Philosopher Settles into Endowed Chair
A day of events at Westmont this month will celebrate Mark Nelson, new Dr. Kenneth and Peggy Monroe professor of philosophy. The endowed chair was created by former Westmont professor Kenneth Monroe, who died in 1987, and his wife, Peggy, who died in February 2004.
Nelson started teaching at Westmont this fall, after spending his last 12 years teaching at the University of Leeds, one of the largest universities in the United Kingdom.
Nelson says he’s excited to come to Westmont where he’ll have more time to conduct research, represent Westmont at conferences and enjoy life off campus.
“At Westmont, I’ll be able to focus on teaching,” he says. “I enjoy getting introductory students interested in philosophy, students who might otherwise be wary of the subject.”
Nelson will be officially installed into the Monroe chair during a special convocation, Friday, Oct. 27, in Murchison Gym, at 10:30 a.m.
A panel discussion, “What is Philosophy Good For?” will feature several highly respected philosophy professors in Page Hall, at 2 p.m. Joining the panel will be C. Stephen Evans, Baylor University; Dallas Willard, University of Southern California; and Heidi Marx-Wolf and Nathan Salmon, University of California, Santa Barbara.
Nelson says that philosophy is unavoidable.
“People are always going to be philosophizing,” he says, “because that’s just having a world view, a general view of how things are and how they all hang together. But unless you think about it carefully, you won’t have ‘no philosophy,’ you’ll just have bad philosophy. And it can help to think about it along with other philosophers who have been thinking about these things over the years.”
Nelson will deliver a dedicatory lecture, “Redeeming the Time,” in Page Hall, at 4 p.m.
Nelson earned his master’s degree and doctorate at the University of Notre Dame. He earned his bachelor’s degree from Wheaton College in Illinois. Before teaching at Leeds, he was associate professor of philosophy at Hampden-Sydney College and a visiting lecturer at the University of St. Andrews in Scotland.
His areas of specialization include ethics/moral philosophy, epistemology, and philosophy of religion.
Nelson co-edited the book “Christian Theism and Moral Philosophy” and has had three dozen articles included in various publications.
The Monroes left the college more than $3 million to fund full-ride tuition scholarships for up to four exceptional students each year, as well as the endowed faculty chair.
Kenneth Monroe joined the faculty in 1945. His teaching focused on Mediterranean history and archaeology. He also served as academic dean, a trustee, and twice as interim president.