Dillon Named Recipient of 2025 Civitas Dei Medal

Michele Dillon, dean of the UNH College of Liberal Arts (COLA) has been named the 2025 recipient of Villanova University's prestigious Civitas Dei Medal for her "exemplary contributions to the Catholic intellectual tradition."

Dillon is the first social scientist to receive this award and joins a distinguished group of internationally renowned theologians, legal scholars and philosophers. Dillon will deliver a lecture during the medal presentation, scheduled for Thursday, Feb. 13 at 4 p.m.

According to a media release from Villanova announcing the honor, Dillon's "research examines the relationship between religion, culture, and generational and social change, with a particular focus on identity and authority within Catholicism."

The following is excerpted from the Villanova release:

An accomplished author, Dr. Dillon has published extensively, including Postsecular Catholicism (Oxford University Press, 2018) and Catholic Identity: Balancing Reason, Faith, and Power (Cambridge University Press, 1999). Her forthcoming co-authored book, Catholicism at a Crossroads, reflects her ongoing engagement with critical issues facing the Church today. Her work has appeared in regarded academic journals and has been supported by grants from the John Templeton Foundation and other prestigious organizations.

Dr. Dillon's accolades include serving as President of the Society for the Scientific Study of Religion and Chair of the American Sociological Association's Section on the Sociology of Religion. In 2023, she was honored as the Michael Keenan Distinguished Lecturer at St. Thomas More College, University of Saskatchewan, and previously held the JE and Lillian Byrne Tipton Distinguished Visiting Professorship in Catholic Studies at the University of California, Santa Barbara. Dr. Dillion is also a frequent commentator on religious issues for regional, national and international media.

The Civitas Dei Medal takes its name from the Latin title of St. Augustine's City of God. In this seminal work, Augustine encouraged intellectual engagement between the Church and the world. A gifted thinker and spiritual leader, he also created communities that searched for truth in unity and love.