Ferree Chair of Social Justice: Kelly Johnson, Ph.D.
The Father William J. Ferree Chair of Social Justice works with partners on and off campus to integrate the Catholic approach to social justice into the curriculum, research, and community engagement throughout the university.
About Father William J. Ferree, S.M.
Father William J. Ferree, S.M., was born in 1905 in Dayton and professed first vows in 1925. He graduated from the University of Dayton and pursued graduate studies at the Catholic University in Washington, D.C., earning a doctorate in 1942 with his dissertation "On the Act of Social Justice." He was the director of the Marianist Scholasticate at Mount St. John in 1947, where he was a strong presence in the classroom and beyond.
About the Current Father William J. Ferree Chair of Social Justice
Kelly Johnson, Ph.D., University of Dayton associate professor of religious studies, became the first holder of the Father William J. Ferree Chair of Social Justice in July 2019. She follows in the footsteps of Brother Raymond L. Fitz, S.M., who served as the first Ferree Professor of Social Justice from 2002 to 2019, following his tenure as University president from 1979 to 2002.
Browse the Office of the Father William J. Ferree Chair of Social Justice Collections:
Community Conference: The Common Good in a Divided City
Documents, Events, Reports, and Promotional Materials of the Ferree Chair of Social Justice