Rev. Brian J. Shanley, O.P., S.T.L., Ph.D. (born July 7, 1958), is an American priest of the

Order of Preachers The Order of Preachers ( la, Ordo Praedicatorum) abbreviated OP, also known as the Dominicans, is a Catholic mendicant order of Pontifical Right for men founded in Toulouse, France, by the Spanish priest, saint and mystic Dominic of Cal ...

and a former president of

Providence College Providence College is a private Catholic university in Providence, Rhode Island. Founded in 1917 by the Dominican Order and the local diocese, it offers 47 undergraduate majors and 17 graduate programs. It requires all of its undergradua ...

. Shanley was elected the 18th President of

St. John's University St John's University may refer to: *St. John's University (New York City) **St. John's University School of Law **St. John's University (Italy) - Overseas Campus *College of Saint Benedict and Saint John's University, St. Joseph, Minnesota and Col ...

in New York on November 24, 2020 and started his tenure on February 1, 2021.

Biography

Born in

Warwick, Rhode Island Warwick ( or ) is a city in Kent County, Rhode Island, the third largest city in the state with a population of 82,823 at the 2020 census. It is located approximately south of downtown Providence, Rhode Island, southwest of Boston, Massachu ...

, on July 7, 1958, Shanley holds a doctorate in philosophy from the

University of Toronto The University of Toronto (UToronto or U of T) is a public research university in Toronto, Ontario, Canada, located on the grounds that surround Queen's Park. It was founded by royal charter in 1827 as King's College, the first institu ...

and completed a post-doctoral fellowship at the

University of Notre Dame The University of Notre Dame du Lac, known simply as Notre Dame ( ) or ND, is a private Catholic university, Catholic research university in Notre Dame, Indiana, outside the city of South Bend, Indiana, South Bend. French priest Edward Sorin fo ...

's Center for Philosophy of Religion. After completing undergraduate studies in history at

in 1980, he earned a licentiate degree in philosophy from

The Catholic University of America The Catholic University of America (CUA) is a private Roman Catholic research university in Washington, D.C. It is a pontifical university of the Catholic Church in the United States and the only institution of higher education founded by U. ...

(CUA) where he later taught. He also holds a master of divinity and a licentiate degree in sacred theology from the

Dominican House of Studies The Dominican House of Studies is a Catholic institution in Washington, DC, housing both the Priory of the Immaculate Conception, a community of the Province of St. Joseph of the Order of Preachers (Dominicans), and the Pontifical Faculty of the I ...

in Washington, D.C. Ordained to the priesthood as a member of the Dominican

in 1987, Shanley taught philosophy at Providence College and was a visiting professor at

Emory University Emory University is a private research university in Atlanta, Georgia. Founded in 1836 as "Emory College" by the Methodist Episcopal Church and named in honor of Methodist bishop John Emory, Emory is the second-oldest private institution of h ...

Candler School of Theology Candler School of Theology is one of seven graduate schools at Emory University, located in metropolitan Atlanta, Georgia. A university-based school of theology, Candler educates ministers, scholars of religion and other leaders. It is al ...

. He also served as an associate professor of philosophy at CUA. During his time as President of Providence College, he likewise served as a member of the Providence College Board of Trustees and Corporation (with prior service as chair of the Board's Strategic Planning Committee). He has also been a member of the executive committee of the

American Catholic Philosophical Association The American Catholic Philosophical Association (ACPA) is an organization of Catholic philosophers established in 1926 to promote the advancement of philosophy as an intellectual discipline consonant with Catholic tradition. Among the means used ...

and formerly served as regent of studies for the

Dominican Province of St. Joseph Dominican may refer to: * Someone or something from or related to the Dominican Republic ( , stress on the "mi"), on the island of Hispaniola in the Greater Antilles, in the Caribbean ** People of the Dominican Republic ** Demographics of the Do ...

, during which time he held a seat on the Provincial Council, a body of 12 Dominican Friars serving as cabinet-level advisors to the prior provincial. He advised the Prior Provincial on all matters pertaining to the intellectual and academic life of the province. On March 29, 2019, Shanley announced that, while the Providence College Board of Trustees had recommended that he serve another 5-year term, the Prior Provincial would not be making him available to do so. As a Dominican Friar, he accepted his superior's decision and concluded his service as President of Providence College at the end of his third term on June 30, 2020. Shanley previously served as both an associate editor and editor of

The Thomist ''The Thomist'' is a refereed peer-reviewed Catholic theological and philosophical journal published by the Pontifical Faculty of the Immaculate Conception and the Dominican Fathers Province of St. Joseph and distributed by Catholic University of ...

and as a member of the editorial board for the International Journal for Philosophy of Religion. Widely published in philosophy-focused academic journals, his research interests include

Thomas Aquinas Thomas Aquinas, OP (; it, Tommaso d'Aquino, lit=Thomas of Aquino; 1225 – 7 March 1274) was an Italian Dominican friar and priest who was an influential philosopher, theologian and jurist in the tradition of scholasticism; he is known wi ...

philosophy of religion Philosophy of religion is "the philosophical examination of the central themes and concepts involved in religious traditions". Philosophical discussions on such topics date from ancient times, and appear in the earliest known Text (literary theo ...

metaphysics Metaphysics is the branch of philosophy that studies the fundamental nature of reality, the first principles of being, identity and change, space and time, causality, necessity, and possibility. It includes questions about the nature of conscio ...

medieval philosophy Medieval philosophy is the philosophy that existed through the Middle Ages, the period roughly extending from the fall of the Western Roman Empire in the 5th century until after the Renaissance in the 13th and 14th centuries. Medieval philosoph ...

, and

ethics Ethics or moral philosophy is a branch of philosophy that "involves systematizing, defending, and recommending concepts of right and wrong behavior".''Internet Encyclopedia of Philosophy'' The field of ethics, along with aesthetics, concerns ...

. Shanley assumed the office of President of St. John’s University in New York in February, 2021. Shanley is an

opera Opera is a form of theatre in which music is a fundamental component and dramatic roles are taken by singers. Such a "work" (the literal translation of the Italian word "opera") is typically a collaboration between a composer and a libre ...

aficionado, enjoys

golf Golf is a club-and-ball sport in which players use various clubs to hit balls into a series of holes on a course in as few strokes as possible. Golf, unlike most ball games, cannot and does not use a standardized playing area, and coping ...

, and practices

Xing Yi Quan Xing Yi Quan is classified as one of the internal styles of Chinese martial arts. The name of the art translates approximately to "Form-Intention Fist", or "Shape-Will Fist". Xing Yi is characterized by aggressive, seemingly linear movement ...

martial arts.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Shanley, Brian J. Living people 1958 births American Dominicans Providence College faculty American Roman Catholic priests People from Warwick, Rhode Island Catholic University of America alumni University of Notre Dame alumni Providence College alumni Catholics from Rhode Island