Compelling Conversations - The Soul of Democracy - Office of the Provost and EVP

Dr. Cornel West, also warmly regarded as Brother West, is the current holder of the Dietrich Bonhoeffer Chair at Union Theological Seminary. In his capacity as professor, Dr. West offers instruction on Dietrich Bonhoeffer, Philosophy of Religion, African American Critical Thought, and a wide range of subjects encompassing philosophy, politics, literature, cultural theory, music, and the classics. He is dedicated to engaging diverse audiences and advancing the legacy of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr., with a focus on truth-telling and the pursuit of love and justice.

He earned his undergraduate degree from Harvard University, graduating magna cum laude in three years, and subsequently received both his M.A. and Ph.D. in Philosophy from Princeton. Cornel West was the first Black man to receive a Ph.D. in philosophy from Princeton University in 1980.

Dr. West has written 20 books and edited 13 additional volumes. His most celebrated publications include Race Matters, Democracy Matters, and his memoir Brother West: Living and Loving Out Loud. His book - Black Prophetic Fire - explores the legacy of prominent African American figures from the nineteenth and twentieth centuries. Most recently, he co-authored Truth Matters with Dr. Robert George, fostering thoughtful discourse on contemporary social issues in the United States.

Christopher D. Tirres is the Michael J. Buckley, S.J., Professor of Religious Studies and serves as Strategic Advisor to the Dean for Mission Integration in the College of Arts and Sciences at Santa Clara University. Dr. Tirres is the author of Liberating Spiritualities: Reimagining Faith in the Américas (Fordham University Press, 2025), The Aesthetics and Ethics of Faith: A Dialogue Between Liberationist and Pragmatic Thought (Oxford University Press, 2014), and co-editor of Religion in the Americas: Trans-hemispheric and Transcultural Approaches (University of New Mexico Press, 2025).

Before coming to SCU, he taught at DePaul University, where he served as the Inaugural Endowed Professor of Diplomacy and Interreligious Engagement. In recent years, Dr. Tirres has delivered a number of distinguished lectures, including the John Dewey Memorial Lecture and the Westervelt Lectures at Austin Seminary, which illuminate the healing power of borderlands spirituality in a time of political and cultural crisis. Dr. Tirres currently serves as president-elect of the Academy of Catholic Hispanic Theologians of the United States (ACHTUS). A native of El Paso, Texas, he holds degrees from Princeton University, Harvard Divinity School, and Harvard University.