Royden B. Davis, SJ (October 19, 1923 – April 2, 2002) served as Dean of

Georgetown College Georgetown College is a private Christian college in Georgetown, Kentucky. Chartered in 1829, Georgetown was the first Baptist college west of the Appalachian Mountains. The college offers 38 undergraduate degrees and a Master of Arts in educat ...

Georgetown University Georgetown University is a private university, private research university in the Georgetown (Washington, D.C.), Georgetown neighborhood of Washington, D.C. Founded by Bishop John Carroll (archbishop of Baltimore), John Carroll in 1789 as Georg ...

from 1966 to 1989.University of Scranton Press Release
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Early life and education

Royden B. Davis was born in

Ventnor City, New Jersey Ventnor City is a city in Atlantic County, New Jersey, United States. As of the 2020 United States census, the city's population was 9,210, a decrease of 1,440 in the preceding decade.United States Army The United States Army (USA) is the land service branch of the United States Armed Forces. It is one of the eight U.S. uniformed services, and is designated as the Army of the United States in the U.S. Constitution.Article II, section 2, cla ...

from 1943 to 1945 as a gunner in an

anti-aircraft Anti-aircraft warfare, counter-air or air defence forces is the battlespace response to aerial warfare, defined by NATO as "all measures designed to nullify or reduce the effectiveness of hostile air action".AAP-6 It includes surface based, ...

battery. He earned a

Bachelor of Science A Bachelor of Science (BS, BSc, SB, or ScB; from the Latin ') is a bachelor's degree awarded for programs that generally last three to five years. The first university to admit a student to the degree of Bachelor of Science was the University of ...

degree in

economics Economics () is the social science that studies the Production (economics), production, distribution (economics), distribution, and Consumption (economics), consumption of goods and services. Economics focuses on the behaviour and intera ...

in 1947 and a law degree in 1949 from

. In 1950, he entered the

Society of Jesus , image = Ihs-logo.svg , image_size = 175px , caption = ChristogramOfficial seal of the Jesuits , abbreviation = SJ , nickname = Jesuits , formation = , founders ...

at the Novitiate of Saint Isaac Jogues in

Wernersville, Pennsylvania Wernersville is a borough in Berks County, Pennsylvania, United States. The population was 2,494 at the 2010 census. Geography Wernersville is located at (40.329941, -76.080701). History In the late 19th century and early 20th century, Wer ...

. In 1955, he earned a

master's degree A master's degree (from Latin ) is an academic degree awarded by universities or colleges upon completion of a course of study demonstrating mastery or a high-order overview of a specific field of study or area of professional practice.

political science Political science is the scientific study of politics. It is a social science dealing with systems of governance and power, and the analysis of political activities, political thought, political behavior, and associated constitutions and la ...

and a licentiate in

philosophy Philosophy (from , ) is the systematized study of general and fundamental questions, such as those about existence, reason, knowledge, values, mind, and language. Such questions are often posed as problems to be studied or resolved. Some ...

from

Saint Louis University Saint Louis University (SLU) is a private Jesuit research university with campuses in St. Louis, Missouri, United States, and Madrid, Spain. Founded in 1818 by Louis William Valentine DuBourg, it is the oldest university west of the Mississip ...

. He received a licentiate in

theology Theology is the systematic study of the nature of the divine and, more broadly, of religious belief. It is taught as an academic discipline, typically in universities and seminaries. It occupies itself with the unique content of analyzing the ...

from

Woodstock College Woodstock College was a Jesuit seminary that existed from 1869 to 1974. It was the oldest Jesuit seminary in the United States. The school was located in Woodstock, Maryland, west of Baltimore, from its establishment until 1969, when it moved to ...

in 1960. Following a year of study in

Belgium Belgium, ; french: Belgique ; german: Belgien officially the Kingdom of Belgium, is a country in Northwestern Europe. The country is bordered by the Netherlands to the north, Germany to the east, Luxembourg to the southeast, France to th ...

, he returned to Georgetown University for additional graduate studies in

government A government is the system or group of people governing an organized community, generally a state. In the case of its broad associative definition, government normally consists of legislature, executive, and judiciary. Government is a ...

from 1961 to 1965. Ordained to the priesthood on June 21, 1959, by Archbishop

Francis Patrick Keough Francis Patrick Keough (December 30, 1890 – December 8, 1961) was an American prelate of the Roman Catholic Church. He served as bishop of the Diocese of Providence in Rhode Island from 1934 to 1947 and as archbishop of the Archdiocese of B ...

