This summer, Gregory E. Sterling, executive associate dean in the College of Arts and Letters since 2006 and professor of theology at the University of Notre Dame, was appointed dean of the Graduate School by University President Rev. John I. Jenkins, C.S.C.
The position of dean of the Graduate School is newly created and a result of the administrative restructuring of graduate education and research at Notre Dame. The new structure splits the former position of vice president for graduate studies and research into two positions that each report directly to the provost.
In announcing the appointment, Provost Thomas G. Burish said: “Greg Sterling has participated successfully and broadly in graduate education as a mentor of graduate students, director of graduate studies, and executive associate dean of the College of Arts and Letters. He is an experienced administrator, gifted teacher and mentor, respected scholar, and leader who deeply understands the Catholic character and mission of Notre Dame. As we enhance graduate studies at Notre Dame, Greg will provide the vision, energy and partnership with faculty and other deans necessary for enduring success.”
A professor of New Testament and Christian origins, Sterling joined the Notre Dame faculty in 1989. He earned his doctorate in New Testament studies from the Graduate Theological Union in Berkeley, California, two master’s degrees in Classics and religion from the University of California, Davis, and Pepperdine University, respectively, and a bachelor’s degree in Christianity and history from Houston Baptist University.
Sterling served for four years as director of graduate studies in the Department of Theology, and for the past seven years was associate dean, then senior associate dean and, since 2006, executive associate dean in the College of Arts and Letters.
“This is an important moment for graduate education at Notre Dame,” Sterling said. “The University has made an unambiguous commitment to the advancement of research and graduate studies through a series of initiatives. I am deeply grateful for the opportunity to lead the effort to promote graduate studies and place a unique stamp on graduate education at Notre Dame.”
Sterling has concentrated his research on the writings of Philo of Alexandria, Josephus and Luke-Acts, with a focus on the ways in which Second Temple Jews and early Christians interacted with one another and with the Greco-Roman world.
He is the author of three books and more than 40 scholarly articles and essays, including Historiography and Self-Definition, which addresses how Josephus and Luke-Acts responded to the larger world, Armenian Paradigms, and Coptic Paradigms. Sterling’s current project is Prayers from the Ancient World. He is the editor or co-editor of three other books: Hellenism in the Land of Israel, The Ancestral Philosophy: Hellenistic Philosophy in Greek-Speaking Judaism, and Sapiential Perspectives: Wisdom Literature in Light of the Dead Sea Scrolls. He serves as the co-editor of an annual, the editor of two major series of books, and is a member of the editorial board of a major series on the New Testament in Germany.
Read the Letter from the Dean