Dr. Jeff Zalar

The inaugural holder of the Ruth J. and Robert A. Conway Endowed Chair in Catholic Studies is Dr. Jeff Zalar.  Jeff served in the United States Marine Corps from 1987-1991.  His service included participation in “Operation Just Cause” in Panama in 1989-90 and “Operations Desert Shield and Desert Storm” during the Gulf War in 1990-91.  Thereafter he attended Marquette University in Milwaukee, WI, where in 1995 he received an Honors B.A. in History and Theology.  In 2002, he received a Ph.D. with Distinction in modern German and European History from Georgetown University in Washington, D.C.  His research is in the history of Catholic culture and the religious foundations of Western Civilization.  After teaching at Christ College, the Honors College of Valparaiso University in Valparaiso, IN, Pepperdine University in Malibu, CA, and the University of Wisconsin-Whitewater, he assumed duties as Conway Chair in 2012.