THE ANNE QUINN WELSH ENDOWED CHAIR AND DIRECTOR OF HONORS PROGRAM
Anna Bonta Moreland, PhD
Anna Bonta Moreland, PhD, is an associate professor of Theology in the Department of Humanities at Villanova University, and the Anne Quinn Welsh Endowed Director of the University Honors Program.
A professor since 2006, Dr. Moreland regularly teaches an introductory course in Theology, courses on interreligious dialogue, especially between Jews, Christians and Muslims, and on Shaping an Adult Life and on the rise of modern atheism. She completed her Ph.D. at Boston College under the direction of Michael J. Buckley, S.J. Her research focuses on comparative theology between Christianity and Islam, drawing upon the work of Thomas Aquinas, including her recent book Muhammad Reconsidered: A Christian Perspective on Islamic Prophecy (University of Notre Dame Press, 2020).
In 2021, Dr. Moreland was named co-principal investigator on a three-year, $223,201 grant from the John Templeton Foundation. The project, “Hope in Higher Education: Networking, Resource Sharing, and Building a Brighter Future,” is designed to help build a national coalition that will emphasize meaningful inquiry in college education and help students develop into thoughtful future leaders.
About the Anne Quinn Welsh Endowed Chair and Director of the Honors Program
The establishment of the Anne Quinn Welsh Endowed Chair and Director of the Honors Program celebrates the life and legacy of Anne Quinn Welsh by supporting the career of a talented arts and sciences professor, advancing the College of Liberal Arts and Sciences and enhancing the education of Villanova students. The Endowed Chair will help Villanova achieve its strategic goals and foster the kind of unique education and research that will reinforce the University as a leading institution of higher education.
One of the most distinctive and distinguished initiatives at the University is the Honors Program. Based in the College of Liberal Arts and Sciences, the Honors Program is designed to provide exceptional students with opportunities for critical and independent thinking, the creative exchange of ideas and the synthesis of intellectual insights into lived experience.
The Anne Quinn Welsh Endowed Chair and Director of the Honors Program will enhance the academic life central to a Villanova education by bringing together talented students and faculty in challenging seminars, individual research projects and co-curricular activities.
By providing the resources to attract and retain top-notch faculty and students, the Anne Quinn Welsh Endowed Chair and Director of the Honors Program will expand upon the University’s tradition of excellence in arts and sciences education by enriching the intellectual life of the University, adding distinction to the College of Liberal Arts and Sciences and enabling Villanova to further develop capable, professionally oriented, ethically conscious and socially aware young leaders.