There is an article in saturday,s Wall Street journal discussing SJU coming out of the scandals. In the piece, Gempesaw, the new President says the "joy" of his new position is he got to meet Chris Mullin. Nice to see the interest in our team evidenced again.
Today's wall st journal and new sju president
- Thread starter redmaninalbany
- Start date
jerseyshorejohnny
Well-known member
St. John’s Moves On From Scandal, With First Lay President
Conrado Gempesaw Is the Roman Catholic University’s New President
By MIKE VILENSKY
Feb. 13, 2015 8:43 p.m. ET
On a recent snowy afternoon, St. John’s University president Conrado Gempesaw cut across campus, shaking hands with students and discussing the previous night’s school basketball game.
Sara Restrepo Cortes, a sophomore whom Mr. Gempesaw waved to, said it is “awesome” to have a lay president—the first in the Roman Catholic university’s 145-year history to not hail from the clergy ranks.
“If he’s not part of that, he doesn’t have an agenda,” said Ms. Restrepo Cortes, hanging out at a crowded student lounge. “He’s here because he wants to be…He’s cool.”
Mr. Gempesaw, a 61-year-old former statistics professor who previously served as provost at Miami University in Ohio, marks a shift at St. John’s. An immigrant from the southern islands of the Philippines, he is also the school’s first Filipino leader.
In his first eight months on the job, Mr. Gempesaw has frozen tuition for the coming academic year and slashed it by some $10,000 at the school’s satellite Staten Island campus.
“It’s a time of change,” said the Rev. Bernard M. Tracey, St. John’s executive vice president for mission. “Having someone come with a new set of eyes is tremendously helpful.”
While many colleges across the country are seeking change—especially to keep academia relevant as tuitions soar—it has been especially welcomed at St. Johns, following a bleak moment in the school’s history.
Cecilia Chang, a St. John’s dean and longtime fundraiser, committed suicide in November 2012 while fighting state charges that she embezzled about $1 million from the school and federal charges that she forced scholarship students to do personal chores.
In her testimony, Ms. Chang accused her employer of benefiting from her methods, and she left a suicide note expressing anger at St. John’s. The president at the time was the Rev. Donald Harrington.
A university probe cleared Father Harrington of criminal wrongdoing but censured his judgment. After more than two decades of leading the school, Father Harrington retired.
In a letter to faculty members at the time, according to news reports, Father Harrington said: “The difficulties for everyone during the past year have convinced me, after much prayer and reflection, that the time to leave the presidency has now come.”
It isn’t a moment that many at the school like to dwell on.
“Our faculty, staff, students, and alumni are all very excited about moving forward,” said Mr. Gempesaw, who succeeded the Rev. Joseph Levesque, who served on an interim basis after Mr. Harrington left. “I think we’re beyond that at this time.”
A roughly 100-acre campus in the Jamaica area of Queens, St. John’s was founded by Vincentian priests in 1870. Today, it has an operating budget of about $460 million and an endowment valued at some $652 million, according to the school. A little fewer than half the school’s roughly 20,400 students identify as Roman Catholic, and more than 90% of undergraduates receive financial aid.
Following some of the school’s rockiest years, Mr. Gempesaw is tasked with helping right the ship in an era of growing student debt and questions about the value of a college degree.
“Society is now asking: What are the outcomes if we invest in [education]?” he said.
Mr. Gempesaw said he spent his first few months on the job asking alumni, students and faculty where to focus his attention.
From those conversations, Mr. Gempesaw said he developed some priorities: helping students finish and find careers; hiring, retaining and recognizing outstanding employees; integrating technology; and expanding global partnerships.
Mr. Gempesaw takes the reigns at St. John’s as more Catholic schools around the nation shift to lay leadership.
About 64% of Catholic colleges and universities are now led by a lay president, according to the Association of Catholic Colleges and Universities, up from about 49% 10 years ago.
“Today, it’s the gifts…the person brings,” said Michael Galligan-Stierle, the association’s president, “not the garb.”
The St. John's board faced a dwindling pool of clergy candidates with the right qualifications, said trustee Joseph Mattone.
Mr. Gempesaw stood out for his academic experience, Mr. Mattone said.
“I’m more towards the quantitative-analysis type of guy,” Mr. Gempesaw said.
Students said a lay president is a welcome change and hasn’t affected religious engagement on campus. But for alumni, it has been more of an adjustment.
“The St. John’s mission and identity is inseparable from the Catholic identity,” said James Finnegan, a recent graduate who served as president of campus activist group Students for Life. Mr. Finnegan said he was fine with a lay president, as long as he was Catholic and “pro-life.”
Mr. Gempesaw described himself as a lifelong practicing Catholic and said his first stop on his campus tour was the chapel.
When asked his stance on abortion, Mr. Gempesaw said “as president of a Catholic university, I have to follow the teachings of the church,” and declined to elaborate.
Mr. Gempesaw was talkative but seemed to choose his words carefully. A former basketball referee, he lights up on the subject of college basketball.
