Department of Philosophy Assumption College

Office

Assumption College

500 Salisbury Street

Worcester, MA 01609-1296

gcolvert@assumption.edu

Gavin T. Colvert

Education		1995 Ph.D., University of Toronto, Canada (Philosophy) 1988 M.A., University of Toronto, Canada (Philosophy) 1987 B.A., Magna Cum Laude, Santa Clara University, California (Philosophy) -- Phi Beta Kappa, Alpha Sigma Nu, Phi Sigma Tau, Phi Alpha Theta
Employment experience		Department Chairperson (2008-), Associate Professor (2004-), Assistant Professor (2000-04), Department of Philosophy, Assumption College, Worcester, MA. Director of the Ecumenical Institute, Assumption College (Concurrent 2007-) Through its various endowed lectures, professional development and student enrichment programs the Institute serves as a catalyst for cultural, ecumenical and interfaith dialogue for the College and the broader community in central Massachusetts. The Director is responsible for programming decisions, scheduling, budgeting, event management, publicity, and community relations as an ambassador of the College. Concurrent External Lectureships Instructor (2001-05) Bard College of New York, Roberto Clemente Program in the Humanities, Worcester site. – Served as a teacher and mentor in a humanities program sponsored by the Massachusetts Foundation for the Humanities and Bard College, aimed at opening doors to higher education for non-traditional students from economically disadvantaged and under-represented groups. Lecturer, Educational Initiative for Central and Eastern Europe (EICEE), Summer Program, Vienna, Austria (S 2004, 05). Served as a faculty member and mentor introducing graduate students from Eastern European nations to Western civil and political concepts and institutions. Previous experience: Assistant Professor (1995-2000), Instructor (1993-95), Philosophy Department, College of the Holy Cross, MA. Instructor, Philosophy Dept., Erindale College, University of Toronto, Canada (1992). Instructor, Oratory Philosophy Programme, Toronto, Canada (1990-91).
Academic Work		research, publication, and teaching Detailed academic record of scholarship and publication attached below. As an active scholar and administrator I am a tireless advocate for faculty development and promotion of professional excellence as a benefit to both individual achievement and enhancement of excellence in undergraduate teaching and research. I maintain an active research program, including the publication of a book and 20 articles, book chapters, and reviews in various scholarly and general interest publications. Frequent invited and contributed research presentations in the United States and Europe. Teaching competence in Business Ethics, Logic and Critical Thinking, in addition to specialized knowledge of the history of philosophy. Recipient of numerous scholarly awards and grants, including membership in Phi Beta Kappa, the nation’s oldest and most prestigious honor society.
Community and Professional Service Highlights		Institutional Assumption College Board of Trustees Committees (Mission, Institutional Advancement, Facilities and Tech), President’s Advisory Group, Provost Search Committee, Core Curriculum Review (Chair), Provost’s Task Force: New Programs, New Faculty Orientation, NEASC Regional Academic Accreditation. Departmental assessment team, numerous hiring committees in various departments (member or chair). Employee compensation and benefits (Chair), policy document (contract) revision committee, faculty research and development committee (Chair) Academic Mentor – Women’s Basketball Program (NCAA Division II) Sexual harassment grievance committee PrOFESSIONAL Vice President, American Maritain Association (2006-2012). The AMA hosts a yearly international conference for upwards of seventy-five scholars. It also publishes a book series and a newsletter. Executive Council Member, American Catholic Philosophical Association (2002-2005), Executive Committee of the Executive Council (2004-2005). community Invited presentations and mini-courses on professional ethics and personal character development for local high schools and corporations. Active member of my local and regional faith communities, serving in various educational and administrative roles (adult educator, lector, parish council representative, etc.) Volunteer experience coaching middle and high-school basketball teams in my community.

