The Rev. Kail Ellis ’62, Ph.D., O.S.A., has dedicated his adult life to higher education as a professor and administrator. He currently serves as assistant to the president at Villanova University, where he has worked for nearly 40 years in a variety of roles. A man of faith as well as letters, Father Ellis has been guided throughout his vocation by the words of Saint Augustine: “Set love as the criterion for all that you say. Whatever you teach, teach in such a way that the person to whom you speak by hearing may believe, by believing hope, and by hoping love.”
Father Ellis’ view of the world – and the role that education plays in it – was shaped early. The son of Lebanese immigrants, he was raised in the small town of Carthage, N.Y. Following his graduation from high school in 1957, he did something that was uncommon then – he spent a gap year abroad, living with relatives in his parents’ native land. In that time, he cultivated a reverence for the region, its past and its people, that shapes his work to this day. It was, he said, “one of the most transformative experiences of my life.”
Upon his return to the U.S., Father Ellis enrolled at Le Moyne, where his appreciation for history led him to the study of political science. He drew inspiration from his teachers and from members of the College’s Jesuit community, including Lewis Cox, S.J., and Daniel Berrigan, S.J. He credits them with nourishing a love of the intellectual life that is the foundation of his career in Catholic higher education. Since arriving at Villanova in 1979, he has served the university as a professor of political science, dean of the College of Arts and Sciences and vice president of academic affairs.
In addition to those responsibilities, Father Ellis also founded the university’s Center for Arab and Islamic Studies. Since its establishment in 1983, the center has sought to promote an awareness of Islam and its relationship with other monotheistic religions of the Arab world. Its courses in Middle East history, Arabic language, and Islamic theology and philosophy have attracted strong students, many of whom have gone on to earn Fulbright scholarships and are now involved in academia. The work clearly has great personal importance for Father Ellis. Since making his first trip to Lebanon more than 50 years ago, he has returned to the Middle East more than 25 times, and currently serves on the boards of two universities in the region.
“Being part of these endeavors at the center and abroad has been very meaningful and satisfying,” said Father Ellis, who was recently presented with the Ellis Island Medal of Honor, which recognizes individuals who work to preserve and celebrate the history, traditions and values of their respective cultures.
This year Father Ellis will mark 50 years in the priesthood. It is, he said, “difficult to believe that so much time has passed.” As he reflected on the milestone, he was struck by what a privilege it has been to live as part of the Augustinian religious community and to serve others not just sacramentally and spiritually, but as an educator. He has been heartened to see the progress that has been made in higher education over the course of his career, including the increase of ethnic, racial and geographic diversity in the student body; the hiring of underrepresented faculty and staff; and the establishment of new academic programs. He has found joy in witnessing students learn to think critically, communicate effectively, and to be grounded ethically and morally. His greatest hope for the future, he said, is that more young men and women will be able to avail themselves of higher education.
“Academic excellence, based on the liberal arts education and the Catholic mission, should be the guiding principles for institutions of Catholic higher education,” he said. “As Father Theodore Hesburgh of the University of Notre Dame once said, “A Catholic university should be a place where the church can do its thinking.”
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