March 23, 2011
One month after the passing of Philosophy Dean Rev. Kurt Pritzl, O.P., University President John Garvey announced that an endowed chair in the School of Philosophy will be named in Father Pritzl's honor.
The endowed chair, which was announced in October 2009 , was established by an anonymous gift of $2.5 million to recognize the leadership of Father Pritzl. By the terms of the gift, the chair was to be named the Father Kurt Pritzl, O.P. Chair in Philosophy upon his death or retirement.
The endowed chair creates an additional permanent position on the faculty of the School of Philosophy. In 2009, when the gift was announced, Father Pritzl described its significance this way: "The endowment of a chair to bring a scholar of the highest rank and eminence to the School of Philosophy expands an already distinguished faculty in the best possible way and testifies to the permanent and fundamental importance of the work of the school in fulfilling the Catholic academic mission of the university. This chair will advance in perpetuity the research, writing and teaching to which the school is devoted in service to society and the Church."
"I am confident that the academic leadership of the University and Father Pritzl's colleagues in the School of Philosophy will ensure that Father Pritzl's vision for this endowed chair will come to fruition," Garvey wrote in a letter to the University community. "The Father Kurt Pritzl, O.P. Chair in Philosophy will serve as a lasting reminder of the legacy of its namesake."