Who Should be the new St . John's President?

I am not familiar with her but she sounds like she would be a great choice.

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.
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Not saying that a lay person could not lead SJU, and retain the Catholic identity, I was just pointing out the trend by many prominent Catholic insitutions and colleges in particular to become morer secular. Georgetown is the prime example. Of course, some would say that a more secular approach does not bother them.

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.
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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.
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I wonder if the candidate has already been picked by the Board their press release did not say they were conducting a search for the replacement only that in the coming weeks a new President will be hired. Which leads me to two conclusions one they know who that person is and two that person is already a Vincentian priest.If it was or is a lay person they would announce they will be conducting a search for a new President and are looking at various candidates in the world of academia.
 
I would prefer for this person to have their PHD, raises the status of the school. and i would like it if they stopped using so many adjunct professors to teach clases.
 
I would prefer for this person to have their PHD, raises the status of the school. and i would like it if they stopped using so many adjunct professors to teach clases.
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If a layperson a PhD should be a requirement. Also if a layperson, that person should be a person of strong faith, demonstrated in his parish and volunteer actvities. In grad school, I always placed much more value on adjuncts, who not only had a command of course material, but practical, recent, relecant experience in the sucject matter.
 
I would prefer for this person to have their PHD, raises the status of the school. and i would like it if they stopped using so many adjunct professors to teach clases.
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If a layperson a PhD should be a requirement. Also if a layperson, that person should be a person of strong faith, demonstrated in his parish and volunteer actvities. In grad school, I always placed much more value on adjuncts, who not only had a command of course material, but practical, recent, relecant experience in the sucject matter.
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100% agree. The best professors I had at St. John's in grad school were adjuncts. The full-time ones are too into the textbook material, most of which you never see in the real business world.
 
In today's age the main criteria for a school president or chancellor is their ability to lobby for money and donations.
 
I would prefer this person not to be a layman. What I think we need is someone like Lavin, and what I mean by that is, someone that has had success and previous experience at a high or higher level and is able to translate those skills over to elevate the university to higher overall standards as proven by his or hers previous experience.
 
I would prefer this person not to be a layman. What I think we need is someone like Lavin, and what I mean by that is, someone that has had success and previous experience at a high or higher level and is able to translate those skills over to elevate the university to higher overall standards as proven by his or hers previous experience.
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I am a little confused. You do not want a layman, but want someone like Lavin, who is a layman.

Why not just give the job to Lavin then? We all know he has a gift for working a room and raising money.
 
It would be great to get a Home Run candidate, either lay person or Religious to be the next President of St John's.. Maybe a distinguished alum? There are several former Trustees that have distinguished resumes.

Linda Sanford, former IBM Sr. VP and James Schiro, former CEO OF ZURICH would be outstanding choices, despite their being appointed by FH..

Both of these alums attended St John's when there was value in holding a degree from the University..Absent choosing a lay person, I think Fr Holtschneider from DePaul would be a great choice as he has presided over DepAUL leaping over SJU as the largest Catholic University..

A downside to him.. DePaul truly stinks in BB and, has under his leadership. The Blue Demons iconic status has been badly tarnished over the last 25 years! Sound Familiar?

Not that a College President needs to be the AD but, DePaul's Coaching Choices sine the Myers ruled have been very poor. Purnell included.
 
I would prefer this person not to be a layman. What I think we need is someone like Lavin, and what I mean by that is, someone that has had success and previous experience at a high or higher level and is able to translate those skills over to elevate the university to higher overall standards as proven by his or hers previous experience.
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In a perfect world I would prefer a priest. Father Peter Donahue has done a terrific job at Villanova, and his predecessor, Father Edmund Dobbin transformed the University over his 20 year leadership. That school has remained true to a Catholic mission, and has become one of the elite Catholic Universities in the US. Even as they have risen to become a top 12 business school among elite schools, they are still very much a Catholic university. Their engineering and nursing programs are also highly rated, and they are among the most selective schools in the Northeast.

Do leaders like that exist among the Vincentians? If so, I would highly favor having a Vincentian priest lead the university. Despite the expansion of the University under Harrington, he ran a very loose ship in terms of fiscal oversight, apparently to his and Wile's personal benefit. Whoever takes the reigns must be transformative in terms of the quality of administration and the controls that must be put into place to prevent another scandal.
 
i want st. john's to raise its academic profile too. but lay leadership has made made catholic schools too secular. Father donahue of villanova and father brian shanley of providence college have done a great job.
 
Fr Maher really would have been the ideal candidate for the St. John's presidency. Another name to watch out for is Fr. Kevin Creagh SJU class of 1991 is currently head of ministry at Niagara a long shot though.

Not sure who the Vincentians have in mind but I could see a scenario where Fr Mike Carroll holds the fort for three or four years and then Fr Maher takes over.
 
Fr Maher really would have been the ideal candidate for the St. John's presidency. Another name to watch out for is Fr. Kevin Creagh SJU class of 1991 is currently head of ministry at Niagara a long shot though.

Not sure who the Vincentians have in mind but I could see a scenario where Fr Mike Carroll holds the fort for three or four years and then Fr Maher takes over.
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I can also seeing them initiate a search, name an interim president, and moving Maher from Niagara to SJU within the next year.
 
Why Fr. Maher? I am asking because I do not know too much about him. Was he too ingrained in the Harrington administration? From the times I have met him, he seems nice and I assume he is capable, but I don't sense a dynamic presence.
 
i met him a number of times, he is much more approachable than father harrington plus he had tons of experience. Before father tri took over two years ago, he as served as the athletic chaplain and sat on sidelines with the men's basketball team. it was known that among students and faculty that he was going to take over st. john's. Therefore it was a surprise when he went to niagra.
 
Why Fr. Maher? I am asking because I do not know too much about him. Was he too ingrained in the Harrington administration? From the times I have met him, he seems nice and I assume he is capable, but I don't sense a dynamic presence.
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All of us who share the name Maher are pretty dynamic people I assure you :)
 
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