The Cardinal Newman Society congratulates Franciscan University of Steubenville on launching its first fully endowed chair, the John N. and Jamie D. McAleer Chair in Bioethics. Dr. Patrick Lee, a veteran professor of philosophy at the university and a noted bioethicist, has been named the first holder of the chair.

Lee, who recently gave his inaugural lecture, “Human Embryos: Subject of Rights,” also heads the university’s Institute of Bioethics. The institute held two conferences over the past year.

Joseph A. Esposito, director of the Cardinal Newman Society’s Center of the Study of Catholic Higher Education, said, “This is a great accomplishment for Franciscan University, hopefully the first of many endowed chairs. The focus on Catholic teaching in this most important area will be of much benefit to the Church and to the academic community.”

He added, “Catholic colleges and universities have an opportunity to be moral leaders in the bioethics field, and it is heartening to see several seizing this opportunity.” One additional example is The John Paul II Institute for Studies in Marriage & Family in Washington, D.C., which offers a graduate degree in biotechnology and ethics.

Franciscan University of Steubenville is one of 21 recommended colleges and universities profiled in The Newman Guide to Choosing a Catholic College: What to Look For and Where to Find It, published in November 2007. Esposito is the editor of The Guide.