Kenneth Mark Drain Chair in Ethics

American scholar Dr. Kathryn Norlock takes on role as Trent University’s inaugural endowed chairholder

“Establishing an endowed chair in ethics shows Trent’s commitment to the importance of thinking excellently and critically about the most fundamental questions of our lives and our shared responsibilities,” says Dr. Kathryn Norlock, a renowned researcher and scholar in the field of ethics and the ethics of forgiveness, and the inaugural chairholder of the Kenneth Mark Drain Chair in Ethics at Trent University.

Dr. Norlock, previously an associate professor of Philosophy at St. Mary’s College of Maryland, officially took on her prestigious new role at Trent in September, three years after the University announced the creation of the endowed chair, the first in Trent’s history.

The Chair in Ethics was established by members of the Patterson and Drain families through a generous $2 million gift, the largest gift given to Trent by living donors. The Chair is named in honour of Kenneth Mark Drain, “a quintessential son of Peterborough,” who lived and worked in Peterborough County all his life. 

“I can’t tell you how humbled I am to be the first to occupy a position created in honour of Mr. Drain,” Dr. Norlock says. “As chair, I hope to contribute to the University’s 50th anniversary and the Centres of Knowledge. I also hope to further my own goal of involving many voices in discussions of ethics. As a teacher, though, I’m most looking forward to working with Trent students and meeting with new and different classes.”

About the Chair in Ethics

• The inaugural privately endowed academic Chair at Trent University
• Established by members of the Patterson and Drain families and named in honour of Kenneth Mark Drain, beloved family member
• At $2 million, it is the largest gift of its kind in Trent University’s history
• It is a transformational gift that symbolizes the launch of a new era of philanthropy for Trent University
• Celebrates Trent’s commitment to the humanities and critical thinking
• Will be housed within the Department of Philosophy and celebrates Trent’s commitment to a liberal arts and sciences education and its mission to inspire critical thinking
• Chairholder will explore ethics from multiple perspectives through his or her leadership in teaching, research and community engagement
• National or international leader in ethics will be recruited as the inaugural Chairholder