Endowed Centers, Chairs, Professorships, and Lectureships

Endowed Centers

The Edward M. Muldoon Center for Entrepreneurship
The Muldoon Center for Entrepreneurship was established in the Boler School of Business in 1999 as an educational, networking, and consulting resource for entrepreneurs and owners of privately held businesses, particularly members of the university’s Entrepreneurs Association.  The center was funded initially through the generosity of a group of “Founders,” comprised of Entrepreneurs Association members and companies with whom they are affiliated.  It is permanently endowed through a $1 million gift from Edward M. Muldoon, Class of 1948, and a matching $1 million from the Boler Challenge Fund.  Mr. Muldoon is the founder of Bivar, Inc., an electronics components and assembly company in Irvine, California, where he served for thirty-five years as its chief executive.
The Muldoon Center offers networking opportunities and special programs designed for entrepreneurs and their employees.  It facilitates discussions on issues important to the owners of closely held businesses and offers consulting opportunities by tapping into knowledgeable and experienced faculty members in a variety of business-related disciplines.  The center helps members of the Entrepreneurs Association identify capable students and talented alumni to meet the human resource needs of their companies.

Endowed Chairs

The Edward J. and Louise E. Mellen Chair in Finance
The Mellen Chair was established in September 1984, with the commitment of a gift for the Boler School of Business as a part of the university’s Centennial Campaign.  The chair challenges and encourages the faculty of the Boler School to achieve new levels of excellence in teaching, research, and service so that the school remains in the forefront of business education.  The service component is oriented towards the establishment and enhancement of academic-business relationships and cooperation.
The Mellen Chair in Finance is held by an individual who has a recognized national reputation in research and teaching, and the demonstrated ability and experience to work effectively with business and professional leaders as well as faculty colleagues.  Previous holders of the chair have been Dr. Michael G. Ferri and Dr. Raj Aggarwal.  The current chair holder is Dr. LeRoy Brooks.

The Tuohy Chair of Interreligious Studies
Mr. Walter Tuohy, vice chairman and chief executive of the Chesapeake and Ohio Railroad, was a dedicated Catholic layman, and active member of the National Conference of Christians and Jews, and a zealous promoter of religious understanding.  After his death in 1966, the Walter and Mary Tuohy Chair of Interreligious Studies was established at John Carroll University to honor the late Mr. Tuohy and his wife Mary.
Under the auspices of the Tuohy Chair, the university offers a series of courses and free public lectures on interreligious topics.  This program is designed to bring scholars of major religious traditions to the university campus for dialogue with students, faculty, religious leaders, and the general public.
Tuohy Chair lectures have included the following major figures in theological scholarship:  John Cobb, David Tracy, Theodore Stephanopoulos, Thomas Hopko, Demetrios Constantelos, Anglican Bishop R. C. P. Hanson, Michael A. Fahey, S.J., Martin McNamara, M.S.C., William H. C. Frend, Roderick A. F. Mackenzie, S.J., W. Norman Pittenger, Sophie Laws, Robert Eno, S.S., Frederick W. Norris, Rabbi Arthur J. Lelyveld, Brian Daley, S.J., Charles S. McCoy, J. T. Lienhard, S.J., Alastair Campbell, Maria Harris, Francis Clooney, S.J., John Haughey, S.J., James Keenan, S.J., Diana L. Hayes, Robin Jensen, John Kelsay, William J. Harmless, S.J., and Sidney H. Griffith, S.T., Joseph A. Bracken, S.J., and Paul Heck.  The chairholder for 2007-08 is Anne Clifford, C.S.J.

The Edmund F. Miller, S.J., Chair in Classics
The Miller Chair, endowed originally by a $1.5-million grant from the F. J. O’Neill Charitable Trust, honors the memory of Edmund F. Miller, S.J., who was rector of the John Carroll University Jesuit Community, associate professor of classical languages, and a trustee of the university.  The study of the classical tradition and the humanistic values it represents has always occupied a prominent role in Jesuit education.  The Miller Chair brings an established Jesuit scholar to campus to further this tradition through teaching and research.  Past holders of the chair have been Roland J. Teske, S.J., Robert J. O’Connell, S.J., James N. Loughran, S.J., Arthur R. Madigan, S.J., Gary M. Gurtler, S.J., David H. Gill, S.J., and Gregory I. Carlson, S.J. The chairholder for 2006-08 is Claude Pavur, S.J.
 
The Wasmer Chair in American Values
In 1977, Mr. and Mrs. John C. Wasmer, Sr., endowed the Wasmer Chair in American Values.  Their interest in the chair is carried on by their sons, Jack ’45, and George ’58, and their families.  The chair supports research and academic activities in the Boler School of Business, particularly research focused on the American free enterprise system and business ethics.  The Boler School’s Wasmer Fellows are supported through this endowment.

The Don Shula Chair of Philosophy
The study of philosophy is central to Jesuit higher education.  John Carroll graduates regularly testify to the shaping influence philosophy has had on their lives.  Through lectures, seminars, courses, research, and related activities, the Shula Chair seeks to lead John Carroll students to question, examine, and formulate values, and respond ethically to important issues that will confront them now and in the course of their lives and careers.  The current holder of the chair is Dr. Brenda A. Wirkus.

The John J. Kahl, Sr., Chair in Entrepreneurship
The John J. Kahl, Sr., Chair in Entrepreneurship in the Boler School of Business supports a faculty member’s teaching and research on the various aspects of entrepreneurship.  The holder of the Kahl Chair sponsors public programs for the entrepreneurial community and for those who aspire to become entrepreneurs.
The Kahl Chair was funded in 1998 through a $1 million gift from 1962 alumnus Jack Kahl, Jr., founder and former CEO of Manco, Inc., currently Henkel Consumer Adhesives.  The chair is named for John J. Kahl, Sr., father of Jack Kahl, Jr.  A matching gift from the Boler Challenge Fund increased the initial endowment of the Kahl Chair to $2 million.  Dr. Dianne H. B. Welsh was the first holder of the chair.  The current chair holder is Dr. John C. Soper.

