Christopher S. Celenza (born 1967) is an American scholar of Renaissance history and the current James B. Knapp Dean of the Krieger School of Arts and Sciences at Johns Hopkins University, where he is also a professor of history and classics.

Christopher Celenza
Celenza in 2021
James B. Knapp Dean of the Krieger School of Arts and Sciences
Assumed office
January 4, 2021
Preceded byBeverly Wendland
Dean of Georgetown College
In office
July 1, 2017 – 2020
Preceded byChester Gillis
Succeeded byRosario Ceballo
Director of the American Academy in Rome
In office
July 1, 2010 – June 30, 2014
Preceded byCarmela Vircillo Franklin
Succeeded byKimberly Bowes
Personal details
Born1967 (age 56–57)
Cleveland, Ohio, U.S.
EducationUniversity at Albany, SUNY (BA, MA)
Duke University (PhD)
University of Hamburg (Dr. phil.)
Academic work
InstitutionsGeorgetown University
Johns Hopkins University
American Academy in Rome
Main interestsRenaissance history & European scholarship

Early life and education

edit

Celenza was born in 1967 in Cleveland, Ohio.[1][2] He grew up in Staten Island in New York City,[3] and attended Monsignor Farrell High School, where he graduated in 1985.[4]

He received his Bachelor of Arts and Master of Arts in history from the State University of New York at Albany in 1988 and 1989, respectively. From 1992 to 1993, Celenza studied in Florence on a Fulbright Scholarship.[5] He then received his PhD in history from Duke University in 1996. His doctoral dissertation on Lapo da Castiglionchio the Younger was entitled A Renaissance Humanist's View of his Social and Cultural Environment: Lapo Da Castiglionchio the Younger's De curiae commodis. While a doctoral student, Celenza was awarded the Rome Prize,[5] which granted him a fellowship at the American Academy in Rome from 1993 to 1994.[6] In 2001, he received his second doctorate, a Dr. Phil., in the classics, specializing in Neo-Latin literature, from the University of Hamburg. His dissertation there was titled "Piety and Pythagoras in Late Fifteenth Century Florence: The Symbolum Nesianum."[5] Following his degree, Celenza was awarded the Frederick Burkhardt Residential Fellowship for Recently Tenured Scholars by the American Council of Learned Societies in 2003.[7]

Academic career

edit

While pursuing his doctorate at the University of Hamburg, Celenza became an assistant professor in 1996[5] and later associate professor of history at Michigan State University. During this period, he was eventually appointed full professor and associate chair of graduate studies for the university. In 2005, Celenza joined the faculty of Johns Hopkins University, holding positions in the departments of history, German and Romance languages and literatures, and classics.[8] While there, he was also the founder of the Charles Singleton Center for the Study of Premodern Europe, of which he served as its first director from 2008 to 2010.[9] In 2008, Celenza was awarded a Guggenheim Fellowship.[5]

In 2010, Celenza took a leave of absence from Johns Hopkins[5] to become the 21st director of the American Academy in Rome, succeeding Carmela Vircillo Franklin.[10] He held this position until 2014, when he was succeeded by Kimberly Bowes.[11] Following his directorship, Celenza returned to Johns Hopkins, where he became the chair of the department of classics from 2014 to 2016[9] and the Charles Homer Haskins Professor of classics.[12] For a year, he served as vice dean for humanities and social sciences in the Krieger School of Arts and Sciences. Celenza was subsequently appointed the vice provost for faculty affairs of Johns Hopkins.[8] During his time at Johns Hopkins, he also assisted in the founding of the Alexander Grass Humanities Institute.[13]

On March 2, 2017, the President of Georgetown University, John DeGioia, announced that Celenza would become the Dean of Georgetown College, succeeding Chester Gillis.[14] He officially assumed the position on July 1, 2017. He concurrently held professorships in history and the classics.[5]

On October 22, 2020, Johns Hopkins President Ronald Daniels named Celenza as James B. Knapp Dean of the Krieger School of Arts and Sciences, effective January 4, 2021.[15]

References

edit
  1. ^ "Johns Hopkins Vice Provost to Become Georgetown's New College Dean". Georgetown University. March 2, 2017. Archived from the original on April 15, 2017. Retrieved June 23, 2018.
  2. ^ "Christopher S. CelenCelenza, PhD, DrPhil" (PDF). Johns Hopkins University. Archived (PDF) from the original on February 11, 2021. Retrieved February 11, 2021.
  3. ^ Spezzamonte, Irene (March 12, 2017). "Staten Island native appointed as Georgetown's new dean". Staten Island Advance. Archived from the original on June 24, 2018. Retrieved June 23, 2018.
  4. ^ Maroon & Gold Monsignor Farrell Alumni Magazine. Monsignor Farrell High School. Winter 2018. p. 13. Archived from the original on June 24, 2018.
  5. ^ a b c d e f g Celenza, Christopher. "Christopher S. Celenza - Curriculum Vitae". Box. Georgetown University. Archived from the original on September 10, 2020. Retrieved June 23, 2018.
  6. ^ Charney, Noah (March 18, 2013). "American Academy in Rome's Christopher Celenza on Decoding Latin and Literature". Blouin Artinfo. Archived from the original on October 11, 2013. Retrieved June 23, 2018.
  7. ^ "Christopher S. Celenza F'03". American Council of Learned Societies. Archived from the original on April 29, 2015. Retrieved June 23, 2018.
  8. ^ a b "Getting to Know Dean Christopher S. Celenza". Georgetown University. July 6, 2017. Archived from the original on June 24, 2018. Retrieved June 23, 2018.
  9. ^ a b Scoville, Ian; Subramaniam, Tara (March 15, 2017). "New College Dean Looks to Balance Tradition With Innovation". The Hoya. Archived from the original on October 5, 2017. Retrieved June 23, 2018.
  10. ^ "American Academy in Rome Appoints Christopher Celenza its 21st Director". Funzionalità. December 13, 2009. Archived from the original on June 24, 2018. Retrieved June 23, 2018.
  11. ^ "New director of American Academy in Rome". Wanted in Rome. March 4, 2014. Archived from the original on June 24, 2018. Retrieved June 23, 2018.
  12. ^ "Biography of Dean Christopher Celenza". Georgetown University. Archived from the original on June 24, 2018. Retrieved June 23, 2018.
  13. ^ "JHU vice provost Chris Celenza named dean at Georgetown College". Hub. Johns Hopkins University. March 2, 2017. Archived from the original on April 3, 2018. Retrieved June 23, 2018.
  14. ^ DeGioia, John J. (March 2, 2017). "Announcing Christopher S. Celenza, Ph.D. as Dean of Georgetown College". Georgetown University. Archived from the original on September 10, 2017. Retrieved June 23, 2018.
  15. ^ Lunday, Amy (October 22, 2020). "Christopher Celenza returns to Johns Hopkins as Krieger School dean". The Hub. Retrieved October 22, 2020.
edit
Academic offices
Preceded by James B. Knapp Dean of the Krieger School of Arts and Sciences
2021–present
Incumbent
Preceded by Dean of Georgetown College
2017–2020
Succeeded by
Rosario Ceballo
Preceded by
Carmela Vircillo Franklin
21st Director of the American Academy in Rome
2010–2014
Succeeded by
Kimberly Bowes