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Areas of Expertise		Areas of specialization Moral and Political Philosophy, Medieval Philosophy (Esp. 13th-14th Cent.) Areas of Competence Applied Ethics, Philosophy of Law, Philosophy of Religion History of Philosophy (Ancient, Medieval, Early Modern, Islamic and Jewish philosophy) Introductory Logic, Metaphysics, Community Service Learning
Publications		Book The Renewal of Civilization: Essays in Honor of Jacques Maritain, Gavin T. Colvert (edited with Introduction), American Maritain Association / Catholic University Press, 2010. articles and book chapters “Getting Back to Nature in Ethics and Politics,” in Jerusalem, Athens, and Rome: Essays in Honor of James V. Schall, S.J., Marc D. Guerra ed., St. Augustine’s Press 2013. “Good in Itself,” in The New Catholic Encyclopedia, 2012 Supplement. “Knowledge, Theories of” in The New Catholic Encyclopedia, 2012 Supplement edition. “Aquinas and the Limits of Political Authority: Natural Lawyer or Virtue Politician?” in The Human Person and a Culture of Freedom, Peter Pagan and Terese Auer, O.P. eds. , American Maritain Association / CUA Press 2009. “Aquinas and Ethical Naturalism,” Lyceum 8:2, Spring 2007 (ISSN 1934-2438). “Response to J. F. Pradeau: The Law According to Plato,” Proceedings of the Boston Area Colloquium in Ancient Philosophy, Volume XXI, 2005, Leiden: Brill 2006. “Liberty and Responsibility: John Paul II, Ethics and the Law” in Christopher Tollefsen, ed., John Paul II’s Contribution to Catholic Bioethics, Springer 2004. “Maritain and the Idea of a Catholic University,” in Truth Matters, John G. Trapani, ed., American Maritain Association / CUA Press 2004. “Realism with a Thomist Face: A Response to Hilary Putnam,” in Realism and Anti-Realism, William P. Alston, ed., Cornell University Press, (2002). "The Spirit of Medieval Philosophy in a Post-Modern World" in Faith, Scholarship, and Culture in the 21st Century, Alice Ramos and Marie I. George eds., American Maritain Association / CUA Press 2002. “Cognition Without Mirrors: Ockham’s Theory of Signification” The Modern Schoolman, LXXVII, March 2000, pp. 235-265. “Aquinas on Raising Cain: Vice, Incontinence and Responsibility,” Proceedings of the American Catholic Philosophical Association, American Catholic Philosophical Quarterly, Volume 71 Suppl., 1997, pp. 202-220. “Aquinas and Davidson on Making Bad Choices,” Proceedings of the Conference on Patristic, Medieval and Renaissance Studies, Villanova University, 1993-94. Book Reviews Marc D. Guerra, Christians as Political Animals: Taking the Measure of Modernity and Modern Democracy, in Perspectives on Political Science 41, no. 1: 49–51 (2012). David Lewis Schaefer, Illiberal Justice: John Rawls vs. the American Political Tradition. In Society, July 2010, Volume 47, Issue 4, pp 369-373. Douglas Rasmussen and Douglas Den Uyl, Norms of Liberty: A Perfectionist Basis for Non-Perfectionist Politics, in The Thomist, 71:4, October 2007, pp. 637-645. Carson Holloway, The Right Darwin? Evolution, Religion, and the Future of Democracy, Society 44:4, May-June 2007, pp 86-90. John O’Callaghan, Thomist Realism and the Linguistic Turn: Toward a More Perfect Form of Existence (UND Press), The Thomist, April 2004. Germain Grisez, "The Way of the Lord Jesus Volume III: Difficult Moral Questions," (1997) American Catholic Philosophical Quarterly. Summer 2001. Work in progress “Assessing Augustine” “Prudence and the Limits of Political Authority” “Action, Virtue and Principle: The Moral Philosophy of Thomas Aquinas”
Lectures and conferences		Invited Lectures “Assessing Augustine” – Augustine conference, Assumption College, April 2011. “Aquinas and Ethical Naturalism,” St. Anselm College, Bready Lecture Series, November 2006. Response to J. F. Pradeau, “The Law According to Plato,” Boston Area Colloquium in Ancient Philosophy, February 2005. Reply to: Anthony Lisska, “God, Aquinas and Natural Law Theory: The Question of Natural Kinds,” 48th Annual Wheaton Philosophy Conference, Wheaton University, IL, October 1999. Reply to: Thomas Hibbs, “Virtue Politics: The Missing Element in Contemporary Virtue Theory,” ACPA Special Session, Eastern Division Meeting of the American Philosophical Association, Washington, D.C., December 1998. “Between the Head and the Heart: Aquinas on Some Open Questions in Ethics” University of South Carolina, Philosophy Department Colloquium Series, September 1998. “Aquinas and Davidson on Making Bad Choices,” Boston College, March, 1994. Conference Presentations / COLLOQUIA “Aquinas on Prudence, Law and Subsidiarity,” Conference: Thomas Aquinas: Teacher of Humanity, Center for Thomistic Studies & the JP II Forum, University of St. Thomas, Houston, Texas, October 2013. “Aristotle and Aquinas on Free Choice and Weakness of Will,” Assumption College d’Alzon Faculty Seminar, spring 2013. “Natural Law and Ethical Naturalism,” Assumption College Symposium, Spring 2012 “Redeeming Liberal Education,” American Maritain Association, International Conference, fall 2011. “Defending the Core: Notes From the Jailhouse,” Association for Core Texts and Courses, 16th Annual Conference, New Brunswick, NJ April 2010 