J.J. Sanford named 10th president of University of Dallas

UB Philosophy Alum J.J. Sanford named next president of University of Dallas.

J.J. Sanford

The University at Buffalo Department of Philosophy congratulates our alumnus, Jonathan J. Sanford, PhD (Buffalo), on being named by the University of Dallas Board of Trustees as the insitution's 10th president. Sanford's areas of expertise include Ethics, Higher Education, Ancient and Medieval Philosophy, Metaphysics, Virtue Theory, Social and Political Philosophy, and Early Phenomenology. Learn more.

University of Dallas Press Release (excerpt)

"Provost Sanford has been instrumental in leading the university through the development of a new strategic plan, and he has the full confidence and trust of the board to fulfill the university’s educational mission and in implementing that plan with the support of a strong team with Dr. Hibbs and Executive Vice President John Plotts. I’m confident this leadership team will position UD for continued success and future growth.” — Richard Husseini, Chair of the Board of Trustees. UDallas Newsroom.

J. J. Sanford at UB

At UB, Sanford earned his PhD under the supervision of Jorge J. E. Gracia, with the dissertation "The Metaphysical Foundations of Ethics" (2001). Since then Sanford has published widely on philosophical figures and topics, and liberal education. He is especially interested in foundational questions in moral philosophy, as evidenced in his latest book, Before Virtue: Assessing Contemporary Virtue Ethics (2015).  Currently heHe and his wife Rebecca live in Irving, Texas, where they try to stay at least a day ahead of their children’s busy school and activity schedules. In Fall 2019, Sanford co-organized the Capen Chair Conference, “A Collection of Individuals: The Philosophical Legacy of Jorge J. E. Gracia”, whchi brought together fifteen distinguished speakers, UB Alums, each of whom wrote their dissertation under Gracia's supervision. At the event, Sanford delivered his paper: “Individuals and Communities.”  

Fall 2019

As seen at the Fall 2019 Capen Chair Conference (from left) Norma Gracia, Jorge Gracia, and UB President Satish Tripathi, and UDallas Provost J. J. Sanford.

UDallas Provost J. J. Sanford delivers his paper, “Individuals and Communities,”  at the Fall 2019 Capen Chair Conference.

  • OCTOBER 18 & 19, 2019

    2019 Conference & Book Launch

    A Collection of Individuals: The Philosophical Legacy of Jorge J. E. Gracia

    Join us for the two-day event, Friday and Saturday, October 18 and 19, 2019, as the Capen Chair hosts a conference in the context of a SUNY Press launch of a memoir by Jorge Gracia. The conference, “A Collection of Individuals: The Philosophical Legacy of Jorge J. E. Gracia”, brings together fifteen distinguished speakers, UB Alums, each of whom wrote their dissertation under the supervision of Jorge J. E. Gracia.

    The Capen Chair 2019 Conference,  “A Collection of Individuals: The Philosophical Legacy of Jorge J. E. Gracia”, brought together fifteen distinguished speakers, UB Alums, each of whom wrote their dissertation under Gracia's supervision. The event was held in the context of a SUNY Press book launch for an intellectual memoir by Jorge Gracia. 

    Conference Photographs

    ON THIS PAGE

    CONFERENCE ORGANIZERS

    William Irwin
    Chair, Professor of Philosophy
    King's College
    Email: WilliamIrwin@kings.edu

    Jonathan J. Sanford
    Provost, Professor of Philosophy
    University of Dallas
    Email: jsanford@udallas.edu

    FACILITATORS

    Debra Kolodczak
    Managing Editor, Multimedia Initiatives
    Email: dmore@buffalo.edu

    Justin Murray
    Graduate Research Associate, UB Philosophy
    Email: jmurray9@buffalo.edu

    Jonathan Vajda
    Graduate Research Associate, UB Philosophy
    Email: jvajda@buffalo.edu

    SUNY PRESS BOOK LAUNCH

    Oct 19, Saturday, 3:00pm (during the conference)

    Arte by Humberto Calzada, Island in Crisis, 2005.

    The new book, With a Diamond in My Shoe: A Philosopher’s Search for Identity in America, is an intellectual memoir by Jorge J. E. Gracia, in the SUNY Press Series in Latin American and Iberian Thought and Culture.

