2002 - Dr. Barry Craig

Department of Philosophy
BA (Kings), MA (Dalhousie), PhD (Wales)

As a professor of Philosophy, Dr. Barry Craig tries to give his students a sense that they are all learning together “on the same ship and the same voyage.”

This is one of the many qualities that helped him win the Excellence in Teaching Award which he received at St. Thomas University’s spring convocation ceremony.

“I am honored to be part of the group of other professors’ who have also won the award,” he said.

In walking into Dr. Craig’s office, it is obvious that he has a passion for reading. The small, cozy office is surrounded by two large towering bookcases filled with books of philosophy.

Before coming to St. Thomas University he taught down the hill at the University of New Brunswick for two years.

“I like St. Thomas University better because there is closer contact with the students,” says Dr. Craig. “ St. Thomas is its own community of learning.”

He has now been at the University for five years and has been an Anglican priest for the past 16 years.

He says that he feels that teaching is what he was meant to do in life.

Dr. Craig regularly teaches Philosophy 1013, Philosophy 3153 and the Aquinas course “Ideas Matter.”

The Aquinas program enables him to watch others teach and it gives him the chance to learn new things as well. This is something that he really enjoys. He says that it is important to him to have a good relationship with his students.

It was not until he went to university and took a philosophy course in his first year at King’s College that Dr. Craig realized his passion in life.

Despite being in a scientific age, Dr. Craig still feels that philosophy fits into our world.

He says that it something that can help us with the daily decisions that we face in our lives because there are no scientific formulas to help us in our daily decisions.