Joseph A. Favazza is the 11th president of

Saint Anselm College Saint Anselm College is a private Benedictine liberal arts college in Goffstown, New Hampshire. Founded in 1889, it is the third-oldest Catholic college in New England. Named for Saint Anselm of Canterbury ( Archbishop of Canterbury from 1093 to ...

Early life and education

Favazza is a native of

Memphis, Tennessee Memphis is a city in the U.S. state of Tennessee. It is the County seat, seat of Shelby County, Tennessee, Shelby County in the southwest part of the state; it is situated along the Mississippi River. With a population of 633,104 at the 2020 Uni ...

. He earned a Bachelor of Arts degree in history from the

Saint Meinrad Seminary and School of Theology The Saint Meinrad Seminary and School of Theology is a Roman Catholic seminary and school of theology in Saint Meinrad, Indiana. It is affiliated with the Saint Meinrad Archabbey in St. Meinrad, Indiana. The institution was named after Meinrad ...

. He took theology courses at the

University of St. Michael's College St Michael's College, officially the University of St. Michael's College, is a constituent college of the University of Toronto. It was founded in 1852 by the Congregation of St. Basil and retains its Catholic affiliation through its postgraduate ...

before earning a Master of Arts and PhD in religious studies from

KU Leuven KU Leuven (or Katholieke Universiteit Leuven) is a Catholic research university in the city of Leuven, Belgium. It conducts teaching, research, and services in computer science, engineering, natural sciences, theology, humanities, medicine, l ...

. He also earned a certificate in executive management from

Harvard Business School Harvard Business School (HBS) is the graduate business school of Harvard University, a private research university in Boston, Massachusetts. It is consistently ranked among the top business schools in the world and offers a large full-time MBA ...

Career

Favazza began his career as a professor of religious studies at

Rhodes College Rhodes College is a private liberal arts college in Memphis, Tennessee. Historically affiliated with the Presbyterian Church (USA), it is a member of the Associated Colleges of the South and is accredited by the Southern Association of Colleges ...

before becoming associate vice president for academic affairs and dean of the faculty. Prior to assuming his position at

, Favazza was provost and vice president for academic affairs at

Stonehill College Stonehill College is a private Roman Catholic liberal arts college in Easton, Massachusetts. It was founded in 1948 by the Congregation of Holy Cross and is located on the original estate of Frederick Lothrop Ames Jr., with 29 buildings that co ...

. At Stonehill, Favazza guided the restructuring of the academic programs into the Thomas and Donna May School of Arts & Sciences and the Leo J. Meehan School of Business. He also led the development of targeted graduate programs. In July 2019, Favazza was selected to serve as the 11th president of Saint Anselm.

Personal life

Favazza is the son of Ambrose and Mary Russo Favazza. In addition to a B.A. in history from St. Meinrad College in Indiana, he holds an M.A. and Ph.D. in religious studies from the Catholic University of Louvain, Belgium. He is published on a range of topics, from the ritual practices of forgiveness and reconciliation to fundamentals in academic leadership and pedagogy. His books include ''The Order of Penitents: Historical Roots and Pastoral Future''; ''Removing the Barriers: The Practice of Reconciliation''; ''A Reconciliation Sourcebook''; and ''From Cloister to Commons: Concepts and Models for Service-Learning in Religious Studies''. Favazza's wife, Dr. Paddy Cronin Favazza, is a professor and researcher in the field of early childhood education. The couple have four children, including three adopted from

Romania Romania ( ; ro, România ) is a country located at the crossroads of Central, Eastern, and Southeastern Europe. It borders Bulgaria to the south, Ukraine to the north, Hungary to the west, Serbia to the southwest, Moldova to the east, a ...

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Favazza, Joseph A. Living people Saint Anselm College faculty People from Memphis, Tennessee Religious studies scholars Saint Meinrad Seminary and School of Theology alumni KU Leuven alumni Year of birth missing (living people)