    About the book: In 1961, at the age of nineteen, Jorge J. E. Gracia escaped from the island of Cuba by passing himself off as a Catholic seminarian. He arrived in the United States with just a few spare belongings and his mother’s diamond ring secured in a hole in one of his shoes. With a Diamond in My Shoe tells the story of Gracia’s quest for identity—from his early years in Cuba and as a refugee in Miami to his formative role in institutionalizing the field of Latin American philosophy in the US academy. Committed to integrating into Anglo America without forgetting his roots, Gracia reflects on his struggles and successes as an immigrant and academic, bringing a philosopher’s eye to bear on his personal and professional development as a leading Latinx scholar.

    “Gracia is a writer in full control of his material, and yet someone who in his own search for identity as a philosopher, as a Cuban, as a Cuban American, as a Hispanic, as a Latino, as a Latinx, leaves many questions open, as any good philosopher should, allowing his readers to answer for themselves. The strength of his authorial voice resides in his honesty.” — Rolando Pérez, author of Severo Sarduy and the Neo-Baroque Image of Thought in the Visual Arts. Visit SUNY Press.

    CONFERENCE SCHEDULE

    DAY 1: Friday, October 18
    Location: Honors College, 107 Capen Hall, UB North Campus

    12:00. Lunch

    1:00. Opening Remarks

    1:15 - 3:30. Questions of Identity and Relevance
        1. Susan Smith: “The Relevance of Gracia’s Genetic Common Bundle View of Race for Contemporary Research and Practice”
        2. Ernesto R. Velásquez: "Jorge J.E. Gracia's Contributions to LatinaXo Philosophy and His Engagement With Philosophy of Liberation"
        3. Stephanie Rivera-Berruz: “Building a Tradition—Writing Women into Latinx/Latin American Philosophical History: Lessons from Jorge J.E. Gracia”

    3:45-6:00. Philosophy and the History of Philosophy
        4. Iván Jaksić: “The Concept of Philosophical Vocation in Chile”
        5. Elizabeth Millán Brusslan: “Diversity, Inclusion, and Gracia’s Role in Shaping the Field of Latin American Philosophy”
        6. William Irwin: “Taking Pierre Menard Seriously: Gracia’s Gift of Borges”

    6:00. RECEPTION, with an opportunity for participants to share about Gracia.


    DAY 2 : Saturday, October 19
    Location: Baldy Center, 509 O'Brian Hall, UB North Campus

    8:00-8:45. Breakfast 

    9:00-10:30. Questions of Ontology
        7. Jonathan J. Sanford: “Individuals and Communities”
        8. Michael Gorman: “The Ontological Status of Essence”
        9. Robert Delfino: “Gracia, Individuation, and Thomistic Metaphysics”

    10:45-12:15. Questions of Ontological Neutrality
        10. Paul Symington: “The Question of Ontological Neutrality: Gracia, Boethius and Aquinas”
        11. Mark Spencer: “Omnis categoria pulchra est: A Neutralist Conception of Beauty”

    12:30 -1:30. Lunch

    1:30-2:45. Suárez, Philosophy, and the History of Philosophy
        12. Sandro D’Onofrio: “The Problem of Suárez’s Objective Concepts and Its Development in the Scholastic Ibero-American Scholars”
        13. Daniel Novotny: “The Modern Middle Ages: Gracia’s Gift of Suárez”

    3:00-3:30, Gracia Book Launch, James Peltz, Co-Director, SUNY Press

    3:30-5:30. Gracia, Philosophy, and the History of Philosophy
        14. Idris Samawi Hamid: "Gracia and Collingwood: Categories and the Developmental Paradigm of Metaphysics"
        15. Peter Redpath: “Jorge J. E. Gracia: Organizational Psychologist and Cultural Humanist”

    5:30. Closing Remarks

    *The schedule is subject to change. The event is free and open to the public.

    PARTICIPANTS

    The list below includes the title of each participant's dissertation, supervised by Jorge J. E. Gracia, and rth the title of each paper, as details become available.

    Elizabeth Millán Brusslan, DePaul University, Chicago, IL

    Dissertation: "Friedrich Schlegel and the Problem of Philosophy's Starting Point: A Study on the Philosophical Foundations of Early-German Romanticism," 1997

    Elizabeth Millán Brusslan.

