About the Lane Center

The Joan and Ralph Lane Center brings Catholic social thought and Ignatian values to life through research, education, and community engagement. We explore how faith and justice intersect in response to today’s most pressing social and environmental issues.

Who Was Ralph Lane?

Ralph Lane was a thinking man, a lifelong teacher and student, who cared profoundly about the real exchange of ideas. He fearlessly confronted what it means to be fully human in a complex and conflicted world. Ralph was one of those few teachers who became a legend. A pioneer of community engagement as a teaching method, Ralph recognized early on that San Francisco was an ideal social laboratory, which students could not only study but also one they could affect for the good. Ralph and his wife Joan dedicated their lives to justice and peace, and to the mission of the University of San Francisco. We have been fortunate benefactors of their passion and commitment to these ideals.

(Adapted from "Who was Ralph Lane?" by Dr. Jennifer E. Turpin, professor of sociology; originally published in For the City & the World: Conversations in Catholic Studies and Social Thought.)

Learn More About Ralph Lane and His Legacy at USF