Augustinian Appointed Vice President of Mission and Ministry

North Andover, MA (April 30, 2008)
Rev. Raymond F. Dlugos, O.S.A., Ph.D., C. Psych., will join Merrimack College as the vice president for mission and ministry, on August 1, 2008. The appointment re-establishes the full-time position initiated on campus in 1998and will be funded through a generous gift to the College from its founding sponsor, the Augustinian Province of St. Thomas of Villanova.

The vice president of mission and ministry ensures that the college continues to focus on its mission and identity as a Catholic institution offering an education in the liberal arts and the professions of the highest quality in the Augustinian tradition.  

Fr. Dlugos is a licensed psychologist in New York, a registered psychologist in Ontario, Canada, and a Roman Catholic priest ordained in 1983 for the Order of St. Augustine. He received a Ph.D. in counseling psychology from the State University of New York at Albany, an M.A. from Washington Theological Union (MD), and a B.A. from Villanova University (PA).

Most recently, Fr. Dlugos served as CEO of The Southdown Institute (Aurora, ON) where he provided leadership to a residential treatment center for members of religious orders suffering emotional, psychological, and behavioral disorders. He also served as vice-president for the institute (2002-03), and was a postdoctoral fellow (1999-00). From 1998-99, he held an American Psychology Association (APA) internship in the Department of Veterans Affairs Psychology Service at the Edward Hines, Jr. Hospital (IL).

Fr.  Dlugos also held the following positions: Advanced Psychology Trainee for both the Albany County Mental Health Forensic Team (Albany County Correctional Facility), and the Roman Catholic Diocese of Albany, Counseling for the Laity; Psychotherapy/Group Co-Therapist (1996-97) and Advanced Psychology Trainee (1995-96) at Psychological Services Center (NY); Director of Vocations with Order of St. Augustine, Province of St. Thomas of Villanova (PA); Associate Pastor at St. Denis Parish (PA); faculty and administration at Saint John Neumann High School (FL); and Deacon for St. Augustine Parish (FL). He also taught psychology and counseling for a number of higher education institutions, and has completed a number of publications and major presentations.

Board memberships include: Villanova University Board of Trustees; National Organization for the Continuing Education of Roman Catholic Clergy Board of Directors (2001-07); Earthen Vessels, Central Committee for Program Development (2001-08). Professional associations include: American Psychological Association, and Canadian Psychological Association.