November 06, 2018
Dr. Aurelie Hagstrom ’85 is first Christie Endowed Chair in Catholic and Dominican Studies
Dr. Aurelie A. Hagstrom ’85, associate professor of theology at Providence College, has been appointed the first William J. and Maryann Christie Endowed Chair in Catholic and Dominican Studies, announced Dr. Hugh F. Lena, provost and senior vice president for academic affairs.
Hagstrom, who will serve for a three-year term, will work with Rev. James Cuddy, O.P. ’98, vice president for mission and ministry, to develop programming, lectures, and activities to increase awareness of the Catholic and Dominican mission within the College community.
The endowed chair, which is the College’s fourth, was made possible by a gift from William J. Christie ’61 & ’11Hon. and his wife, Maryann. William Christie is an emeritus trustee of the College. The Christies are among the College’s most generous benefactors. They are the parents of five, including Kerry Christie McConville ’86, Emmett Christie ’93, and William Christie, Jr. ’93, and have 16 grandchildren, including Bridget Hillsman ’17.
“We’re thrilled to have Dr. Hagstrom on board as the first Christie Chair,” Father Cuddy said. “Her love for Providence College and its Catholic and Dominican mission and identity match that of Bill and Maryann Christie. I’m excited to work with her in the years to come.”
Following her graduation from PC, Hagstrom received a doctor of sacred theology degree from the Pontifical University of St. Thomas Aquinas, the Dominican university in Rome also known as the Angelicum, in 1991. She then joined the faculty at the University of St. Francis in Joliet, Ill. She left her tenured position there to become the second lay woman to teach theology full time at PC in 2003. She later became the first woman to serve as department chair.
From 2013-2016, Hagstrom served as faculty resident director of the PC Center for Theology and Religious Studies in Rome, PC’s signature study abroad program. Her research specialties are ecclesiology and Mariology. She is the author of The Emerging Laity: Vocation, Mission, and Spirituality (Paulist Press, 2010).
“As a lay woman deeply committed to the Catholic and Dominican mission of the College, I am honored to be the first recipient of the Christie Chair,” Hagstrom said. “I am very grateful to the Christies for their own passion for the mission, which is clearly seen in their fidelity and generosity toward PC.
“It’s been said that the Catholic university is where the Church does her thinking. Here at PC, that kind of pondering is shaped by the charism of St. Dominic and the genius of St. Thomas. And I’m thrilled to be a part of it,” Hagstrom said.
Two of the College’s academic chairs were endowed by Michael A. Ruane ’71 & ’13Hon., a former trustee, and his wife, Elizabeth. The Michael A. Ruane Distinguished Chair in Economics, established in 2015, is held by Dr. Leo H. Kahane, professor of economics. The Michael A. Ruane Endowed Chair for Innovation in Business Education, established in 2013, is awarded to School of Business faculty for three years on a rotating basis. Ruane professors for 2018-19 are Dr. M. Cary Collins, professor of finance, and Dr. David P. McIntyre, associate professor of management.
The College’s first academic chair, the Rev. Robert J. Randall Distinguished Professorship in Christian Culture, was established in 2002 in honor of Father Randall, who taught English, theology, and Development of Western Civilization courses for more than 25 years. The Randall Chair is held by a guest professor each year. This year’s Randall chair is Dr. Bruce D. Marshall, Lehman Professor of Christian Doctrine at the Perkins School of Theology at Southern Methodist University.
