Retired Professor Emeritus Dr. E. Paul Colella reflects on time at Xavier

Jun 20, 2023

Dr. E. Paul Colella was not planning to stay at Xavier very long.

“I came to Xavier on a one-year teaching contract,” he said. “Before I came, I was living in New York City finishing my degree and I thought this was only an opportunity to get some experience and put it on my resume.”

Then, one of Colella’s Xavier colleagues unexpectedly retired and he was offered a job.

“So, one year became two, became three, five and eventually 43,” he said.

Colella recently retired from the Philosophy, Politics and Public Honors program at Xavier after more than 40 years on the university’s faculty. Since joining Xavier as a professor in 1979, Colella served as a professor of Philosophy, but growing up the Boston native never would have thought he’d make a career out of teaching.

“When I was young, I was not a very good student, “Colella said. “And I remember being in junior high and my parents came home from a parent teacher conference, and they were exasperated because apparently my teachers were telling them, he's a smart kid, but he's lazy.”

Colella’s parents decided to enroll him into Boston College High School so he could be challenged and learn discipline. It was his first time in a Jesuit institution.

“We did a lot of work in philosophy and in history and in literature, and at the time I really didn't fully appreciate what was being put before me,” he said.

Colella continued his Jesuit education at Boston College, but admitted he was still distracted. It wasn’t until the Vietnam war, that he began to think about what he might do with his life.

“I had a draft card in my pocket. So that made me pay attention to a lot of things beyond what most college students might be concerned about,” he said. “That’s when I discovered philosophy.”

Colella went on to earn a doctorate in Philosophy where he learned just as much about inspiring students in the classroom.

“The more and more I think about it, the more and more I realized that those years directed me to where I ended up,” he said. “The dedication of those teachers and the kind of things they opened my mind to is just an incredible gift. And if I had any success in the classroom during my career here at Xavier, it's probably due to them.”

Because Colella made sure that all he learned was not wasted, his impact at Xavier has been extensive and multifaceted. He started out as a professor of Philosophy and later became an advisor for Xavier’s growing honors programs. Eventually, Colella became director of the University Scholars Program. He was also the founding director of the Philosophy, Politics, and the Public Honors Program.

“In all these positions, I had a great deal of freedom to be creative and try a lot of things. Some of them worked, and I came to really enjoy that,” he said.

Colella also participated in team teaching with retired history professor Dr. Sandy Korros. For more than 20 years, the team taught a combination course of Western History and core Philosophy. Korros was one of his most memorable colleagues.

“I learned a lot from her,” he said. “I still teach the courses that I taught with her, and I find myself often relying upon what I learned from her, using it in class to help my students better understand philosophical ideas. I worked with so many colleagues in the Philosophy department and across the university, and working with my colleagues will be some of the best memories I take away.”

Colella also remembers how much Xavier has changed. The very room he was interviewed in was once a row of houses. What he misses most is how Hinkle Hall’s second floor used to be a mash-up of the Philosophy, History, English, Business and Mathematics departments.

“I miss the chance conversations that I would have with somebody from disciplines remote from my own, and I think that reinforced the community that we talk about,” he said, “It also stimulated a lot of fresh thinking. If I could talk to an Economics professor and suddenly have this insight about something that I was teaching in Philosophy, that was great.”

The professor Emeritus is best known amongst his colleagues for his contribution to Xavier’s study abroad programs.

“Xavier didn't have a whole lot in the way of study abroad opportunities,” he said. “Some were very, very specialized. We had a service-learning semester in Nicaragua. The College of Business had its program in the Netherlands. We only had four scholarships that required students to take classes in French while in Paris, so study abroad was very restricted. I had students who really wanted something else, so I took the initiative.”

After a bit of research, Colella started the Summer Rome program.

“In 1997, I took the first group of students over to Rome for five weeks, during the month of June. It was nine students and myself and I still take a group over every summer,” he said.

Colella also started the summer program in London, which is currently run by Paul Fiorelli, from the College of Business. Colella says he wouldn’t have ever been able to start the programs without the freedom that Xavier offers its faculty.

“It's the ability to have the freedom to do those sorts of things that I find most gratifying, and I found that those were the places I was able to make my contribution to this university.”

Not all Jesuit universities lean into Jesuit values the same way Xavier does, and Colella believes that makes it a unique place.

“I think the greatest strength of Jesuit education has always been the emphasis on the liberal arts and the humanities, regardless of one's major,” he said. “The dedication to the core role of the liberal arts remains a strong signature.”

He continued, “As education grows, we often overlook the power of the humanities to shape the person, and that's been my experience in all my education within Jesuit institutions. It's one of those things that I think students are not aware of until after they're here. They're out in a career and they notice how these sorts of studies have shaped their thinking, their character, and the way they approach their work.”

During his retirement, Colella still plans to teach one class and take his students to Rome. He also plans to play more music and spend more time with his family, who he believes are his greatest accomplishment.

“My wife is also retired, and it might be necessary to have a little more freedom to do the things that we want to do well while we can,” he said, “I have seven grandchildren here in town, so oftentimes they need to be picked up or dropped off somewhere. So, I don't know if teaching is going to be something that I will do continually in the future. My one hobby outside of my family is music. I've played in bands since I was in high school. I still play in a band. I played this past weekend. I think my neighbors kind of know me as the guy who plays blues guitar on his front porch. They wave sometimes. They stop and listen for a little bit. Music is my great joy outside of my family.”

Still, Colella is grateful for the adventure teaching presented to the boy who took a while to find his life's passion.

“I would never have guessed when I was much younger that I would be doing this for a living,” he said. That I would be talking in front of people, opening their minds to things, and feeling at ease while doing it. So, I’ve tapped into something right.”