    Elizabeth Millán Brusslan

    Conference Paper: “Diversity, Inclusion, and Gracia’s Role in Shaping the Field of Latin American Philosophy”

    Elizabeth Millán Brusslan, Professor of Philosophy, DePaul University, was educated at The State University of New York at Buffalo and at the Eberhard-Karls Universität in Tübingen. She works on aesthetics, German Idealism/Romanticism and Latin American Philosophy. Before coming to DePaul, Elizabeth taught at the Universidad Simón Bolívar in Venezuela. She has held fellowships from the German Academic Exchange Service, the Alexander von Humboldt Foundation, and the National Endowment for the Humanities. She is the author of Friedrich Schlegel and the Emergence of Romantic Philosophy (SUNY, 2007). Read more.

    Sandro Roberto D'Onofrio Castrillion, Riva-Agüero Institute, PUCP, Lima, Peru

    Dissertation: "Aquinas as Representionalist: The Ontological Status of the Species Intelligibilis," 2008

    Sandro Roberto D'Onofrio.

    Sandro Roberto D'Onofrio

    Conference Paper: “The Problem of Suárez’s Objective Concepts and Its Development in the Scholastic Ibero-American Scholars”

    Sandro Roberto D'Onofrio, Assistant Professor, Department of Humanities, and, Member, Riva-Agüero Institute of the PUCP, has been professor of Humanities in the Universities San Ignacio de Loyola, Lima, Cayetano Heredia and Antonio Ruiz de Montoya; of Philosophy and Romance Languages at the State University of New York and at Canisius College in the city of Buffalo, United States. His areas of interest are: medieval and Renaissance philosophy, Latin American colonial philosophy, history of ancient science, medieval and modern.  Learn more.

    Robert A. Delfino, St. John's University, Staten Island, NY

    Dissertation: "The Ontological Status of Identity," 2001

    Robert A. Delfino.

    Robert A. Delfino

    Conference Paper: "Gracia, Individuation, and Thomistic Metaphysics"

    Robert A. Delfino, Associate Professor of Philosophy, St. John's University, Staten Island, NY, received his Ph.D. from the State Universitof New York at Buffalo, where he specialized in metaphysics and medieval philosophy, studying under Professor Jorge J. E. Gracia. His current research interests include metaphysics, ethics, and the relationship between science, philosophy, and religion. He has published articles on Aristotle, Aquinas, Kant, Husserl, philosophy of science, personal identity, and human rights, in various countries, including the United States, the United Kingdom, Canada, Germany, Italy, Russia, Poland, and India. Read more.

    Michael Gorman, The Catholic University of America, Washington, D.C.

    Dissertation: "Ontological Priority," 1993 (Perry Prize for Outstanding Dissertations in Philosophy)

    Michael Gorman.

    Michael Gorman

    Conference Paper: “The Ontological Status of Essence”

    Professor of Philosophy; Fellow, CUA Institute for Human Ecology
    The Catholic University of America, Washington, D.C.

    Areas of Interest: Metaphysics, Human Nature, Analytic Philosophy, Medieval Philosophy

    Personal Statement: My main areas of interest are metaphysics and anything that has a metaphysical angle to it. I try to engage contemporary philosophy by drawing on the resources of the whole philosophical tradition. It's not my fault that Aquinas is more useful to me than anyone else.

    Learn more.

    Idris Samawi Hamid, Colorado State University, Fort Collins, Colorado

    Dissertation: "The Metaphysics and Cosmology of Process According to Shaykh 'Ahmad Al-'Ahsa'I," 1998

    Idris Hamid.

    Idris Hamid

    Conference Paper: "Gracia and Collingwood: Categories and the Developmental Paradigm of Metaphysics"

    Professor of Philosophy, Colorado State University

    Concentration:
        —Islamic philosophy
        —Cosmology
        —Metaphysics
        —Mysticism. 

    Read more.

    William Irwin (Conference Organizer), King's College, Wilkes-Barre, Pennsylvania

    Dissertation: "Interpretation and Authorship," 1996 (Perry Prize for Outstanding Dissertation in Philosophy)

    William Irwin.

