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TO EDUCATION, AND NATIONAL EDITORS:
University of San Francisco Selects New President
To request interviews with President-elect Paul J. Fitzgerald, S.J. please contact Anne-Marie Devine at (415) 422-2697 or abdevine@usfca.edu.
SAN FRANCISCO, April 8, 2014 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- The University
of San Francisco's Board of Trustees voted unanimously to elect the
Rev. Paul J. Fitzgerald, S.J. as USF's 28th president during a special
meeting of the board earlier today. He will take office on Aug. 1,
2014.
Fr. Fitzgerald has worked in higher education for more than 20 years,
and is currently the Senior Vice President for Academic Affairs at
Fairfield University in Connecticut, where he oversees the recruitment
and retention of faculty, develops curriculum, and works with deans to
direct academic programs.
At Santa Clara University, Fr. Fitzgerald was associate dean and
senior associate dean for the College of Arts and Sciences. He has
also served on several university boards, including the Ecclesiastical
Board of the School of Theology and Ministry at Boston College, the
Board of Trustees of Loyola University Chicago, and the Board of
Trustees of Loyola Marymount University in Los Angeles. Through a
number of teaching and leadership positions, he has gained a deep
understanding of Jesuit education.
"When I received word I was selected as president, I was absolutely
elated," Fr. Fitzgerald said. "USF has an impressive legacy. The
chance to contribute to this environment of learning and service is a
true honor."
For Fr. Fitzgerald, this is a homecoming. He grew up in Los Gatos,
Calif. after his family moved from Southern California when he was 5.
He earned a bachelor's degree in history from Santa Clara University
in 1980, and entered the Society of Jesus two years later. Fr.
Fitzgerald was ordained to the priesthood at St. Ignatius Church on
the USF campus in 1992.
He gained first-hand knowledge of the Silicon Valley during his 12
years at Santa Clara University, and plans to invest personal time and
energy engaging the Bay Area's burgeoning technology community. Fr.
Fitzgerald understands that the Silicon Valley is moving north and
that the City of San Francisco is a vibrant center for startups,
venture capital, and related industries.
"We believe Fr. Fitzgerald is ideally suited to work with the entire
USF community in delivering a Jesuit education to the next generations
of USF students," said Thomas E. Malloy, chair of the USF Board of
Trustees. "He has a strong commitment to diversity, brings a global
perspective, and is an enthusiastic supporter of intercollegiate
athletics. He is excited about leading San Francisco's first
university and expanding our partnerships with the community."
The national search for USF's new president began in October 2013.
USF's Board of Trustees appointed a Presidential Search Committee
(PSC) to conduct the search for the next president. It was led by USF
Board of Trustees Vice Chair Chuck Smith, retired president and CEO of
AT&T West, and guided by Isaacson Miller, a highly regarded national
search firm.
"This process has been thorough, intentional, and wide in scope," said
Smith. "We proactively sought top tier candidates from across the
nation, and President-elect Fitzgerald stood out among an exceptional
pool of applicants. First and foremost, we know he will sustain and
advance the university's Jesuit mission and identity. He has a sound
working knowledge of the mechanics of higher education and the use of
technology to complement the transformative one-on-one interaction
between faculty and students."
Fr. Fitzgerald is fluent in German and French and is conversational in
Spanish. He lived, taught, and studied overseas, which helped shape
his global understanding. As a visiting lecturer, he taught in China
during the summer of 1992 and in Kenya in 2004. Fr. Fitzgerald
attended the University of Paris-La Sorbonne, where he earned a D.E.A.
(diplôme des études approfondies) and a Docteur ès Lettres (PhD) in
the Sociology of Religion. Concurrently, he worked toward and received
an S.T.D. (Pontifical Doctorate) in ecclesiology from the Institut
Catholique de Paris.
Fr. Fitzgerald succeeds Stephen A. Privett, S.J., who has served as
USF's president from 2000 to 2014-making him the third longest serving
president in university history. Fr. Privett will ensure the
president-elect's smooth transition by staying in office until Fr.
Fitzgerald is settled in San Francisco.
About the University of San
Francisco
The University of San Francisco is located in the heart of one of the
world's most innovative and stunning cities and is home to a vibrant
academic community of students and faculty who achieve excellence in
their fields. Its diverse student body enjoys direct access to
faculty, small classes, and outstanding opportunities in the city
itself. USF is San Francisco's first university, and its Jesuit
Catholic mission helps ignite a student's passion for social justice
and a desire to "Change the World from Here." For more information,
please visit www.usfca.edu.
SOURCE University of San Francisco
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/Web Site: http://www.usfca.edu
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