Dr. Margaret MacDonald, Dean of Arts
Beginning in February 2018, Dean of Arts, Dr. Margaret MacDonald will be a visiting professor for three months at the Pontifical Biblical Institute (PBI) in Rome. She will serve as the PBI’s fourth McCarthy Chair in Biblical Studies, where she will conduct research on the New Testament and early Christianity, and work closely with graduate students.
"This is a tremendous recognition of Dr. MacDonald’s scholarship and will help create links between Saint Mary’s and many leading international scholars who will also be situated at PBI," said Dr. Malcolm Butler, Vice-President, Academic and Research, Saint Mary's University. "Congratulations Dr. MacDonald, and best of luck in this exciting endeavor."
PBI was established in 1909 as a centre for academic studies pertaining to biblical literature, and today welcomes students from more than 60 nations. The McCarthy Chair has been designated for a senior woman scholar on a rotating basis since 2015. Recent Chair holders include Adela Yarbro Collins of Yale Divinity School (2015-2016), and Carol Meyers of Duke University (2016-2017). Dr. MacDonald will hold the position from mid-February to mid-May of 2018.
In his letter of invitation, Michael Kolarcik, S.J. Rector of the Pontifical Biblical Institute stressed “the outstanding work” Dr. MacDonald has been doing in New Testament Studies. He expressed the hope that she would extend her influence on licentiate and doctoral students and indicated that the faculty at PBI would really appreciate interacting with her in her areas of research.