    William Irwin

    Conference Paper: "Taking Pierre Menard Seriously: Gracia Meets Borges"

    Professor and Chair of Philosophy, King's College in Wilkes-Barre, Pennsylvania

    William Irwin is best known for originating the "philosophy and popular culture" book genre with Seinfeld and Philosophy: A Book about Everything and Nothing in 1999 and The Simpsons and Philosophy: The D'oh! of Homer in 2001. Read more.

    Iván Jaksić, Bing Overseas Studies Program, Santiago, Chile

    Dissertation: The Philosophy of Juan Rivano: The Intellectual Background of the University Reform Movement of 1968 in Chile," 1981

    Iván Jaksić.

    Iván Jaksić

    Conference Paper: “The Concept of Philosophical Vocation in Chile”

    Director, Bing Overseas Studies Program, Santiago, Chile

    Personal bio: My main interests are in nineteenth-century Latin American history, especially in the history of political ideas. I am the author of Andrés Bello: Scholarship and Nation-Building in Nineteenth-Century Latin America, The Hispanic World and American Intellectual Life, 1820-1880, and Academic Rebels in Chile: The Role of Philosophy in Higher Education and Politics. I taught for many years at the Universities of California-Berkeley, Wisconsin-Milwaukee, and Notre Dame. Learn more.

    Daniel D. Novotný, University of South Bohemia, České Budějovice, Czechia

    Dissertation: Beings of Reason: A Study in Scholasticism of the Baroque Era, 2009 (Perry Prize for Outstanding Dissertations in Philosophy)

    Daniel Novotny.

    Daniel Novotny

    Conference Paper: “The Modern Middle Ages: Gracia’s Gift of Suárez”

    Personal bio: I am an Assistant Professor of Philosophy at the University of South Bohemia. So far my research has concerned a few special topics and authors in Aristotelian and scholastic tradition but occasionally I take up whatever I find interesting (which is almost anything). Since it is not easy to get to the bottom of things and life is short I like to collaborate with others. I authored one book "Ens rationis: From Suárez to Caramuel" (Fordham, 2013), co-edited two books in analytical metaphysics, "Metaphysics: Aristotelian, Scholastic, Analytic" (Ontos, 2012), "Neoaristotelian Perspectives in Metaphysics" (Routledge, 2016), and co-translated Aquinas's Summa Theologiae questions on angels. I have authored or co-authored several papers and book chapters mostly in English but also in Czech. Learn more.

    Peter A. Redpath, Aquinas School of Leadership, Management, and Organizational Development, Phoenix, Arizona

    Dissertation: "The Ontological Status of Time in the Sentences, Summa and Physics of Thomas Aquinas," 1974

    Peter Redpath.

    Peter Redpath

    Conference Paper: “Jorge J. E. Gracia: Organizational Psychologist and Cultural Humanist”

    Founder and CEO, Aquinas School of Leadership, Management, and Organizational Development

    Peter Redpath (Professor of Philosophy at St. John’s University, New York, from 1979 to 2010) is author/editor of twelve philosophical books and many dozens of articles and book reviews. An internationally recognized scholar, since 1980 he has given over 200 invited guest lectures nationally and internationally. Among his many accomplishments, he is Senior Fellow Center for the Study of The Great Ideas; co-founder of the Gilson Society (USA) and The International Etienne Gilson Society; Learn more.

    Stephanie Rivera-Berruz, Marquette University, Milwaukee, Wisconsin

    Dissertation: "The Quest for Recognition: The Case of Latin American Philosophy," 2014

    Stephanie Rivera-Berruz.

    Stephanie Rivera-Berruz

    Conference Paper: “Building a Tradition—Writing Women into Latinx/Latin American Philosophical History: Lessons from Jorge J.E. Gracia”

    Stephanie Rivera Berruz, Assistant Professor, Philosophy, Marquette University, received her Ph.D. in Philosophy at SUNY Buffalo in 2014. Her main interests lie in social and political philosophy with an emphasis on philosophy of race and feminist philosophy, as well as, Latin American philosophy. Rivera Berruz approaches these topics at their intersections as she is committed to the importance of diverse approaches to philosophical praxis. Learn more.

    Jonathan J. Sanford (Conference Organizer), University of Dallas, Texas

    Dissertation: "The Metaphysical Foundations of Ethics," 2001

    Jonathan Sanford.

