Karen Eifler, professor of education and co-executive director of the Garaventa Center, has been named as the next executive director of Collegium after founding executive director Tom Landy’s retirement on June 30, 2022. Collegium was founded in 1992 to help faculty at Catholic colleges and universities better understand the mission of Catholic higher education, and to invite and help prepare them to become leaders in advancing that mission in creative ways. The administration of Collegium will be transitioned from College of the Holy Cross to University of Portland.
Collegium is best known for its annual week long summer colloquy on faith and intellectual life, where faculty of all religious backgrounds and disciplines can learn about the legacy and priorities of Catholic higher education, think about their own vocation as teachers and scholars, and discern how their commitments and talents can enhance the mission of their institution. Nearly 2,000 faculty have participated in these colloquies over the last 27 years. Keynote talks, intensive small group discussions and opportunities for reflection and prayer are interwoven in ways that leave participants feeling intellectually invigorated, with a renewed sense of purpose.
Members of the Collegium search committee unanimously brought Eifler forward for board ratification finding her deep integration of the Catholic intellectual tradition, her humility, and her commitment to Collegium made her the obvious and natural choice for the next executive director.
For more information contact Norah Martin, philosophy and environmental studies, at martin@up.edu.