Theologian Gary Anderson awarded 2024 Barry Prize; Paolo Carozza, Richard Garnett and Christian Smith also honored
Gary A. Anderson, the Hesburgh Professor of Catholic Thought at the University of Notre Dame, has been awarded a 2024 Barry Prize for Distinguished Intellectual Achievement from the American Academy of Sciences and Letters. The academy conferred the prize Wednesday (Oct. 23) in a ceremony at the Library of Congress in Washington, D.C.
Three other Notre Dame faculty were also invested as members of the academy: Paolo Carozza, a professor of law and concurrent professor of political science; Richard Garnett, the Paul J. Schierl/Fort Howard Corporation Professor of Law and a concurrent professor of political science; and Christian Smith, the William R. Kenan Jr. Professor of Sociology.
In becoming academy members, the honorees join prestigious fellow members including Salman Rushdie, Jay Bhattacharya, Jonathan Haidt, Steven Koonin, Henry Louis Gates Jr., Steven Pinker, Niall Ferguson, Nicholas Christakis, Akhil Reed Amar and two Nobel laureate scientists — chemist Arieh Warshel and biochemist Jennifer Doudna.
The Barry Prize for Distinguished Intellectual Achievement, open to scholars across diverse fields and disciplines, honors “those whose work has made outstanding contributions to humanity’s knowledge, appreciation, and cultivation of the good, the true and the beautiful.” Recipients are also inducted into the academy.
“It is a great honor, of course, to receive this sort of recognition about one’s academic work,” Anderson said. “I still find myself a bit in shock to be listed among such leaders in their respective fields. I am humbled to have been chosen.”
Anderson, who joined Notre Dame’s Department of Theology in 2003, focuses his research on the religion and literature of the Old Testament/Hebrew Bible, with special interest in the reception of the Bible in Judaism and Christianity. According to the prize citation, he was recognized for his contributions to humanity’s understanding of one of its oldest and most influential sacred traditions.
“By his thorough exploration of the theology of the Hebrew Bible and its relationships to later traditions, Gary Anderson has illuminated some of history’s most influential metaphysical and moral ideas, as well as contributing to interfaith understanding,” the citation stated. “His work explores both continuity and changes over the millennia in our understanding of such concepts as compassion for the poor, good and evil, atonement, reconciliation and our existence.”
Contact: Carrie Gates, associate director of media relations, 574-993-9220 or c.gates@nd.edu
Latest ND NewsWire
- One year later, Inauguration Build a ‘dream come true’ for Habitat familiesOne year later, work on Inauguration Build 2024 is complete, offering shelter and so much more to five local families.
- Alumni Association and YoungND honor 2025 Domer DozenThe Notre Dame Alumni Association announced its 2025 Domer Dozen cohort, honoring 12 graduates ages 32 and younger for excellence in their contributions in learning, service, faith and work — the core pillars of the association’s mission.
- Faculty receive prestigious early career awards from National Science FoundationDuring the 2024-25 academic year, four researchers in the University of Notre Dame’s Colleges of Engineering and Science received early-career awards from the National Science Foundation.
- Notre Dame School of Architecture poised for global leadership through historic investmentThe $150 million gift represents an unprecedented commitment in the 160-year history of American architectural education. In recognition of this landmark gift, the school will be renamed the Matthew and Joyce Walsh School of Architecture at Notre Dame.
- Banks that identify fraudsters increase loyalty, retain more defrauded customers than others who never were compromisedIn a new research study, Vamsi Kanuri, the Viola D. Hank Associate Professor of Marketing at the University of Notre Dame’s Mendoza College of Business, found that banks that identify fraudsters earn customer loyalty and lose customers if they can’t say who was responsible for a fraudulent transaction.
- Notre Dame to host summit on AI, faith and human flourishing, introducing new DELTA frameworkThe Institute for Ethics and the Common Good and the Notre Dame Ethics Initiative will host the Notre Dame Summit on AI, Faith and Human Flourishing on the University’s campus from Monday, Sept. 22 through Thursday, Sept. 25. This event will draw together a dynamic, ecumenical group of educators, faith leaders, technologists, journalists, policymakers and young people who believe in the enduring relevance of Christian ethical thought in a world of powerful AI.
