic University of America and John Milbank from the University of Nottingham (United Kingdom). For more information about the Aquinas Lecture, visit udallas.edu/aquinas2014.
The Magis Center produces documentaries, books, high school curricula, college courses, adult-education curricula and new media materials to show the close connection between faith and reason in contemporary astrophysics, philosophy, and historical study of the New Testament. For more information, visit magisreasonfaith.org.
Dallas-area native and Door Number 9 designer Elisa Choffel Low, BA '03, will have her latest dress design showcased on the red carpet at the Emmy Awards in Los Angeles on Sunday, Sept. 22. The silver open-back vintage-style gown includes a striking chainmail jewelry inset created in collaboration with Toronto jewelry designer Kyra Matsui.
+ Read MoreOn Friday, Sept. 13, the university community welcomed George Weigel, distinguished senior fellow of the Ethics and Public Policy Center and the father of two UD alumnae. Celebrated for his two-volume biography of St. John Paul II and many other intellectual contributions, Weigel presented an exploration of the current Catholic situation in light of a new interpretation of the past 250 years of the church's interaction with social, cultural, economic and political modernity.
+ Read MoreGabe Dickey, DBA '19, recently successfully defended his dissertation, titled "Exploring the Human Side of Audit Quality: Team Engagement and Partner Leadership Behaviors," for UD's Doctor of Business Administration. Dickey has spent his career in the accounting profession, the vast majority as a certified public accountant working in auditing. He began UD's DBA program three years ago, drawn in by his interest in broader business issues and the program's practitioner-oriented focus.
+ Read More