    Jonathan Sanford

    Conference Paper: “Individuals and Communities”

    Provost and Professor of Philosophy, University of Dallas

    Jonathan J. Sanford has published widely on philosophical figures and topics, and liberal education. He is especially interested in foundational questions in moral philosophy, as evidenced in his latest book, Before Virtue: Assessing Contemporary Virtue Ethics (The Catholic University of America Press, 2015). He is currently writing a book on virtue and education. He and his wife Rebecca live in Irving, Texas, where they try to stay at least a day ahead of their children’s busy school and activity schedules.

    Areas of Expertise: Ethics, Catholic Higher Education, Ancient and Medieval Philosophy, Metaphysics, Virtue Theory, Social and Political Philosophy, Early Phenomenology.  Learn more.

    Susan Smith, Rensselaer Cognitive Science Department, Troy, New York

    Dissertation: “The Hidden Assumption: Race vs Ethnicity," 2010

    Susan Smith.

    Susan Smith

    Conference Paper: “The Relevance of Gracia’s Genetic Common Bundle View of Race for Contemporary Medical Research and Practice”

    Lecturer, Cognitive Science Department, Rensselaer

    Interdisciplinary work is at the core of Susan Smith’s research and educational interests. At the University at Buffalo, working with Jorge J.E. Garcia, she explored the metaphysical basis of race with a focus on its intersection with healthcare. Dr. Smith’s current work explores the ethical issues related to genetic testing and, specifically, informed consent.  She is part of an interdisciplinary study of the ethics of genetic testing and student-athletes in the NCAA. Learn more.

    Mark K. Spencer, University of St. Thomas, St. Paul, Minnesota

    Dissertation: "Thomistic Hylomorphism and the Phenomenology of Self-Sensing," 2012 (Perry Prize for Outstanding Dissertations in Philosophy)

    Mark Spencer.

    Mark Spencer

    Conference paper:  "Omnis categoria pulchra est: A Neutralist Conception of Beauty"

    Associate Professor, Department of Philosophy, University of St. Thomas, Minnesota

    Personal Bio: I'm a philosopher, recently tenured, at the University of St. Thomas in St. Paul, Minnesota. I earned my Ph.D. at the University at Buffalo with a dissertation, directed by Jorge Gracia, defending St. Thomas Aquinas' metaphysics of the human person using phenomenological accounts of our experience of self-sensing, drawing on the work of Scheler, Levinas, Maurice Merleau-Ponty, and Michel Henry. Learn more.

    Paul Symington, Franciscan University, Steubenville, Ohio

    Dissertation: "The Number and Identity of the Aristotelian Categories," 2008

    Paul Symington.

    Paul Symington

    Conference paper: “The Question of Ontological Neutrality: Gracia, Boethius and Aquinas” 

    Dean, School of Theology & Philosophy, Professor of Philosophy, Franciscan University of Steubenville

    Current Areas of Interest, Research, Specialization: Metaphysics, Medieval Philosophy.
    Areas of Competence: Analytic Philosophy, Bioethics, Ethics, Logic, Philosophy of Religion, Ancient Philosophy, Philosophy of Language.

    Learn more.

    Ernesto Rosen Velasquez, University of Dayton, Ohio

    Dissertation: "The Metaphysics of Latino Identity and Its Social and Political Implications" 2009

    Ernesto Rosen Velasquez.

    Ernesto Rosen Velasquez

    Conference Paper: "Jorge J.E. Gracia's Contributions to LatinaXo Philosophy and His Engagement With Philosophy of Liberation."

    Ernesto Rosen Velasquez, Associate Professor, University of Dayton, specializes in Latino issues and critical race theory. His research interests include: Latino Issues; Critical Race Theory; Social and Political Philosophy.

    Learn more.

     

     

     

     

    INFORMATION FOR PARTICIPANTS

    ABOUT PARTICIPANT PAPERS

    Options to share papers for preview via email list: At any point before the conference, please feel free to share a draft of your paper by using the target "reply all" to a group email  (or send your paper directly to Bill or JJ). No one should feel obliged to read all or any of the drafts. But if you are inclined to read any, please do.

    CONFERENCE POSTER

    CAPEN CHAIR CONFERENCE 2019 - A Collection of Individuals: The Philosophical Legacy of Jorge J. E. Gracia.