“The joy of being the president of St. John’s is that I have finally met probably the greatest player St. John’s had had, Chris Mullin.”
After a tumultuous few years, some veteran professors said they are cautiously optimistic.
For Prof. John Clarke , “time will tell” how Mr. Gempesaw’s tenure pans out: “I’m making no predictions,” he said.
Write to Mike Vilensky at mike.vilensky@dowjones.com
Conrado Gempesaw Is the Roman Catholic University’s New President
By MIKE VILENSKY
Feb. 13, 2015 8:43 p.m. ET
On a recent snowy afternoon, St. John’s University president Conrado Gempesaw cut across campus, shaking hands with students and discussing the previous night’s school basketball game.
Sara Restrepo Cortes, a sophomore whom Mr. Gempesaw waved to, said it is “awesome” to have a lay president—the first in the Roman Catholic university’s 145-year history to not hail from the clergy ranks.
“If he’s not part of that, he doesn’t have an agenda,” said Ms. Restrepo Cortes, hanging out at a crowded student lounge. “He’s here because he wants to be…He’s cool.”
Mr. Gempesaw, a 61-year-old former statistics professor who previously served as provost at Miami University in Ohio, marks a shift at St. John’s. An immigrant from the southern islands of the Philippines, he is also the school’s first Filipino leader.
In his first eight months on the job, Mr. Gempesaw has frozen tuition for the coming academic year and slashed it by some $10,000 at the school’s satellite Staten Island campus.
“It’s a time of change,” said the Rev. Bernard M. Tracey, St. John’s executive vice president for mission. “Having someone come with a new set of eyes is tremendously helpful.”
While many colleges across the country are seeking change—especially to keep academia relevant as tuitions soar—it has been especially welcomed at St. Johns, following a bleak moment in the school’s history.
Cecilia Chang, a St. John’s dean and longtime fundraiser, committed suicide in November 2012 while fighting state charges that she embezzled about $1 million from the school and federal charges that she forced scholarship students to do personal chores.
In her testimony, Ms. Chang accused her employer of benefiting from her methods, and she left a suicide note expressing anger at St. John’s. The president at the time was the Rev. Donald Harrington.
A university probe cleared Father Harrington of criminal wrongdoing but censured his judgment. After more than two decades of leading the school, Father Harrington retired.
In a letter to faculty members at the time, according to news reports, Father Harrington said: “The difficulties for everyone during the past year have convinced me, after much prayer and reflection, that the time to leave the presidency has now come.”
It isn’t a moment that many at the school like to dwell on.
“Our faculty, staff, students, and alumni are all very excited about moving forward,” said Mr. Gempesaw, who succeeded the Rev. Joseph Levesque, who served on an interim basis after Mr. Harrington left. “I think we’re beyond that at this time.”
A roughly 100-acre campus in the Jamaica area of Queens, St. John’s was founded by Vincentian priests in 1870. Today, it has an operating budget of about $460 million and an endowment valued at some $652 million, according to the school. A little fewer than half the school’s roughly 20,400 students identify as Roman Catholic, and more than 90% of undergraduates receive financial aid.
Following some of the school’s rockiest years, Mr. Gempesaw is tasked with helping right the ship in an era of growing student debt and questions about the value of a college degree.
“Society is now asking: What are the outcomes if we invest in [education]?” he said.
Mr. Gempesaw said he spent his first few months on the job asking alumni, students and faculty where to focus his attention.
From those conversations, Mr. Gempesaw said he developed some priorities: helping students finish and find careers; hiring, retaining and recognizing outstanding employees; integrating technology; and expanding global partnerships.
Mr. Gempesaw takes the reigns at St. John’s as more Catholic schools around the nation shift to lay leadership.
About 64% of Catholic colleges and universities are now led by a lay president, according to the Association of Catholic Colleges and Universities, up from about 49% 10 years ago.
“Today, it’s the gifts…the person brings,” said Michael Galligan-Stierle, the association’s president, “not the garb.”
The St. John's board faced a dwindling pool of clergy candidates with the right qualifications, said trustee Joseph Mattone.
Mr. Gempesaw stood out for his academic experience, Mr. Mattone said.
“I’m more towards the quantitative-analysis type of guy,” Mr. Gempesaw said.
Students said a lay president is a welcome change and hasn’t affected religious engagement on campus. But for alumni, it has been more of an adjustment.
“The St. John’s mission and identity is inseparable from the Catholic identity,” said James Finnegan, a recent graduate who served as president of campus activist group Students for Life. Mr. Finnegan said he was fine with a lay president, as long as he was Catholic and “pro-life.”
Mr. Gempesaw described himself as a lifelong practicing Catholic and said his first stop on his campus tour was the chapel.
When asked his stance on abortion, Mr. Gempesaw said “as president of a Catholic university, I have to follow the teachings of the church,” and declined to elaborate.
Mr. Gempesaw was talkative but seemed to choose his words carefully. A former basketball referee, he lights up on the subject of college basketball.
“The joy of being the president of St. John’s is that I have finally met probably the greatest player St. John’s had had, Chris Mullin.”
