“It is an honor to be named the inaugural Sutton Distinguished Chair,” says Bradley, who was first named chair of the department in 2012. “Unfortunately, the humanities have experienced drastic funding cuts over the years due to the volatile economic climate. This fund, established by two passionate SU alums, serves as a reminder that the humanities are not only a critical piece of a solid liberal arts education, but more importantly a central part of society.”

An accomplished philosopher with expertise in ethics and philosophy of death, Bradley earned a Ph.D. from the University of Massachusetts at Amherst. He’s held academic positions at Princeton University, Western Washington University, Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University, and Illinois Wesleyan University. This is not the first time Bradley has been recognized for his excellence in humanities. He’s a 2011 recipient of the Laurance S. Rockefeller Fellowship at Princeton University’s Center for Human Values and was awarded a SU Excellence in Graduate Education Faculty Recognition Award in 2013. A frequent contributor to renowned scholarly journals, Bradley’s had dozens of articles published in outlets such as Philosophical Studies, Journal of Ethics and Social Philosophy, Utilitas, and Ethics, just to name a few.

“Ben is an outstanding scholar, who has made seminal contributions to the fields of ethics and the philosophy of death,” says George M. Langford, dean of The College of Arts and Sciences. “It is a privilege to name Ben the inaugural Sutton Distinguished Chair as he exhibits the special qualities of an eminent scholar. The Department of Philosophy has seen tremendous growth over the years – both in reputation and in quality of academics – and that is a direct result of the Sutton’s commitment to the program. Some of the nation’s brightest philosophy scholars are past Sutton Fellows. Endowed Chairs and Fellows enhance SU’s ability to attract and retain the highest quality faculty, especially those mid-career faculty that have a national reputation and are looking to get on the tenure track with a prominent institution.”

The Suttons have been passionate contributors to Syracuse University since the early 1980’s. Mr. Sutton, who was instrumental in revising the Metropolitan New York Advisory Board in 1990, also served on the Syracuse University Board of Trustees from 1990 to 1996, and is today a Life Trustee.