Ann Cahill
Distinguished University Professor, 2023
Ann Cahill, who joined the Elon faculty in 1998, is widely recognized as a prolific and influential teacher, scholar and mentor and as a strong voice on challenging issues that face our society. She has a strong record of service to the university and has supported the academic and personal journeys of countless students — in her classes, as a research mentor, as the director of the Lumen Prize and now as director of the Office of National and International Fellowships.
In 2011, she was the recipient of the Elon University Distinguished Scholar award and she received the Lenssen Prize from the American Association of Philosophy Teachers in 2014 for the best research article on teaching and learning. In 2016, Cahill was awarded a significant grant from the National Endowment for the Humanities that supported a rare gathering of more than two dozen educators from universities around the country to interact with top scholars who research questions surrounding sexual violence.
Cahill has published extensively, with her work appearing in premier journals in the field of feminist philosophy, and she has presented at dozens of national and international conferences. She has served as co-editor for multiple anthologies and has authored two books that explore topics central to feminist thinking that had not previously been extensively explored – “Rethinking Rape” (2001) and “Overcoming Objectification: A Carnal Ethics” (2010).
A colleague from another institution notes that the “dramatic and widespread impact of her scholarship” is striking, and “Rethinking Rape” ranks as “one of the all-time top three philosophical books on the topic.” A co-author with Cahill says that “I’ve never met a more astute thinker or more generous teacher whose integrity and intellectual innovation seem to me unparalleled and without limit.”
Within the Elon University community, Cahill stands out as a catalyst within her department and a campus leader. Along with her work leading the Lumen Prize and Office of National and International Fellowships, Cahill has served as chair of the Department of Philosophy, faculty advisor to the Liberal Arts Forum and a leader of the Sexual Assault and Gender Issues Council.
Cahill earned a bachelor’s degree from the College of Holy Cross and her doctorate in philosophy from the State University of New York at Stony Brook.