By Patrick Howell, S.J.
I am pleased to announce the selection of Ron Bernas as the new managing editor of Conversations magazine. He will begin a transition into his new role by attending our winter and spring meeting at Loyola New Orleans and the other in April at the University of Detroit Mercy, his home base, so that he and Fr. Ed Schmidt, our current editor, can work out the transition.
Ron has an extensive background in journalism. He was an editor for the Detroit Free Press for eight years; director of communications at a Detroit high school; and has been a communications specialist for four years at the University of Detroit Mercy, where he has also imbibed the Jesuit charism and embraced the Jesuit Catholic mission of the university.
“I am excited to be a part of the Conversations team,” Ron said. “I look forward to helping share the good work being done on the campuses of Jesuit universities across this country.”
The National Seminar members are grateful for all those who applied for the position and for the strong interest shown in the impact that Conversations is having throughout our universities and colleges. At some future date we will also need to pay tribute to the fine editing job that Fr. Ed Schmidt has been doing since 2014.
Patrick J. Howell, S.J., Chair of the Seminar, is Distinguished Professor and Interim Director in the Institute for Catholic Thought and Culture at Seattle University, Seattle, Washington.