Aerial view of campus with Williamsport, the Susquehanna River and Bald Eagle Mountain as a backdrop

John Whelan, Jr.

Pre-Law Advisor and Professor of Philosophy

Professor Whelan has been helping Lycoming College students gain entrance to law school for over 30 years. As the son of an attorney his interest in the law began young.

Whelan came to Lycoming in 1971 from the University of Texas where he received his Ph.D. He specializes in contemporary ethical and political philosophy and regularly teaches courses in those subjects as well as courses in Critical Thinking, Philosophical Issues in Criminal Justice, and two special topics courses: "Homicide and War" and "Lying and Law-breaking."

Recently he published a paper that attempts to formulate and defend a new definition of legal insanity; he's currently working on a number of papers having to do with morality and the law. Insider info: An avid golfer, John has won the City Senior Amateur Championship and the White Deer Golf Club Championship. In the summer of 2003, while playing in a golf tournament with his son in Austin, Texas, Whelan won a brand new Jaguar XJ 10 with a hole-in-one.