September 1, 2000
Religious studies professor named College of Arts and Sciences Associate Dean
by Helen Ellis, Assistant Director of Public Affairs
Associate
Professor Thomas A. Smith, Ph.D., has been appointed associate dean of
the College of Arts and Sciences at Loyola University New Orleans. The
appointment was effective August 1. Smith has been on the faculty of Loyola
since 1988 and served as chair of the Department of Religious Studies
from 1995 98.
Smith's area of academic interest is historical theology, focusing on the genesis and development of Christian thought. He teaches undergraduate courses on early Christianity, heresy and world religions, as well as graduate courses on early Christianity and classical Christian thinkers. Smith will continue to teach one class per semester.
In discharging his duties as associate dean, Smith will be responsible for supervision of the academic progress of all students in the college. Included in this broad charge is oversight of academic advising and study abroad programs, and assistance for students in academic difficulty. "I look forward to the challenges of working with the wider community of students and faculty," Smith says. He will work with Dean Frank E. Scully, Jr., to oversee Loyola's largest college which is comprised of 2,000 students and 150 faculty members.
Smith has served on numerous committees and boards on campus. Currently, he serves on several committees including the College of Arts and Sciences Rank and Tenure Committee, and he chaired the college's Conciliation Committee. He also chaired the college's Curriculum Committee from 1992 - 95.
Smith was the founding faculty advisor for Amnesty International in 1989 and has served on the advisory board for Loyola Institute for Ministry since 1996. He received Loyola Student-Alumni Association Citations for Excellence in Education in 1993, 1994, and 1996.
Smith has many publications, encyclopedia articles, book reviews, scholarly papers, and lectures to his credit. His book, De Gratia: Faustus of Riez's Treatise on Grace and Its Place in the History of Theology, was published in 1990. He is currently working on a translation of ancient Latin Bible commentaries.
Smith obtained a master of arts degree in Christian studies from Regent College, Vancouver, British Columbia, and a master of arts degree and doctorate in historical theology from the University of Notre Dame. He is a member of the American Academy of Religion, College Theology Society, and the North American Patristic Society.