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Raymond L. Fitz, SM

President Emeritus; Professor of Social Change

Full-Time Faculty

College of Arts and Sciences: Fitz Center, Political Science

Contact

Email: Raymond L. Fitz, SM
Phone: 937-229-5409

Profile

Bro. Raymond L. Fitz, S.M., Ph.D. was the longest-serving president in the University of Dayton’s history. He stepped down from this position after 23 years in June 2002. As President of the University, he emphasized creating a strong connection of learning to leadership and service. In 2015, he received the Association of Catholic Colleges and University’s Rev. Theodore M. Hesburgh award for outstanding leadership in Catholic higher education.

He worked in the Fitz Center for Leadership in Community for 17 years as the Fr. Ferree Professor of Social Justice. He is presently the Professor of Social Change in the College of Arts and Sciences.

In the region, Brother Ray facilitates participation, collaboration and learning in addressing the complex problems of poverty and racial injustice. He served on various boards and committees in our area in the past and continues this effort today. Brother Ray helped organize the Montgomery County’s Family and Children First Council. He presently serves as co-chairperson of the Commission for Minority Inclusion; member of the board of the Omega Community Development Corporation; convener of the committee on the Neighborhood Based 2-Generation Approaches; and serves on the Bridges Out of Poverty Steering Committee, among others. He recently was co-chair of the Dayton Oregon District Tragedy Fund. Brother Ray has always been willing to work with people in our community for economic and racial injustice.

His strong interest in these issues extends to the classroom, where he team-teaches the Leadership in Building Communities seminar. Brother Ray also lectures in a variety of classes and seminars on the connections between social justice and the problems of our metropolitan regions of the United States.

As a member of the Marianist religious community, he helped form the Association of Marianist Universities (AMU) where he was the executive director for 7 years. He helps facilitate the social justice formation for the members of Marianist PULSE, a post-graduate volunteer program sponsored by the Marianist Community. He has served for 10 years as a mentor for different Marianist Student Communities on the UD campus.

Prior to becoming the University of Dayton’s 17 th president in 1979, Brother Ray spent a decade in a variety of University-related positions, ranging from a faculty member in the School of Engineering to executive director of the Center for Christian Renewal. He entered the Society of Mary, a Roman Catholic religious order, and began his studies at the University of Dayton in 1960. In 1964, he graduated with honors with a B.S. in electrical engineering. He holds an M.S. and Ph.D. in electrical engineering from Polytechnic University in New York.

Resource papers

Papers are downloadable as PDFs:

Background on Fr. William J. Ferree, S.M., Ph.D.

Introduction to Social Justice. By Fr. William J. Ferree, S.M., Ph.D.

Fr. William Ferree, S.M.: A Sketch of His Life and Contribution to Catholic Social Thought. By Gabrielle Bibeau

The Church and Regional Solidarity

A Social Analysis of the Dayton Metropolitan Region. By Bro. Raymond L. Fitz, S.M., Ph.D.

Breaking the Cycle of Poverty: The Two-Generation Approach. By Bro. Raymond L. Fitz, S.M., Ph.D.

The Church and Urban Education: Creating a New Missionary Project. By Bro. Raymond L. Fitz, S.M., Ph.D.

The Fractured City, Integral Development and the Regional Church. By Bro. Raymond L. Fitz, S.M., Ph.D.

Option for the Poor and the Journey to Regional Solidarity. By Bro. Raymond L. Fitz, S.M., Ph.D.

Post-Parochial Strategies for Advancing Urban Solidarity. By Bro. Raymond L. Fitz, S.M., Ph.D.