Dr. John E. Thiel, a professor in the religious studies department in Fairfield University”™s College of Arts and Sciences, has been elected vice president and president-elect of the American Theological Society (ATS).
The ATS was founded in 1912 and is North America”™s oldest theological society, with a membership limited to 100 elected members. Past presidents have included Paul Tillich, Reinhold Niebuhr, and Avery Cardinal Dulles in North America. Thiel will serve as president for the 2023-2024 term.
Thiel has taught at Fairfield University for 46 years and was a visiting professor of religious studies at Yale University in spring 2019 and spring 2020. He has received two fellowships from the National Endowment for the Humanities and served as the president of the Catholic Theological Society of America from 2011-2012., the largest professional society of theologians in the world.
“The American Theological Society is the premier scholarly organization of its kind in the nation,” said Richard A. Greenwald, dean of the College of Arts and Sciences. “Dr. Thiel”™s election by his peers to the highest post in the organization is a true testament to his stature in the field. The work he does, day in and day out with our students, makes him a model of teacher-scholar.”
