The Cottrill-Rolfes Chair in Catholic Studies was established in 2005 in the College of Arts and Sciences at the University of Kentucky. In fall of 2007 Dr. David G. Hunter began his tenure as the first Cottrill-Rolfes Chair in Catholic Studies and pledged to work closely with the Newman Foundation and the Diocese of Lexington. Dr. Hunter’s wealth of knowledge and expertise in early Christianity are an excellent resource of students and members of the community.
Endowed chairs are established primarily through private gifts to the University. The Cottrill-Rolfes Chair in Catholic Studies was made possible thanks to a generous donation from Dr. Carol Cottrill and Tom Rolfes. Their generosity fulfilled a longstanding dream of the Newman Foundation.
An endowed chair is awarded to an academic who has established a distinguished record of research is his/her area of expertise and who, as a consequence, maintains a national and/or international reputation as a leading scholar.
Endowed chairs generally hold the rank of Full Professor, which is the highest academic rank attainable in the University. Holders of endowed chairs are expected to maintain their high research profile through publishing and in a variety of other ways such as:
- Hosting distinguished speakers on campus
- Organizing and hosting research conferences
- Mentoring undergraduate and graduate students
- Traveling to national / international conferences to present research
