Leaders | AMU
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dr. michael Dauphinais in Florida. His authority extends to his role as Dean of Faculty as well as including responsibility over the library, the university’s accreditation relationships and the Latin American campus.
“A fully Catholic university has to embrace a broad range of disciplines.”
Dauphinais Leads Faculty by AMU Magazine Staff
W
hen Dr. Michael Dauphinais first came to Ave Maria University’s campus in Ypsilanti, Mich., only five majors were being offered: classics, theology, philosophy, literature and
history. In the dozen years since his first being hired, the university has had enormous growth, now providing undergraduates with 23 majors and 21 minors, with two new majors in education and accounting just added. Dauphinais has recently been named Vice President for Academic Affairs and now has responsibility for the academic curriculum of the institution and providing leadership to the faculty as AMU enters its second decade
Dauphinais sees the expansion of the university as part of a Catholic mission and from the beginning of his career at the institution, he has been involved in expanding the curriculum to the natural sciences, mathematics, the social sciences, music and now more pre-professional programs. “That’s part of the idea of a university. A fully Catholic university has to embrace a broad range of disciplines,” he said. Born in Mt. Airy, Md., Dauphinais went to Mt. St. Joseph High School before going to Duke University for mechanical engineering. While at Duke, he experienced a conversion back to the Catholic Church. He began to study theology and philosophy during his undergraduate years. Dauphinais’ budding faith motivated him to complete a master’s degree in theology at Duke’s Divinity School and a Ph.D. at the University of Notre Dame. He then earned his first teaching position at the University of St. Thomas in St. Paul, Minn. In 2001, Dauphinais was hired as a professor in theology at Ave Maria College in Michigan. He has taught courses across the theological curriculum, including topics such as C.S. Lewis and the theology of revelation. He was promoted to Dean of Faculty in 2002 and in 2004 moved to AMU’s Southwest Florida campus with his family. After serving as acting Vice President for Academic Affairs since 2011, the position was made permanent in 2012. “I have been impressed by his commitment to excellence and devotion to the best interests of Ave Maria,” President Towey said. “We are lucky to have him as our faculty’s leader.” amu
avemaria.edu | spring 2013 |
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