John T. Fitzgerald will join the University of 91�Թ�’s this fall, according to J. Matthew Ashley, associate professor and department chair.

“John Fitzgerald is not only a preeminent scholar of the New Testament in itself but also has a broad and penetrating knowledge of the Greco-Roman context in which it was written and received,” Ashley said. “Moreover, his involvement in many prestigious scholarly journals and series, both nationally and internationally, will make him a terrific mentor for our graduate students as they seek to establish themselves in the scholarly world during their studies here and after they graduate.”

Fitzgerald has spent the past 31 years at the University of Miami, where he served most recently as chair of the Department of Religious Studies. His work includes nine books as an author, translator and editor as well as more than 50 articles and approximately 170 book reviews and book notes.

An active member of the Society of Biblical Literature, Fitzgerald has a joint appointment as Professor Extraordinary at North-West University School for Biblical Studies and Bible Languages in Potchefstroom, South Africa, and has been a visiting professor at both Brown and Yale universities.

He says he takes a “religion and society approach” to his study of early Christianity.

“I think that you can’t understand a particular religion without understanding the society in which it operates,” Fitzgerald says. “Conversely, you can’t understand any society without understanding the different roles that religion will play in it. Religion can support certain aspects of the society, but it can also function to subvert other aspects.”

Among the areas Fitzgerald is currently researching are the role of friendship in the spread of early Christianity, the economy — including issues such as the attitude of the church and the government regarding unemployment — and domestic violence in antiquity.

While the decision to leave Miami after more than three decades wasn’t an easy one, Fitzgerald says he knew from working with 91�Թ� faculty members over the years that he would be a good fit.

He also says getting to work with doctoral students at what he considers one of the premier programs in the world was a “compelling” opportunity.

“I’ve always had great respect for 91�Թ�,” Fitzgerald says. “It’s really a model for an institution that tries to do everything right, from academics to athletics and the fine arts. And is committed to educating the whole person, which is a concept that I appreciate.”

Fitzgerald will teach two introductory classes for undergraduates in his first semester here. A former football player, he plans to reference the gridiron in his courses — in particular, the 1988 match-up between 91�Թ� and Miami. Famously dubbed “Catholics vs. Convicts,” the game is now considered one of the greatest victories in Fighting Irish football history.

“My first day of class,” Fitzgerald joked, “I intend to mention this and introduce myself as an ex-con.”

Originally published by Sara Burnett at on Aug. 16, 2012.

Kelly Gleason, a 1998 graduate of the University of 91�Թ�’s (PLS), was leading a team of maritime archeologists on a research expedition some 600 miles northwest of Honolulu when they found two anchors and three trypots (used for boiling whale blubber down to oil), along with whaling implements and ship’s rigging all from the early 19th century.

After two years of follow-up research and field work, Gleason and her team from the National Ocean and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA)’s Office of National Marine Sanctuaries confirmed this year that they had discovered a gem of maritime—and literary—history: the resting place of a ship called the , which wrecked on a reef at French Frigate Shoals in the Northwestern Hawaiian Islands in 1823. ()

The ill-fated Nantucket ship was captained by George Pollard Jr., whose earlier whaling vessel, the Essex, was rammed by a whale and sunk in 1820, inspiring author Herman Melville’s novel “Moby Dick.”

The Two Brothers, which Gleason calls a “once-in-a-lifetime” find, is believed to be the first discovery of a wrecked whaling ship from Nantucket—once known as the whaling capital of the world.

Discovering shipwrecks and the stories behind them is the most exciting part of her work, says Gleason, an underwater archeologist for NOAA’s Office of National Marine Sanctuaries and the maritime heritage program coordinator at Papahānaumokuākea Marine National Monument, one of the largest ocean conservation areas in the world.

And while 91�Թ� may be among the nation’s more landlocked universities, Gleason says she credits its PLS program for where she is today.

“I’m constantly reminded how grateful I am that I chose to major in PLS,” she says.

The PLS major in the explores the “great books” of Western civilization and the Catholic intellectual traditions. A series of discussion- and reading-based tutorials provides students the opportunity to delve deeply into literature, philosophy, science, theology, political theory, the fine arts and cultural history.

In the process, students in the program acquire a broad intellectual background while honing their abilities to read texts critically, formulate articulate and thoughtful arguments, and communicate effectively.

And in effect, Gleason says, “PLS gives you the tools to do anything you want to do.”

It was during a PLS retreat her senior year that she decided to follow her heart and pursue a career in marine archeology.

“We were talking about what we were going to do after college, and my classmates were discussing pursuing your dream versus doing what’s ‘practical,’” Gleason recalls. “A lot of people choose a path that’s secure and practical, which is certainly understandable and noble. But it can be easy to put off pursuing a dream, and the longer it stays a dream, the more difficult it can be to attain.

“I had this moment where I decided: I’m going to try to pursue the one thing I’ll always regret not ��Ǿ��Բ�.”

After graduation, Gleason went on to receive her master’s degree at the University of St. Andrews in Scotland, which offers an underwater archeology program in its department of history. She then returned to the United States and completed her doctorate at Eastern Carolina University.

While there, she obtained an internship with NOAA—a position that later turned into her full-time job.

Every day, says Gleason, she uses skills she learned in PLS, whether it’s communicating with scientists across various disciplines, doing historical research into ship logs and newspaper records to confirm that the wreck her team found in 2008 was the Two Brothers, or working with the Hawaiian and Nantucket community and the media to show the discovery’s relevance to today.

“These are much more than a collection of artifacts or things on the sea floor,” she says.

“They represent a story—a moment in time—but also these men’s livelihoods, a way of life, and a whole era of history that is a fascinating reminder of where we’ve come from; a time when we thought our ocean’s resources were infinite.”

With its ties to one of the literary classics she studied as a PLS major, the Two Brothers shipwreck was also a reminder of how Gleason got her start.

“I don’t think I would have had the courage to pursue such an obscure career path if I hadn’t been involved in a program like the PLS, which really did encourage taking leaps of faith like that, as well as the skills to understand and interpret exciting discoveries on the seafloor like the Two Brothers.”

Underwater photos by NOAA/Greg McFall. Other photos courtesy of Kelly Gleason.

Originally published by Sara Burnett at on August 29, 2011.