, he pronounced his final vows in the Society of Jesus on February 2, 1967.

Career

Davis began his career at Georgetown University in 1965 when he was named dean of

freshmen A freshman, fresher, first year, or frosh, is a person in the first year at an educational institution, usually a secondary school or at the college and university level, but also in other forms of post-secondary educational institutions. Ara ...

and assistant dean of the College of Arts and Sciences. In 1966, he was appointed dean of the College of Arts and Sciences, a post that he would hold until 1989. In 1969, Davis welcomed the admission of the first women students to Georgetown's College of Arts and Sciences. He oversaw the inauguration of the American Studies Program, the expansion of the

Fine Arts In European academic traditions, fine art is developed primarily for aesthetics or creative expression, distinguishing it from decorative art or applied art, which also has to serve some practical function, such as pottery or most metalwork ...

Department, the establishment and growth of the Psychology Department, and the creation of the Sociology and Computer Science departments. After retirement in 1989, he directed Georgetown's Foreign Studies Program in

Florence, Italy Florence ( ; it, Firenze ) is a city in Central Italy and the capital city of the Tuscany region. It is the most populated city in Tuscany, with 383,083 inhabitants in 2016, and over 1,520,000 in its metropolitan area.Bilancio demografico an ...

and, in 1990, served as chair of a committee commemorating the 500th anniversary of the birth of

Ignatius of Loyola Ignatius of Loyola, Society of Jesus, S.J. (born Íñigo López de Oñaz y Loyola; eu, Ignazio Loiolakoa; es, Ignacio de Loyola; la, Ignatius de Loyola; – 31 July 1556), venerated as Saint Ignatius of Loyola, was a Spain, Spanish Catholic ...

. In 1991, Davis returned to the

University of Scranton The University of Scranton is a private Jesuit university in Scranton, Pennsylvania. It was founded in 1888 by William O'Hara, the first Bishop of Scranton, as St. Thomas College. In 1938, the college was elevated to university status and took t ...

, where he had taught briefly in the 1950s, to serve as

rector Rector (Latin for the member of a vessel's crew who steers) may refer to: Style or title *Rector (ecclesiastical), a cleric who functions as an administrative leader in some Christian denominations *Rector (academia), a senior official in an edu ...

of the Jesuit Community at Scranton. In this role, he was a member of the Board of Trustees of The University of Scranton and

Scranton Preparatory School Scranton Preparatory School is a co-educational Jesuit high school located in Scranton, Pennsylvania, United States. History Scranton Prep opened its doors in 1944. At the request of the Roman Catholic Diocese of Scranton and of Catholic families ...

. In 1992, he had an endowed chair in interdisciplinary studies at Georgetown named in his honor. The Royden B. Davis, S.J., College Chair was established through gifts of friends, alumni, parents and students, to allow distinguished individuals in the humanities, arts, sciences or social sciences to spend a semester's residence at Georgetown University. At the conclusion of his service as rector in 1997, he remained at the University of Scranton as an associate campus minister and chaplain of the Panuska College of Professional Studies. In 1997, the University of Scranton presented Davis with the

Pedro Arrupe Pedro Arrupe Gondra, SJ (14 November 1907 – 5 February 1991) was a Spanish Basque priest who served as the 28th Superior General of the Society of Jesus from 1965 to 1983. He has been called a second founder of the Society, as he led the Jesu ...

, S.J., Award for Ignatian Mission and Ministries, which recognizes persons who have made significant contributions to the Ignation mission.

Death

Davis died on April 2, 2002, and was buried on April 5 in the

Jesuit Community Cemetery The Jesuit Community Cemetery on the campus of Georgetown University in Washington, D.C., is the final resting place for Jesuits who were affiliated with the university. It was first established in 1808 and was moved to its present location in ...

on the campus of Georgetown University.

Awards and legacy

In 1985, he received an honorary Doctor of Humane Letters degree from Georgetown. In 2005, Georgetown University dedicated the Royden B. Davis S.J. Performing Arts Center to his memory.Davis Performing Arts Center
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References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Davis, Royden B. 1923 births 2002 deaths United States Army personnel of World War II Georgetown University Law Center alumni Georgetown University faculty People from Ventnor City, New Jersey Saint Louis University alumni United States Army soldiers University of Scranton faculty 20th-century American Jesuits 21st-century American Jesuits Woodstock College alumni Catholics from New Jersey Deans of Georgetown College Burials at the Jesuit Community Cemetery 20th-century American academics Georgetown College (Georgetown University) alumni