The Standard Products – Dr. James S. Reid Chair in Management
Endowed by the Reid Family, the Standard Products Company, its foundation, and other friends, this chair provides support to a tenured professor or associate professor in the Department of Management, Marketing, and Logistics in the Boler School of Business.  The chair emphasizes quality issues and innovative business practices to prepare students for leadership roles in business.  The chair holder’s research focuses on these issues to enhance the academic reputation of the Boler School and, as part of the service component of the chair, to assist local firms and organizations seeking to revitalize industry in Northeastern Ohio.  Past holders of the chair have been Dr. John Burnham, Dr. Mark D. Treleven, Dr. Marian M. Extejt, Dr. Paul R. Murphy, Jr., and Dr. Charles A. Watts.  The current Standard Products-Reid Professor is Dr. J. Benjamin Forbes.

The John G. and Mary Jane Breen Chair in Catholic Studies
This chair is funded out of the endowment created by John G. and Mary Jane Breen for the Institute of Catholic Studies, which was initiated in 1997.  It is intended to support the director of the institute for his organizational leadership and vision, teaching of courses related to the concentration in Catholic studies, and ongoing scholarship on the Catholic intellectual legacy.  The current holder of the chair is Dr. Paul V. Murphy of the Department of History. 

Endowed Professorships

The KPMG Professorship in Accountancy
This professorship in accountancy, established in 1990 by the international public accounting firm of KPMG LLP (formerly Peat Marwick), provides support to a tenured professor or associate professor in the Department of Accountancy.  The professorship seeks to expand student and community awareness and knowledge of issues in finance and accounting through excellence in teaching, research and service.  Previous KPMG professors were Dr. Richard K. Fleischman, Jr., Dr. Lawrence P. Kalbers, Dr. Roland L. Madison, and Dr. William Cenker.  The current KPMG professor is Dr. Karen Schuele.

The Gerard Manley Hopkins Professorship in British Literature
Named for the nineteenth-century Jesuit, a significant figure in British poetry, the Gerard Manley Hopkins Professorship in British Literature enables the university to support programs and host visiting scholars who teach, offer public lectures, and are a source of renewal and energy for faculty, students, and the community.  The professorship is endowed through the generosity of the late Leland and Helen Schubert with matching support from the Boler Challenge Fund.  Its intent is to enrich the undergraduate and graduate programs of the Department of English, foster interdisciplinary endeavors, and bring greater national visibility to the department and the university.  The first Hopkins Professor in British Literature was Dr. Willy Maley.  Other holders of the chair have been Dr. Duncan Wu, Dr. Oliver Plunkett Rafferty, Dr. David Attwell, Dr. Matthew Pateman, and Dr. Derek Cohen.

The Jesuit Visiting Professorship
Inaugurated in 1991, the Jesuit Visiting Professorship brings to campus outstanding Jesuit scholars for a semester or full academic year to teach undergraduates and stimulate cross-disciplinary faculty dialogue.  Visiting Professors have included John D. Boyd, S.J., Gerald McCool, S.J., Philip C. Rule, S.J., Howard J. Gray, S.J., Vernon Ruland, S.J., and Oliver Rafferty, S.J.

Endowed Lectureships

Bernard Hollander Lectureship in Jewish Studies
The Department of Religious Studies offers several courses in Jewish studies.  These courses, taught by a rabbi, are sponsored by the Jewish Chautauqua Society.  It is the society’s goal to make accessible to students courses in Jewish history and theology.  Since 1976, this program has been made possible by a gift in memory of Bernard Hollander.  Past holders of the lectureship include Rabbis Philip Horowitz, Stuart Geller, and Arthur J. Lelyveld.  The current holder is Rabbi Michael Oppenheimer.

Louis E. and Marcia M. Emsheimer Charitable Trust Philanthropic Fund
The Department of Religious Studies’ courses in Jewish studies are also supported by the Louis E. and Marcia M. Emsheimer Charitable Trust Philanthropic Fund of the Jewish Community Federation of Cleveland.  A past recipient of this support was Jacob Shtull.

The Bediüzzaman Said Nursi Chair in Islamic Studies
The Department of Religious Studies has received financial support to establish the Nursi Chair in Islamic Studies from two Turkish businessmen who were inspired by the work of Bediüzzaman Said Nursi (1879-1960).  Nursi dedicated his entire life to the teachings of the Qur’an and wrote over 100 books and treatises on Islamic subjects.  Additional support comes from the Muslim and Turkish communities of Cleveland.  Department courses on Islam are also supported by the Nursi Endowment Chair.  The Nursi Chair not only offers courses on Islamic topics but also hosts lectures and other special events designed to foster a better understanding of Islam and to encourage dialogue with faculty, students, and the Cleveland community.  The first holder of the chair is Dr. Zeki Saritoprak (2003- ).

Kahl Endowment for Internationalization of the Curriculum
Funded through a gift of $500,000 from Jack Kahl ’62, founder of Manco, Inc., and a member of the John Carroll Board of Directors, the Kahl Endowment supports faculty travel related to the internationalization of the curriculum.  Since its establishment in 1994, the endowment has enabled faculty members to visit destinations around the globe for the purpose of creating courses with an international theme or of incorporating an international dimension into preexisting courses.  Applications must include a letter of support from the faculty member’s department chair and approval from the appropriate dean.  Guidelines for interested faculty are available from the Office of the Academic Vice President, who determines the amount of the award.