VN_SPR SUM_06 covers FINAL.indd - Villanova University

FATHER DOBBIN’S PRESIDENCY reflected his educationas a systematic theologian and student of St. Augustine,an education much in evidence in his homilies andtalks to the community. He also devoted attention tomaintaining green space amid all the constructionat the University. He was particularly proud to see thecampus declared an official Arboretum.A Life in the Spirit of St. AugustineThe Rev. Edmund J. Dobbin, O.S.A., ’58 A&S wasborn in Brooklyn, N.Y., and raised in StatenIsland, where he graduated from St. Clare’sparochial school and the Augustinian Academy. Hethen entered the Order of St. Augustine. While studyingfor the priesthood, he earned a B.A. degree inphilosophy from Villanova University in 1958 and anM.A. degree in theology in 1962 from the AugustinianCollege in Washington, D.C. In 1957, he professedsolemn vows and in 1962 he was ordained.While teaching and serving as chair of the mathematicsdepartment at Malvern Prep in Malvern, Pa.,official Arboretum. Alumni returning to campus arecharmed by the many colorful plantings.It is a matter of pride for the University president that heand the other leaders resisted the temptations to overbuild oncampus and to tear down. “We tried very hard to avoid gettingrid of a building,” Father Dobbin explained. “For example, werenovated Mendel and Bartley instead of tearing them down,and we made a decision not to touch large green spaces likethe front lawn and Mendel Field,” he said. These decisionswere based on aesthetic considerations but also realistic ones.“We had to be concerned for those who come after us,” FatherDobbin added. “We needed to leave them room for options.Things are going to change in ways that we today can’tpossibly anticipate.”Father Dobbin took a holistic view of transformation. For him,that view extended beyond just the new and retrofitted buildingsto encompass what went on inside of these facilities. Among thenew initiatives launched during his presidency were:■ the Core Humanities Program;■ the addition of master’s, doctoral and combined-degreeprograms;■ the hiring of additional faculty and support staff;■ the launching of Villanova Experience and other learning/living communities designed for incoming students;■ the annual St. Thomas of Villanova Day, celebratingVillanova’s community, heritage, mission and patron;■ the continuation and expansion of the tradition of servicetrips to areas of need throughout the United States and therest of the world;■ the University Senate gatherings;■ the community forums that he addressed faithfully eachyear; and■ the liturgies and so much more.“Our efforts—academic, facilities and grounds—allinterfaced with one another and contributed to communitymorale,” Father Dobbin said.A personal high point and a special colleagueAs he sorted through files and prepared to move to anotheroffice on campus, Father Dobbin did agree to cite one of themany memories that have given him personal satisfaction.“I was amazed 18 years ago by the reaction to my inauguralspeech,” he noted. “I have said a lot over the years about ourAugustinian identity, but that was the first time I had presentedit publicly, and I did so out of a need I saw to articulatethe ethos of the University and how it should permeate—as I think it does now—everything we do. People really identifiedwith it back in 1989. I hope I have been able to makeVillanovans and others more aware of the distinctiveness thathas always been at the core of Villanova.” That legacy washighlighted in 1992 with the 150th anniversary celebrationof Villanova’s founding by Augustinians.Father Dobbin pursued graduate studies at TheCatholic University of America, where he earned an M.S.in mathematics in 1964 and a Licentiate in Theologyin 1968. He then studied theology in Belgium at theUniversity of Louvain, which in 1971 awarded him thedegree of Doctor of Sacred Theology.Upon returning to the United States, Father Dobbinjoined the faculty of the Washington Theological Union,where he taught for 16 years. He was an active memberof the Catholic Theological Society of America andearned a reputation as a respected teacher and scholarin Catholic theology. In 1987, he returned to Villanova asassociate vice president for Academic Affairs. The followingyear, the trustees elected him as University president.In stepping into retirement, Father Dobbin also took theopportunity to express his appreciation to one person in particularfor her support. “There are so many people to thank at alllevels and I don’t want to omit someone, so I hesitate to namenames,” he said. “However, I do want to acknowledge JaneO’Laughlin, who has been my secretary over all these years. In18 years, I have never heard a single complaint about the wayanyone has been treated in the President’s Office. It’s becauseJane is a superb manager, and because she has this very professionalbut kindly way of dealing with people. She always had agreat sense of whom I should see, and if a person needed to seesomeone else, she not only gave that person a name, but alsohelped make the connection. She has been fabulous.”Spring/Summer 2006 29