Associate Professor & Mary Ann Spearin Chair in Catholic Theology

University of Dayton; Dayton (OH); On-site; USD 110,000 - 160,000; Full time

Job summary

University of Dayton seeks an Associate Professor to hold the Mary Ann Spearin Chair in Catholic Theology. This nine-month, tenured position includes directing graduate programs and advancing graduate theological education with a focus on the US Catholic experience.

The successful candidate will teach MA and PhD seminars, advise students, and contribute to curricular development, recruitment, and accreditation efforts.

Qualifications

• PhD in Theology or related field (e.g., Religious Studies) required.
• Record of teaching, scholarship, and service commensurate with tenure criteria.
• Administrative experience in higher education, including chairing committees or overseeing programs.
• Research agenda addressing US Catholic experience and Catholic theological landscape.
• Ability to teach UD's PhD seminars and coordinate graduate programs.

Responsibilities

• Teach MA and PhD theology courses; typical load 2-1 per year.
• Advance scholarship connected to the doctoral program's focus on US Catholic experience.
• Direct graduate programs in collaboration with the graduate committee.
• Advise MA and first-year PhD students and contribute to student formation.
• Guide curricular development, recruitment, and grant seeking for graduate programs.
• Support assessment and accreditation processes in coordination with the graduate committee.

Skills

Graduate program administration

Leadership & collaboration

Fundraising & grant planning

Education

PhD in Theology

Job description

Associate Professor & Mary Ann Spearin Chair in Catholic Theology

Job No: 503904
Work Type: Faculty Full Time
Location: Dayton, OH
Category: Faculty
Department: Religious Studies - 208490
Advertised: September 22, 2026
Applications close: November 01, 2026

Position Summary:

The Opportunity

The Department of Theology and Religious Studies at the University of Dayton seeks applications for the Mary Ann Spearin Chair in Catholic Theology. This endowed chair, established by Mary Ann Spearin to support graduate theological education at the University of Dayton, is open at the rank of associate professor in the Department of Theology and Religious Studies. This is a nine month, tenured faculty position with an appointment to the Spearin Chair that is made for a renewable four-year term, beginning August 16, 2027.

We seek a strong and creative scholar who can steward our programs’ successes going forward. Successful candidates will be able to demonstrate experience in administration, teaching, and scholarship, with attention to the specific and unique foci of our graduate programs.

Key Responsibilities

• Teaching theology courses in the MA and PhD programs, including regular teaching of one of the required PhD seminars; teach undergraduate courses at the discretion of, and in conversation with, the department chairperson. The typical teaching load per year for this position is 2-1.
• Contributing scholarship that advances their particular field of study and that connects broadly to the doctoral program’s emphasis in US Catholic experience.
• Directing the graduate programs in the Department of Theology and Religious Studies. Overseeing these programs in collaboration with the department’s graduate committee and other faculty charged with supporting the graduate programs.
• Advising MA students and first-year PhD students and contributing to graduate student formation (e.g. colloquies, professionalization seminars).
• Guiding appropriate curricular development, recruitment, marketing, and seeking grants when appropriate, for the graduate programs.
• Supporting assessment and accreditation processes, in collaboration with the department’s graduate committee.

The Spearin Chair receives support for their work from a staff coordinator of graduate studies, an administrative assistant shared with four other endowed chairs in the areas related to Catholic traditions, and a graduate assistant assigned to work with them on projects of their choosing. The Spearin Chair oversees a budget that not only supports graduate theological education, but also provides travel support for the Spearin Chair. When the Spearin Chair seeks promotion to full professor, their administrative accomplishments may constitute a major element of their portfolio, alongside their teaching, research, and service.

The Program

The graduate theological programs include an MA with options to focus in pastoral ministry or theological studies, as well as a PhD in Theology with an emphasis in US Catholic experience. The University of Dayton has offered master’s degrees in theology and related fields since the 1960s and continues to do so, in service of both the church and the academy and in collaboration with other departments and divisions of the University, including the International Marian Research Institute, Campus Ministry, and the Center for Catholic Education. The doctoral program features a multidisciplinary approach to theology as located in diverse communities with attention to historical and cultural contexts. The doctoral program recently celebrated its 25th anniversary. Successful alumni from both the MA and PhD programs - Catholic and Protestant - serve as teachers and leaders in higher education, pastoral ministry, and beyond, including as endowed chairs, in administrative leadership positions, in diocesan offices, in positions in various ecclesial communities, and more.

The Department

The Department of Theology and Religious Studies is a community of faculty, staff, and students which serves the academic mission of the University of Dayton and gives witness to the University’s distinctive Catholic and Marianist identity . It seeks to embody in its programs of study, its policies and procedures, and its daily practice, the University’s Catholic commitments to “the common search for truth, to the dignity of the human person, and to the sacramental nature of creation.” As a department at a Marianist university, it seeks to embody the distinctive Marianist charisms of community, formation in faith, integration of liberal arts and professional education, advocacy for peace and justice, and critical examination of the signs of the times.

