Campus Introduced to Newly Installed Endowed Chairs

Seven new endowed chair holders were installed and introduced to the campus community at the 2015 Convocation last week.

The new chair holders and their work are highlighted below.

The Patricia Doherty Yoder and Ronald Wolfe Endowed Chair in Communication Ethics

Dr. Ronald C. Arnett

The inaugural holder of The Patricia Doherty Yoder and Ronald Wolfe Chair, Arnett is chair and professor of the Department of Communication & Rhetorical Studies. Previously the inaugural holder of The Henry Koren, C.S.Sp., Endowed Chair for Scholarly Excellence, he received the 2013 President’s Award for Excellence in Scholarship and the 2005 Scholar of the Year Award from the Religious Communication Association. A scholar-pioneer in communication ethics, Arnett has earned international prominence as a scholar and is the author/co-author of nine books and four edited books.

The Yoder and Wolfe Chair is intended to support a distinguished scholar in communication ethics. It was founded in 2015 by alumni Patricia Doherty Yoder, former corporate communications executive and emeritus member of Duquesne’s board of directors, and James Ronald Wolfe, who was a partner at Simpson Thacher & Bartlett in New York.

The Henry Koren, C.S.Sp., Endowed Chair in Scholarly Excellence

Dr. Partha Basu

A professor of chemistry and biochemistry and Duquesne’s first faculty member admitted to the Royal Society of Chemistry, Basu’s research is in the broad area of bioinorganic chemistry, which combines design and synthesis of new molecules, detailed spectroscopic and kinetic analyses of compounds, protein expression and purification, with mass spectrometry. Basu holds two patents and has nearly 90 peer-reviewed publications. Additionally, he was one of the University’s first faculty members to receive startup funding from Innovation Works.

This chair was established in 2010 in honor of the Rev. Henry J. Koren, C.S.Sp., head of the philosophy department in the early 1950s who was largely responsible for making Duquesne an international center for phenomenological existentialism.

The Martin Hehir, C.S.Sp., Chair in Scholarly Excellence

Dr. Laura Crothers

Crothers, a professor in the school psychology program in the School of Education’s Department of Counseling, Psychology and Special Education, is a nationally certified school psychologist who is recognized as a renowned expert in childhood bullying by the National Association of School Psychologists. Her research examines bullying in children and adolescents, and she is investigating ways to diminish relational and social aggression and increase interpersonal maturity in teens.

The author of more than 30 manuscripts, monographs, books and book chapters, Crothers has lectured regionally, nationally and internationally. She is chair of psychology of women for Division 16 of the American Psychological Association.

This chair was established in 2010 in honor of the Rev. Martin Hehir, C.S.Sp., the fourth and longest-serving president of the University (1899-1930), who guided the change from the Pittsburgh Catholic College into Duquesne University.

The Noble J. Dick Endowed Chair in Academic Leadership

Nancy Perkins

A member of the Duquesne law faculty since 1993, Perkins teaches property and environmental law. Her scholarship explores the intersection of these two areas with a special focus on sustainability, equity and feminism. Perkins served as associate dean of academic affairs at the law school from 2009-2014, and she has served as a member of the executive committee of the advisory council of the Pennsylvania Department of Environmental Protection.

The Noble J. Dick Endowed Chair in Academic Leadership, established through the estate of contractor, banker and bus line operator Noble J. Dick, recognizes a faculty member from any discipline who demonstrates exceptional leadership in scholarship, teaching or service.

The Adrian Van Kaam, C.S.Sp., Endowed Chair in Scholarly Excellence

Dr. Eva M. Simms

Professor and director of the graduate program in psychology in the McAnulty College and Graduate School of Liberal Arts, Simms is only the second holder of the Adrian Van Kaam, C.S.Sp., Chair. Her interdisciplinary interests in philosophy, psychology, ecology, poetry, spirituality and feminism converge in her writing and research on child psychology and eco-psychology. Simms’ research group, PlaceLab, works with students to develop phenomenological concepts and methods for researching the intersection of community, nature and place in collaboration with community organizations.

The chair, established in 2010, is named for the Rev. Adrian Van Kaam, C.S.Sp., a member of the psychology department who founded the University’s Institute of Formative Spirituality in 1964. The institute flourished until 1994 and awarded 25 Ph.D.s and 670 master’s degrees.

The Noble J. Dick Endowed Chair in Community Outreach

Dr. John F. Stolz

Stolz, director of the Center for Environmental Research and Education, as well as professor of environmental microbiology, is involved in a number of outreach programs that promote science education and use of microbiology as a teaching tool, including the Pittsburgh Voyager Project, the Precollege Committee of the American Society for Microbiology and Microcosmos. His current research centers on the physiology and biochemistry of bacteria that transform metals and metalloids as well as microbial community structure.

The Noble J. Dick Endowed Chair in Community Outreach recognizes a faculty member who demonstrates—through teaching, research and service—exceptional achievement in community outreach.

The Joseph A. Lauritis, C.S.Sp., Endowed Chair in Teaching and Technology

Dr. Rick Zoucha

Zoucha, professor and chair of advanced role and doctoral nursing programs in the School of Nursing, is a Fellow in the American Academy of Nursing. A Certified Transcultural Nurse-Advanced, he also is certified by the American Nurses Credentialing Center as an Advanced Practice Adult Psychiatric Mental Health Nurse and a Clinical Nurse Specialist (Psychiatric Mental Health Clinical Nurse Specialist -Board Certified). Zoucha has taught transcultural and global nursing in the BSN, Post-Master’s, DNP and Ph.D. programs for the last 18 years. He also teaches qualitative research methods at the doctoral level.

Zoucha’s research interests include understanding various phenomena related to health and well-being in the Nicaraguan, Mexican American, African-American and African refugee and immigrant communities. A Leininger Award winner, he has presented nationally and internationally on issues of cultural care.

The Lauritis Chair is funded through a grant from the Richard King Mellon Foundation and is named for a Spiritan priest and professor who used radio broadcast to teach journalism. The chair holder is responsible for integrating technology and teaching in Duquesne’s classrooms.