Two faculty from Westminster College recently participated in a review of the Philosophy and Religious Studies Department at St. Francis University in Loretto.

Dr. Bryan Rennie, professor of religion and chair of Westminster's Department of Religion, History, Philosophy, and Classics, and Dr. David Goldberg, associate professor of philosophy, were invited to provide an external perspective on their respective disciplines with a view to reforming the curriculum and revitalizing the department programs. The review is part of a continuing self-study at St. Francis.

Rennie and Goldberg spent a day interviewing administration, faculty, and students associated with the program before submitting an assessment of the department and their recommendations.

"It was a considerable honor to be asked to perform this review, since it acknowledged our expertise and recognized our opinion as worthy of serious consideration," Rennie said. "To review another department comparable to one's own is always a valuable learning experience. We can only hope that our services to St. Francis were as useful to them as the experience was to us."

Rennie, who holds the Vira I. Heinz Chair in Religion, has been with Westminster since 1992. He earned an undergraduate degree, master's, and Ph.D. from the University of Edinburgh, Scotland. He has authored four books and numerous articles on Mircea Eliade.

Goldberg, who has been with Westminster since 2002, earned undergraduate and master's degrees from The Pennsylvania State University and Ph.D. from Duquesne University.

Contact Rennie at (724) 946-7151 or e-mail brennie@westminster.edu for additional information.

Dr. Bryan Rennie

Dr. David Goldberg