Joseph A. Favazza is an American academic, author, and the 11th president of

Saint Anselm College Saint Anselm College is a private Benedictine liberal arts college in Goffstown, New Hampshire, United States. Founded in 1889, it is named after Saint Anselm of Canterbury. As of 2024, the college's enrollment was 2,094 students. History ...

Early life and education

Favazza is a native of

Memphis, Tennessee Memphis is a city in Shelby County, Tennessee, United States, and its county seat. Situated along the Mississippi River, it had a population of 633,104 at the 2020 United States census, 2020 census, making it the List of municipalities in Tenne ...

. He earned a Bachelor of Arts degree in history from the

Saint Meinrad Seminary and School of Theology The Saint Meinrad Seminary and School of Theology is a Roman Catholic seminary and school of theology in Saint Meinrad, Indiana. It is affiliated with the Saint Meinrad Archabbey in St. Meinrad, Indiana. The institution was named after Meinra ...

. He took theology courses at the University of St. Michael's College before earning a Master of Arts and PhD in religious studies from

KU Leuven KU Leuven (Katholieke Universiteit Leuven) is a Catholic research university in the city of Leuven, Leuven, Belgium. Founded in 1425, it is the oldest university in Belgium and the oldest university in the Low Countries. In addition to its mai ...

. He also earned a certificate in executive management from

Harvard Business School Harvard Business School (HBS) is the graduate school, graduate business school of Harvard University, a Private university, private Ivy League research university. Located in Allston, Massachusetts, HBS owns Harvard Business Publishing, which p ...

Career

Favazza began his career as a professor of religious studies at

Rhodes College Rhodes College is a private liberal arts college in Memphis, Tennessee, United States. Historically affiliated with the Presbyterian Church (USA), it is a member of the Associated Colleges of the South and is accredited by the Southern Associa ...

before becoming associate vice president for academic affairs and dean of the faculty. Prior to assuming his position at

, Favazza was provost and vice president for academic affairs at

Stonehill College Stonehill College is a private Catholic college in Easton, Massachusetts, United States. It was founded in 1948 by the Congregation of Holy Cross and is located on the original estate of Frederick Lothrop Ames Jr., with 29 buildings that compl ...

. At Stonehill, Favazza guided the restructuring of the academic programs into the Thomas and Donna May School of Arts & Sciences and the Leo J. Meehan School of Business. He also led the development of targeted graduate programs. In July 2019, Favazza was selected to serve as the 11th president of Saint Anselm.

Personal life

Favazza is the son of Ambrose and Mary Russo Favazza. In addition to a B.A. in history from St. Meinrad College in Indiana, he holds an M.A. and Ph.D. in religious studies from the Catholic University of Louvain, Belgium (Katholieke Universiteit Leuven a/k/a KU Leuven). He is published on a range of topics, from the ritual practices of forgiveness and reconciliation to fundamentals in academic leadership and pedagogy. His books include ''The Order of Penitents: Historical Roots and Pastoral Future'', ''Removing the Barriers: The Practice of Reconciliation'', ''A Reconciliation Sourcebook'', and ''From Cloister to Commons: Concepts and Models for Service-Learning in Religious Studies''. Favazza's wife, Dr. Paddy Cronin Favazza, is a professor and researcher in the field of early childhood education. The couple have four children, including three adopted from

Romania Romania is a country located at the crossroads of Central Europe, Central, Eastern Europe, Eastern and Southeast Europe. It borders Ukraine to the north and east, Hungary to the west, Serbia to the southwest, Bulgaria to the south, Moldova to ...

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Favazza, Joseph A. Living people Saint Anselm College faculty Academics from Memphis, Tennessee Religious studies scholars Saint Meinrad Seminary and School of Theology alumni KU Leuven alumni Year of birth missing (living people)