By Grace Ostuni
Staff Writer
From construction on campus to new students, Franciscan University continues to expand and with it brings in many great minds to help form thousands of students who entrust the university with their education.
Some professors are returning after attending school here, while others are stepping foot on campus for the first time. Each has their own reason for choosing to make Franciscan their home for the year.
“Primarily, I liked the mission of the school. It aligns a lot with my worldview,” said Bartosz Langowski, a new assistant mathematics professor who holds a doctorate in mathematics.
Langowski completed his doctorate in Poland in 2016. After working as an associate professor for two years, Langowski moved to the United States to teach at Indiana University for five years until joining Franciscan University.
“It’s a great privilege to be able to affect…the lives of young people,” explained Langowski.
Langowski is currently doing research in harmonic analysis and point-wise convergence problems. His main focus is theoretical mathematics.
This semester Langowski is teaching Calculus 3, Analytic Geometry, Matrix Theory and Abstract Algebra.
“I try to convince my students…by showing some enthusiasm myself, that math can be fun. I really believe that, and I think math is beautiful,” said Langowski.
Outside of teaching, Langowski said he enjoys skiing and playing basketball.
While Langowski studied internationally, theology professor Shane Owens studied at Franciscan University. Owens joins the theology department as an assistant professor.
Owens continued on to complete his doctorate in historical theology at the Catholic University of America.
Some students may recognize Owens from 2020. He taught online classes for Franciscan University before transferring to Louisiana for two years for a full-time faculty position.
“I’ve always loved teaching,” says Owens. “There are few places I’m happier.”
Owens is currently working on a book about the “Confessions” by St. Augustine.
“The book is dense, and it is beautiful. It’s got a lot of theology and philosophy, but I think the main goal is it should be spiritually fruitful,” explained Owens.
He is hoping to be able to teach a class on St. Augustine’s works in the upcoming spring semester.
Owens has a few goals for his students this semester.
“I really want them to believe that studying is a path to holiness,” says Owens. “Our brains are something we’ve been given to glorify God with.”
In addition to enjoying St. Augustine’s writings, Owens loves science fiction movies, especially “Interstellar.” He also has a black belt in karate and likes to run.
Patrick Carzone, who holds a doctorate in physics, joins Franciscan University in his first position as an assistant professor of physics. He received his doctorate from the University of Illinois in July 2023.
“I have always loved learning and asking questions…and I love doing that for other people as well,” says Carzone.
Carzone’s research is in heavy ion collision. He also assisted in the development of educational labs and introducing more writing into lab assignments.
Carzone aspires to build a physics undergraduate program, especially at a Catholic university. He also wants to bridge the gap between philosophy and the sciences.
Carzone said that he wants his students to understand that “we teach equations and relationships because you need to start from something, but fundamentally, it’s all about how to think through a problem.
Besides doing math computations, Carzone enjoys playing video games and building Legos. He also likes spending time with friends.