Robert A. Ventresca
Author, Educator & Higher Ed Leadership
Robert Ventresca is a history professor, author, educator, media commentator and the current Academic Dean (Interim) of King's University College. He has published widely on various topics related to European history and the Holocaust, ethnicity and migration, and the Catholic Church in the modern world. He also writes and comments frequently on both historical and current issues, and his ideas have been featured in such venues as CNN and The Washington Post. He received his BA from King's University College at Western University and his MA and PhD in History from the University of Toronto. He is a Member of the Royal Society of Canada's College of New Scholars, Artists and Scientists. He also serves on the Committee on Ethics, Religion and the Holocaust at the United States Holocaust Memorial Museum in Washington, D.C. A native of Welland, Ontario, he lives in London Ontario with his wife and daughter.
As a historian and an educator, I am committed to helping us understand the complex lessons of the past so that we can better apply them to the major issues of today, and of tomorrow. I believe that historical literacy and historical thinking can promote justice and the greater good of society through the power of knowledge, critical thinking, civic engagement and personal growth. My research and teaching are mainly in Holocaust Studies with a focus on the role of religion in mass violence and genocide, especially the Catholic Church under Nazism-Fascism and in the Holocaust-era. This work contributes to a growing comparative scholarship on the role that religion and religious institutions played in war and genocide in the 20th century. My work aims to help us understand how and why mass violence and genocide occur. I believe that this understanding can contribute to informed advocacy and action to combat racism and promote human rights.
