Rev. John Thiede, S.J., associate professor of systematic theology in the Klinger College of Arts and Sciences, has been named the first participant in the Currie Fellowship Program by the Association of Jesuit Colleges and Universities (AJCU).
As the Currie Fellow, Father Thiede will gain experience working closely with the president, board of trustees, administrators and faculty at a guest institution, spending the 2021-22 academic year at Rockhurst University in Kansas City, Missouri.
“I am very honored to be an inaugural fellow and I hope to explore a potential call toward administration. I am also very grateful to President Lovell for allowing me to pursue this opportunity,” Father Thiede said. “I looked up to and respected Father Charlie Currie for his administrative skills and ability to connect with such a wide variety of people, and know he made an impact on higher education in the United States. I am looking forward to learning from a veteran and respected Jesuit president, in Father Tom Curran, as well as other administrators, faculty and staff at Rockhurst University, and hope to bring some new skills and talents back to Marquette in the fall of 2022.”
Father Thiede is a member of the Upper Midwest Province of the Society of Jesus. He is currently the visiting Jesuit Chair at Georgetown University while working on a co-authored book on politics, religion and democracy in Latin America, and his own book titled “St. Oscar Romero’s Theological Wellspring: Ignacio Ellacuria, S.J.” He specializes in Christology and Latin American Theology, and currently serves on the board of trustees at Xavier University, and on the board of directors at Marquette University High School.
The Currie Fellowship is a new initiative named in honor of Rev. Charles L. Currie, S.J., who served as president of AJCU from 1997 to 2011.
About the AJCU
The AJCU is a national organization that represents Jesuit higher education among its various constituencies; provides a forum for the exchange of information and experiences in Jesuit higher education; and encourages and facilitates collaborative initiatives among its member institutions. Those initiatives include fostering Jesuit, Catholic identity and mission; educating for a faith that does justice; supporting national, international and online collaborations between campuses; and sponsoring professional and leadership development programs. The 28 Jesuit colleges and universities that comprise AJCU are located in 17 states, the District of Columbia and Belize.