After a tumultuous few years, some veteran professors said they are cautiously optimistic.
For Prof. John Clarke , “time will tell” how Mr. Gempesaw’s tenure pans out: “I’m making no predictions,” he said.
Write to Mike Vilensky at mike.vilensky@dowjones.com
TX Redman
Well-known member
Time will tell. Freezing tuition is a good start. I give Pres G. credit for that, rather than Obama's ludicrous proposals (free community college, [strike]abolish[/strike] tax 529's and doing nothing about the amount of student loans, high tuition costs). I question the value of many degree's when I read about west coast dock workers making an average of $147K per year...
I would like to see Pres G's ten year vision to raise the standard of the university.
To me it is all about the quality and value of the education and is a three legged stool: faculty, facilities and students. It starts with the faculty and facilities. Upgrade both and become a university that high-schoolers want to go to (rather than resort to going to) and attract a higher caliber student. Prove to parents that their kids will (a) get a great education and (b) have opportunities when they graduate in four years (not five or six years). Compete with Fordham and NYU for students and faculty, become a leader and not the also-ran.
I hope he is a dynamic change-maker who will put that $350 million endowment to work. He has a great opportunity here and is basically starting with a clean state. I think Harrington was in the job too long and it became stale under his leadership. Just my 2 cents...
I would like to see Pres G's ten year vision to raise the standard of the university.
To me it is all about the quality and value of the education and is a three legged stool: faculty, facilities and students. It starts with the faculty and facilities. Upgrade both and become a university that high-schoolers want to go to (rather than resort to going to) and attract a higher caliber student. Prove to parents that their kids will (a) get a great education and (b) have opportunities when they graduate in four years (not five or six years). Compete with Fordham and NYU for students and faculty, become a leader and not the also-ran.
I hope he is a dynamic change-maker who will put that $350 million endowment to work. He has a great opportunity here and is basically starting with a clean state. I think Harrington was in the job too long and it became stale under his leadership. Just my 2 cents...
Although I'm certainly not going to get into it here, there was nothing ludicrous about Obama's proposals other than that in today's climate they can't even be discussed. The issue of student loans has been on the table for years and somehow congress just can't agree on what to do (what a surprise!). The issue of high tuition costs, if you look a little deeper into Obama's proposal, is actually dealt with in what may be the only way the government can affect them.
But I guess we'll just have to agree to disagree.
But I guess we'll just have to agree to disagree.
tom in salem
Well-known member
Brilliant article.
Mr. James Finnegan sounds 100.
His days are hopefully numbered.
Mr. James Finnegan sounds 100.
His days are hopefully numbered.
b.c.redman
Member
?
b.c.redman
Member
?
tom in salem
Well-known member
His "choice" position is archaic.
beast of the east
Active member
You can't compete with NYU and Fordham when an extraordinary % of admitted students of supbar academically. You can't raise the admissions bar when enrollment is as far off as ours is. What you suggest is much easier said than done.
Spocky Ramone
Well-known member
Mr. Finnegan is not the one exhibiting Bronze Age sensibilities. Or a lack of decorum.
beast of the east
Active member
Although I'm certainly not going to get into it here, there was nothing ludicrous about Obama's proposals other than that in today's climate they can't even be discussed. The issue of student loans has been on the table for years and somehow congress just can't agree on what to do (what a surprise!). The issue of high tuition costs, if you look a little deeper into Obama's proposal, is actually dealt with in what may be the only way the government can affect them.
Lower cost student loans helped fuel the demand for private universities that allowed universities to raise tuition far above CPI. College endowments have risen dramatically, allowing schools to build amenities that draw students - health clubs, beautiful landscapes, and exceptional public spaces, to raise demand for their schools. I'm not sure how much it serves the public good to fund low interest student loans used for private universities that are by all means businesses.
I have spoken to 2 individuals who have spent time with President Bobby G and both have walked away impressed. Both individuals said that the new President "gets it' and that he understands the tasks ahead. I hope that Bobby G succeeds, but his success cannot be accurately measured until he has been at StJohn's for 5 years.
SJU will never compete with NYU. Competing with Fordham while difficult is not impossible. There was a time in New York City when college educated professionals on Wall Street and in other Manhattan jobs, counted themselves as either a Fordham man or a St. John’s man openly and proudly, and St. John’s wasn’t far off of Fordham. then things changed.
I hope they get back to the point where St. John’s competes academically with Fordham, I’d be very happy with that. This time, though the reference will be a St. John’s Man or Woman and a Fordham Man or Woman.
I hope they get back to the point where St. John’s competes academically with Fordham, I’d be very happy with that. This time, though the reference will be a St. John’s Man or Woman and a Fordham Man or Woman.
b.c.redman
Member
Really. Guess you are not a Catholic.
tom in salem
Well-known member
Got that right.
beast of the east
Active member
C'min guys, this never ends well. I like nearly all the guys here, but the religious wars among good guys flares up so easily.
Endorse Beast’s post!