Charles Zola, director of Mount Saint Mary College's Catholic and Dominican Institute, assistant to the President for Mission Integration, and associate professor of Philosophy, will continue this semester's Investigating Research on Campus (iROC) series with "Faith and Reason in American Higher Education" on Monday, March 7 at noon.
The talk will take place in person at the college and virtually via Zoom. It's free and open to the public.
The talk will be held on campus a 330 Powell Ave., Newburgh, N.Y. in the Dominican Center, room 218. Visitors may be asked to complete a short COVID symptom questionnaire before coming on campus. Please do not come to campus if you are feeling ill.
You must register to attend the virtual presentation. Register at www.msmc.edu/ZolaiROC
Zola's upcoming talk will examine the development of higher education and propose how the relationship between faith and reason should properly be understood in Catholic higher education.
An essential attribute of the Catholic intellectual tradition is the harmonious relationship between faith and reason, notes Zola. For more than a millennium, this principle guided the development of medieval universities. However, historic developments beginning in the 16th century gradually eroded this ethos, ultimately resulting in many people doubting the compatibility between faith and reason.
But, says Zola, in the wake of the Second Vatican Council, Catholic higher education has reclaimed and transformed this relationship and the role it plays in academia.
"A tour of Yale's Sterling Memorial Library inspired this talk concerning the intersectionality of faith and reason and higher education," Zola explained. "The subject is one that I find personally interesting as it reflects my dual role at the Mount of teaching philosophy and working on mission integration."
Zola earned a Bachelor of Arts in Philosophy from the University of Scranton, and a Master of Arts and Doctorate in Philosophy from the Catholic University of Louvian, Belgium. He has taught philosophy and ethics at the University of Scranton, Misericordia University, and Penn State University's Hazleton and Wilkes-Barre campuses. At Misericordia, he directed the Ethics Institute of Northeastern Pennsylvania and also served as a consultant and speaker for Temple University's Institute for Protective Services. He began teaching at Mount Saint Mary College in 2009. His areas of interest are Thomistic philosophy, applied ethics, and the Catholic intellectual tradition.
The goal of the college's iROC is to provide a forum for Mount faculty, staff, and students to showcase their research endeavors with the college and local communities. Presentations include research proposals, initial data collection, and completed research projects.
Mount Saint Mary College, ranked a Top-Tier University by U.S. News & World Report, offers bachelor's and master's degree programs for careers in healthcare, business, education, social services, communications, media, and the liberal arts.