End of Year Celebration 2026
On May 5, 2026, in the Bioethics Village (University Hall 4500), we hosted our End of Year Celebration to mark an incredible year of academic achievement and meaningful conversation. The gathering offered an opportunity to celebrate our graduating seniors, connect with fellow students and faculty, and reflect on the vibrant community we’ve built together. We also announced Gabriella Robbins, our Spring 2026 Bioethics Research Assistant, as the winner of our inaugural Bioethics Essay Contest.
Tell Them You Love Me Lecture
This event, held on February 10 in the Bioethics Village (University Hall 4500), brought together students, faculty, and staff for a lecture-style discussion centered on the documentary Tell Them You Love Me. The program featured clips from the film, followed by an engaging conversation led by Dr. Nicholas Brown of the Bioethics Institute and Dr. Amanda Apgar of Disability Studies.
Together, the speakers guided a thoughtful dialogue on the film’s complex themes, including disability, communication, ethics, and human connection. The event created space for meaningful reflection and interdisciplinary exchange, inviting attendees to consider the ethical dimensions of care, autonomy, and representation.
Professor William Desmond Lecture
"You might be familiar with the work of William Desmond, hailed by Paul Weiss, the founder of the Review of Metaphysics, as the “leading philosopher of his generation.” It was an extraordinary opportunity to have William with us, and we were grateful to take advantage of his presence. A longtime professor at Leuven, Desmond also held the Cook Visiting Chair at Villanova and was a visiting fellow with the Augustinian Institute there. His work, spanning more than twenty-five books, covers a broad spectrum of topics, from aesthetics to ethics, metaphysics, and philosophy of religion." - Dr. Roberto Dell’Oro, Director of the Bioethics Institute
Lecture Insights:
The first event, held on October 13 in the Bioethics suite (University Hall 4500), featured a presentation by Desmond on the relation between philosophy and theology. As the title of the lecture suggested, the talk articulated an Augustinian perspective on the topic.
The second event, held on October 14 in the Bioethics conference room (University Hall 4515), was reserved for faculty. Desmond offered initial insights on the challenges of artificial intelligence for the humanities and opened a conversation with BCLA faculty interested in the topic. The discussion built on the College’s recent task forces and invited participants to share ideas and engage with the perspective of a seasoned scholar in the humanities.
Events
