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In Memoriam: Fr. Paul Tipton, 1939-2008, Former President of AJCU

Fr. Paul S. Tipton died on May 25, 2008 at Georgetown University Hospital in Washington, D.C. after a long battle with cancer. He was 69.

Fr. Tipton had a long and distinguished career in higher education and government affairs, including presidencies of Spring Hill College, of the University of Jacksonville, and the Association of Jesuit Colleges and Universities.

Born February 21, 1939 in Birmingham, Alabama, he entered the Society of Jesus in 1958 to pursue the Jesuit course of studies.  He received his BA degree from Spring Hill College in 1964. His first teaching assignment was at Jesuit High School in El Paso, Texas where he taught English and Drama and was moderator of numerous student organizations. While in El Paso, he undertook graduate studies in American History at the University of Texas at El Paso before joining the staff of the late Congressman Richard C. White (D-Texas) in 1968. He continued working as a congressional staffer while studying theology at Woodstock College. He was ordained a Roman Catholic priest as a member of the New Orleans Province of the Society of Jesus in 1971.

In 1972, Tipton was named the 35th president of Spring Hill College in Mobile, Alabama where he served until 1989, the longest presidential tenure since the founding of the school in 1830. During his 17 years at Spring Hill, Tipton introduced and gained accreditation for Master's level studies in Business, Theology, and Education; raised Ph.D level faculty percentages, helped influence the Alabama State Legislature to establish a statewide student grant program, and established a European campus in Venice, Italy. During his tenure, Spring Hill also established its first continuing education program with an Intensive English Language Institute, and expanded and intensified its core curriculum.

Other achievements include the establishment of a 100,000 watt FM public radio station, as well as renovation and modernization of over 90% of the campus' 28 buildings, many of which required historic preservation. Fr. Tipton also oversaw the successful implementation of new Title IX regulations affecting intercollegiate athletics, established a majority lay board of trustees, eliminated all federal debt on campus facilities, and acquired and developed a new apartment complex for campus housing, a rural conference and retreat center, and a waterfront facility for sailing and rowing. He also led two successful decennial reaccreditations of the college and increased the institution's endowment.

After leaving Spring Hill in 1989, Fr. Tipton assumed the presidency of the Association of Jesuit Colleges and Universities in Washington, D.C. where he served until 1996. During that time, he oversaw the federal relations activities on behalf of the 28 AJCU institutions, serving as the group's representative to Congress, federal agencies, and other educational associations. He coordinated the work of AJCU conferences, supervised the issuing of various publications relating to Jesuit higher education, and served as spokesman for Jesuit higher education.  After the six Jesuits and their co-workers were killed in El Salvador in November 1989, Fr. Tipton played a leading role in efforts to identify the assassins and to cut off U.S. military aid to the country.  He rescued the first witness to the fact that the military had been responsible for the killings, Mrs. Lucia Cerna, and brought her to safety in Washington.

In 1996, Fr. Tipton was named president of Jacksonville University where he led efforts to revise the mission and vision of the institution to more clearly define the school as a liberal arts undergraduate university. He also introduced reforms to the core curriculum for all undergraduate students, including a community service component as a requirement for graduation. Additionally, he led the development of a campus master plan, implemented a new university logo, and led a campus-wide technology conversion to hard wire every campus building for Internet and network access.

Fr. Tipton also led a development effort that raised in one year the largest amount of annual funds ever accumulated in the history of the institution, over $7.1 million. He also initiated a $58 million campaign with a $20 million challenge from a single individual and, in one year, raised the matching funds. During his tenure, the university invested over $16 million in physical plant additions, infrastructure and renovations, including four new dormitories, a new sports complex, humanities complex, and student center.

In 1998, Fr. Tipton left the Jesuit order to become a priest of the Archdiocese of Mobile, Alabama.

In 2000, he returned to Washington, D.C. where he served as Counselor to the Secretary and as a Senior Advisor for Management and Administration, U.S. Department of Labor. He assisted in the transition from the Clinton to the Bush administrations before founding in 2001 the Provident Consulting Group.

From 2003 to 2005, he served as president of St. Mary's Ryken, a Catholic college preparatory school in Leonardtown, Maryland where he oversaw the business operation of the school, developed a long-range financial plan, re-crafted the mission statement, and increased the annual giving by over 100%. In 2005, he returned to Provident with which he remained active until his death.

During his life and career, Fr. Tipton served as a member, and often chairman, of many educational boards including the Association of American Catholic Colleges and Universities, National Association of Independent Colleges and Universities, Council for the Advancement of Alabama Private Colleges, Independent Colleges and Universities of Florida, American Council on Education, Southern Association of Colleges and Schools, and the Council for the Advancement of Small Colleges. His civic board memberships included the Mobile United Way, Mobile Area Chamber of Commerce, Mobile Historic Preservation Society, Mobile Committee on Mental Health, Rotary Club of Mobile, Jacksonville Chamber of Commerce, Jacksonville Symphony, Jacksonville Community Council, Mt. Saint Mary's College and Seminary, John Mott Foundation, Florida Advisory Commission of the U.S. Civil Right Commission, and many others.

Fr. Tipton is survived by eight first cousins and is remembered by many religious and academic colleagues, friends, sailors, and former students throughout the country.

A memorial service will be held at 12:30 PM on Saturday, May 31, at the Chapel of the Sacred Heart at Georgetown Visitation, 1524 Thirty-Fifth Street NW, Washington, D.C. Another service will be held at 4 PM on June 4 at St. Joseph's Chapel on the campus of Spring Hill College in Mobile, Alabama. Internment of ashes will be at Spring Hill on a future date.