The Department is home to scholars whose “common search for truth” comprises many different disciplines and methods, and welcomes scholars from a variety of theological backgrounds and faiths. The Department also values and promotes scholarly inquiry into religion–using theological, cultural, historical, ethical, sociological and other methods not dependent on specifically Catholic theological methods and norms. The scholars in the Department aim to conduct their particular forms of inquiry in a mutually challenging and interdisciplinary conversation.

The Department contributes to required courses in the University’s undergraduate Common Academic program. In addition to its graduate programs in theology, the department has a major and several minors, including minors in Jewish Studies, Catholic Social Thought and Practice, and Marian Studies.

The University of Dayton

Grounded in its Catholic, Marianist tradition , the University of Dayton is a comprehensive university offering 70 majors to undergraduates, and 50 programs (12 doctoral) to graduate students. UD provides education to develop the whole student and is committed to social justice and experiential learning. UD enrolls approximately 9,700 students, including 6,950 full-time undergraduates. It is one of the nation’s largest Catholic universities and one of the largest private universities in Ohio. At the University of Dayton, we value inclusive excellence because we recognize that diversity, equity and inclusion are fundamental to academic and institutional excellence. Inclusive excellence requires a comprehensive, cohesive and collaborative alignment of infrastructure, resources and actions. We strive to be active and intentional, sustaining engagement with and celebration of diversity in every dimension of institutional life. Because we seek a workforce with a wide range of perspectives and experiences, we encourage all candidates to apply.

The City of Dayton

Located in Dayton, Ohio, our university offers more than just a rewarding career. With a burgeoning downtown area Dayton boasts extensive green space and over 350 miles of biking/hiking trails , providing ample opportunities for outdoor recreation and relaxation. With a low cost of living, you can enjoy a comfortable lifestyle while pursuing your scholarly interests. Additionally, Dayton's dynamic arts scene offers a rich cultural experience. It's a great place to live, work, and thrive. Go to Destination Dayton for more information.

Minimum Qualifications:

PhD in Theology or equivalent field or degree (such as Religious Studies, STD); subject area is open to scholars in fields that support the doctoral and MA programs (such as historical theology, systematic/dogmatic theology, moral theology/Christian ethics, pastoral ministry/practical theology).

Record of teaching, scholarship, and service commensurate with the criteria for tenure and appointment at the rank of Associate Professor in the College of Arts and Sciences at the University of Dayton. Tenure-track assistant professors whose record is commensurate with the criteria for tenure and appointment at the rank of Associate Professor are eligible to apply.

Administrative experience in higher education, such as chairing committees, planning events, working on institution-wide curriculum development, oversight of programs, policy development, or similar.

A research agenda that attends to the Catholic theological landscape and that relates to the doctoral program’s emphasis in US Catholic experience as described in the introduction.

Expertise, demonstrated in teaching or scholarship, appropriate to teach doctoral seminars relevant to UD’s PhD in Theology with an emphasis in US Catholic experience

Articulated ability to support the University of Dayton’s commitment to the inclusive excellence principles of our Catholic, Marianist mission and identity.

Preferred Qualifications:

While not everyone may meet all preferred qualifications, the ideal candidate will bring many of the following:

Successful experience in one or more of the following:

Administration of graduate programs in theology

Chairing a department

Demonstrated success in advising and mentoring graduate students, including graduate students from culturally and socially diverse backgrounds

Working with grant‑writing offices in securing grants

Recruiting and marketing programs

Supporting assessment and accreditation processes

Expertise, demonstrated in teaching or scholarship, appropriate to teaching one of the required seminars of UD's doctoral program

Expertise, demonstrated in research or teaching, that will contribute to the department’s focus on the diversity of US Catholic experience

Scholarship or teaching experience in ethics/moral theology and/or in other areas of study emphasized in UD’s graduate theological programs, such as Marian studies.

Nationally- or Internationally-recognized scholarship, e.g. author of a book that became a subject of a symposium, invited lectures, and the like.

Experience employing active learning strategies to foster and maintain student engagement, including in hi-flex, synchronous and asynchronous online, and face-to-face modes of instructions

Effective interpersonal communication skills that contribute to a collaborative work environment

Professional communication skills

Applicants must be currently authorized to work in the United States on a full-time basis.The University does not provide work visa sponsorship for thisposition

Closing Statement:

Informed by its Catholic and Marianist mission, the University is committed to the dignity of every human being. Informed by this commitment, we seek to increase diversity in all of its forms, achieve fair outcomes, and model inclusion across our campus community. The University is committed to policies of affirmative action designed to increase the employment opportunities of individuals with disabilities and protected veterans in compliance with the Rehabilitation Act of 1973 and Vietnam Era Veterans’ Readjustment Assistance Act of 1973.