Panelist/Respondent, “Philosophy and the Law,” Northeastern Political Science Association, Boston, MA, November 2008. “Response to Steve Long’s The Teleological Grammar of the Moral Act,” American Maritain Association, International Conference, University of Notre Dame, IN, October 2007. “Response to Jean Porter’s Nature as Reason,” American Catholic Philosophical Association Conference, Denison University, OH, November 2006. “Back to Nature: Making Sense of Recent Developments in Moral Philosophy ,” American Maritain Association, International Conference, Aquinas College, TN, October 2006 “Service to the Truth: The Vocation of a Christian Philosopher,” American Maritain Association, International Conference, Catholic University of America, Washington, D.C., October 2005. “Maritain on Human Dignity and the Language of Human Rights,” American Maritain Association, International Conference, Emory University, Atlanta, Georgia, October 2004. “Aquinas and the Limits of Political Authority: Natural Lawyer or Virtue Politician?” American Maritain Association, International Conference, University of Chicago, October 2003 “Aquinas and Contemporary Challenges in Meta-Ethics,” American Catholic Philosophical Association, Annual Meeting, Houston Texas, November 2003 “Maritain and American Liberalism,” American Maritain Association, International Conference, Princeton University, October 2002. “Aquinas Virtue Theorist and/or Natural Lawyer?” Assumption College, Philosophy Department, Spring 2002 “Maritain and the Idea of a Catholic University,” American Maritain Association, International Conference, Boca Raton, Florida, October 2001 “The Spirit of Medieval Philosophy in a Post-Modern World,” American Maritain Association, International Conference, University of Notre Dame, October 2000. “Realism with a Thomist Face: A Response to Hilary Putnam” Calvin College Seminar in Christian Scholarship, Spring 2000 Conference. “Aquinas and Virtue Ethics,” 34th International Congress on Medieval Studies, Western Michigan University at Kalamazoo, May 1999. “Realism with a Thomist Face: Responses to Hilary Putnam” 23rd International Conference on Patristic, Medieval and Renaissance Studies, Villanova University, October 1998. “Aquinas on the Objectivity and Practicality of Ethics”, 33rd International Congress on Medieval Studies, Western Michigan University at Kalamazoo, May 1998. “The View from Middle Age: Aquinas and the Objectivity of Values,” 26th Conference on Value Inquiry, University of Montevallo, Alabama, April 1998. “Between the Head and the Heart: Aquinas on Some Open Questions in Ethics” College of the Holy Cross, Philosophy Department Colloquium, April 1998. “Moral Objectivity and the ‘New Natural Law Theory’,” 22nd International Conference on Patristic, Medieval and Renaissance Studies, Villanova University, September 1997. “After Positivism: Redefining Medieval Philosophy?” Xth. International Congress of the S.I.E.P.M., Erfurt, Germany, August 1997. “Aquinas and Some Problems in Contemporary Metaethics,” 32nd. International Congress on Medieval Studies, Western Michigan University at Kalamazoo, May 1997. “Aquinas on Raising Cain: Vice, Incontinence and Responsibility,” Seventy-First Annual Meeting of the American Catholic Philosophical Association, Buffalo, NY, March 1997. “Forethought of Malice: Aquinas on Free Choice and the Causes of Sin,” 21st International Conference on Patristic, Medieval and Renaissance Studies, Villanova University, October 1996. “The Good, The Bad and The Ugly: Thomas Aquinas on Practical Rationality and the Causes of Sin,” Summer Thomistic Institute, University of Notre Dame, July 1996. “The Causes of Sin and Practical Rationality,” 31st. International Congress on Medieval Studies, Western Michigan University at Kalamazoo, May 1996. “Practical Rationality and ‘The New Natural Law Theory,’” College of the Holy Cross, Philosophy Department Colloquium, April 1996. “Aquinas on Rationality and Freedom,” 20th International Conference on Patristic, Medieval and Renaissance Studies, Villanova University, September 1995. “Aquinas on the Primary Principles of the Natural Law and Practical Rationality,” 5th. International Meeting of the Texas Medieval Association, Trinity University, September 1995. “The Freedom and Rationality of Bad Choices,” 30th. International Congress on Medieval Studies, Western Michigan University at Kalamazoo, May 1995. “Aquinas on Natural Law, Virtue and Deformed Choice,” 19th International Conference on Patristic, Medieval and Renaissance Studies, Villanova University, October 1994. “Aquinas and His Critics on Rationality and Practical Error,” 4th International Meeting of the Texas Medieval Association, Our Lady of the Lake University, September 1994. “Aquinas on the Rationality of Bad Choices,” 18th International Conference on Patristic, Medieval and Renaissance Studies, Villanova University, October 1993. "Computer Analysis of Philosophical Texts: A TACTful Approach," 6th International Conference on Computers and Philosophy (CAP), Southern Connecticut State University, August 1991.
other		National Endowment for the Humanities Grant to Younger Scholars, Summer 1986, research and writing project.