President Peter Kilpatrick of The Catholic University of America appointed V. Bradley Lewis, Ph.D., as the next dean of the University’s School of Philosophy, effective July 1, 2024, pending final approval from the Holy See on his four-year appointment.
“For the whole of his career, Brad has demonstrated a strong commitment to excellence in teaching and scholarship, and to Catholic University and its mission. I am confident that he will hold the School of Philosophy to the same standards of superior academic achievement that have characterized the school throughout its distinguished history,” said Kilpatrick.
Lewis’ extensive academic background includes having earned his master’s and Ph.D. in government and international studies from the University of Notre Dame. He also has a bachelor’s in government and politics from the University of Maryland (High Honors). He has taught in Catholic University’s School of Philosophy since 1997. His areas of specialization span political philosophy, Plato, legal philosophy, and natural law theory, with a focus on topics such as ethics, ancient philosophy, and philosophy of the social sciences.
“The School of Philosophy is a unique academic community of highly accomplished scholars dedicated to the mission of Catholic University to pursue academic excellence in service to the Church, and it is the honor of a lifetime to serve them and our students in this role," shared Lewis.
“Our goal is simple: to be the best Catholic philosophical faculty in the world. It has been a privilege to work under three extraordinary deans, Jude Dougherty, Fr. Kurt Pritzl, and John McCarthy. The international reputation of the School of Philosophy is the fruit of their labor, and I know we can continue to build on it.”
Lewis served as the associate dean of the School of Philosophy in 2022-23. He spent the past academic year as a resident fellow in ethics at the Vice Admiral James B. Stockdale Center for Ethical Leadership at the United States Naval Academy.
His dedication to academic excellence has been recognized through various grants, honors, and awards, including the Mary Ann Remick Fellowship from the Notre Dame Center for Ethics and Culture, and the Earhart Foundation Research Fellowship Grant. His prolific scholarly output reflects his dedication to advancing knowledge in political and legal philosophy. He has served as the associate editor of the American Journal of Jurisprudence for the past 19 years, and he has co-directed the Institute for Human Ecology’s Program in Catholic Political Thought.
The outgoing dean of the School of Philosophy, John McCarthy, Ph.D., will step down at the end of his current term, having served as dean since 2010. After taking a sabbatical, McCarthy will continue to teach in the School of Philosophy. He will receive the title of dean emeritus of the School of Philosophy, effective July 1.
In a note to the community, Kilpatrick shared words of gratitude for McCarthy’s service: “For the past 14 years, John has served the School of Philosophy with selfless and unwavering fidelity to the University, the highest standards of excellence for its faculty and students, and commitment to our ecclesiastical programs.
“The legacy of his tenure as dean will be the long line of Ph.D. candidates, masters students, and undergraduates he has shepherded through the program, the excellent faculty he hired and integrated into the school, and the consistent and tireless effort he put in to ensure that Catholic University’s School of Philosophy continues to operate at the highest levels of scholarship and teaching.”
“Above all I am grateful,” said McCarthy. “It has been a particular privilege, while serving in this role, to get to know so many people who support the School of Philosophy's distinctive mission, at once academic and ecclesial. I am convinced more than ever of the goodness and value of that mission. It’s a tremendous privilege to be part of such an educational endeavor. We are also blessed to have, in our new dean, someone with an intimate understanding of, and unflagging commitment to, our enterprise. I very much look forward to working under Brad’s leadership of the school in this next phase of its long and distinguished history.”
Provost Aaron Dominguez said he looked forward to working with Lewis, “Brad characterizes everything we would want in a dean, particularly his commitment to excellence. I want to give special thanks to Dean McCarthy for his leadership and for being a strong voice for Catholic higher education.”
The School of Philosophy was formally inaugurated in 1895, six years after The Catholic University of America first opened its doors. Together with the School of Canon Law and the School of Theology and Religious Studies, the School of Philosophy is accredited by the Holy See under the Apostolic Constitution Veritatis Gaudium, and is thereby authorized to confer all three ecclesiastical degrees in philosophy: Bachelor’s in Philosophy (Ph.B.), Licentiate in Philosophy (Ph.L.), and Doctorate in Philosophy (Ph.D.).
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