Providence College President Brian J. Shanley, O.P., to Present 2007-2008 Becket Lecture Father Brian J. Shanley, O.P., president of Providence College, will be the featured speaker for the Annual Becket Lecture at Brown University on Friday, October 19, at 4:00 p.m., in Petteruti Lounge, Faunce House, The College Green. Father Shanley will speak on "The Harmony of Faith and Reason," in which he will explore the profound influence Thomas Aquinas’s thought had on the relationship between reason and faith. Free and open to the public. See campus map for directions. A native of Rhode Island, Father Shanley received a doctorate in philosophy from the University of Toronto and completed a postdoctoral fellowship at the University of Notre Dame’s Center for Philosophy of Religion. After completing undergraduate studies at Providence College in 1980, he earned a licentiate degree in philosophy from The Catholic University of America. He also holds a master of divinity and a licentiate degree in sacred theology from the Dominican House of Studies in Washington, D.C. Ordained a member of the Dominican Order of Preachers in 1987, Father Shanley taught philosophy at Providence College and was a visiting professor at Emory University’s Candler School of Theology. He most recently served as an associate professor of philosophy at The Catholic University of America. Father Shanley became the 12th president of Providence College in 2005. Father Shanley has served as associate editor and editor of The Thomist and as a member of the editorial board for the International Journal for Philosophy of Religion. Widely published in philosophy-focused academic journals, his research interests include Thomas Aquinas, philosophy of religion, metaphysics, medieval philosophy, and ethics. The Thomas Becket Association funds the lectureship, and the Brown-RISD Roman Catholic Community organizes the event each year.