Who Should be the new St . John's President?
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MarkRedman
Well-known member
Make Fr. Maher an offer he can't refuse
Make Fr. Maher an offer he can't refuse
I Love Fr. Maher after knowing him personally and dealing with him on many many occasional during my time as an undergrad. But, I feel like we need someone with big time university experience, maybe even someone with a phd. to start boosting the reputation of the university.
beast of the east
Active member
There is a trend for talented lay leadership to take the reigns of Catholic colleges and universities. The problem for some orders is letting go of the reigns. Drew Bogner has done a fine job at Molloy College in this capacity. Certainly the next university President has an opportunity to transform the standing of the university by shedding the mom and pop atmosphere in administration, apply principals of corporate oversight to help prevent a Cecilia Chang episode from happening again, and to begin the second phase of university reconstruction - hiring talented administrators and faculty to improve our academic standing.
Class of 72
Active member
Yes.
The Rev. Dennis Holtscheider:
A native of Detroit, Michigan, he is a graduate of Niagara University with a bachelor's degree in Mathematics science 1987 and is a member of the Congregation of the Mission, an order of Catholic priests founded by St. Vincent de Paul and commonly referred to as Vincentians. He received as a doctorate in Higher Education Administration from Harvard University.
Holtschneider was a professor and associate dean at St. John's University for several years. St. John's, Niagara, and DePaul are all universities in the Vincentian tradition. His academic background is in the relationship between Catholic universities and the lay sector and the administration of Catholic universities. Holtschneider has led national studies in these areas.
"Certainly the next university President has an opportunity to transform the standing of the university by shedding the mom and pop atmosphere in administration, apply principals of corporate oversight "
you have hit the nail right on the head with that line. In the university you find many administrators that have a mom and pop mentality.
On the money. Harrington did a great job with the infrastructure improvements as well as increasing exposure, donations and funding. Now is the time to step on the gas and really look to change the infrastructure of admissions and academics at SJU. With the applicant pool larger than it has ever been, there is no reason we can't provide a top notch education and still fulfill our mission to educate those in need.
The lay leadership at many Catholic universities has resulted in some of them becoming really secular universities (ie, Georgetown). So, a careful decison should be made here. If that's the direction, I like Mike Simons, who is the dean of the law school. He's young, committed to SJU, and done a good job in a short time at the law school. He's a real legal wonk, though, so I don't know if he would be interested.
Sister Margaret Fitzpatrick is the clear choice IMO. She spent 14 years at St. John's and served most recently as Senior VP. She worked very closely with Athletics and a number of other departments. She has been President of St. Thomas Aquinas College in Rockland County for nearly 20 years.
He seems like a very bright young guy, but there are some big questions. He doesn't have a ton of experience...none with athletics. Also, since taking over as Dean, the law school has plummeted to #98 which is simply unacceptable for a school that was knocking on the door of the top 25-30 law schools a decade ago.
Why did the Vincentian Leader Fr. Gregory Gay let Fr. Maher go to Niagara with the SJU job potentially opening up?
Makes you think, maybe Fr. Mike Carroll one of my all time favorites steps in and returns to SJU to provide some moral fiber. Fr. Carroll is the North American Provincial leader of the Vincentians(worked at St. John's for many years in various roles) is a pleasant man who can relate to anyone from the college student, wealthy alum, or janitor cleaning up the school. A Solid Priest. He is around 60 though.
JSJ or Beast would love to hear your picks for the next SJU President?
Makes you think, maybe Fr. Mike Carroll one of my all time favorites steps in and returns to SJU to provide some moral fiber. Fr. Carroll is the North American Provincial leader of the Vincentians(worked at St. John's for many years in various roles) is a pleasant man who can relate to anyone from the college student, wealthy alum, or janitor cleaning up the school. A Solid Priest. He is around 60 though.
JSJ or Beast would love to hear your picks for the next SJU President?
beast of the east
Active member
Regarding lay leadership:
Is lay leadership at Catholic universities really causing secularization? Can a devout layperson effectively run a Catholic University, still leading a school with a religious mission, but be a more effective administrator in process? Would a faithful layperson with a strong background in academic administration with the proper educational credentials be more qualified than a priest who is selected from a rapidly diminishing pool of ordained candidates?
There are 1.6 million Catholics in the Brooklyn Queens Diocese alone. There are about 300 active priests in the diocese, down from over 400 about a decade ago. The Vincentian Western province has about 140 priests, and I cannot find the number in the Eastern province. Its reasonable to maintain that along with an aging priestly propulation and rapidly declining number of new priests, there is also a much smaller number of priests qualified to run a university.
My son goes to Xavier HS in NYC, which is Jesuit, and one of the oldest high schools in NYC, dating back to around 1840. Their current president is a layperson, and in deed and word, there has been no decline in the religious or academic mission of the school, and certainly not in leadership. It could actually be argued that both traditions are on the rise at that school.
beast of the east
Active member
I cannot comment on Dean Simons, who I do not know, but I would maintain that a great leader does not have to have an expertise in all subordinate departments in his charge. He simply needs to appoint and manage talented leaders in each area of responsbility and lead them in a common mission.