Rev. Michael J. Garanzini, S.J.
President, Loyola University Chicago

Reverend Michael J. Garanzini, S.J., has served as the 23rd president of Loyola University Chicago since June 2001. A seasoned university administrator, tenured professor, author, and scholar, Father Garanzini has spent the majority of his career working in higher education.

Rev. Michael J. Garanzini, S.J.

Reverend Michael J. Garanzini, S.J., has served as the 23rd president of Loyola University Chicago since June 2001. A seasoned university administrator, tenured professor, author, and scholar, Father Garanzini has spent the majority of his career working in higher education.

In June 2011, Father Garanzini was appointed by Adolfo Nicolás, S.J., the superior general of the Society of Jesus, to serve as the Secretary for Higher Education for the Society of Jesus. In this new role, which officially began on September 1, 2011 and is in addition to his continued service as president of Loyola, Father Garanzini assists the Father General on a part-time basis, coordinating and championing Jesuit higher-education issues around the world.

Father Garanzini's solid academic credentials combine with a rare blend of experience in teaching, research, service, and administrative leadership at some of the nation's leading Jesuit institutions of higher learning, including Georgetown, Fordham, Saint Louis, and Rockhurst universities, as well as Gregorian University in Rome.

Prior to becoming president of Loyola, Father Garanzini was a full professor of psychology at Georgetown University in Washington, DC, where he had been special assistant to the president for two years. Before joining Georgetown, Father Garanzini was a visiting professor at Fordham University in New York.

Much of Father Garanzini's academic and administrative experience comes from his years at Saint Louis University in Missouri, where he held several academic and administrative posts. A native of St. Louis, Father Garanzini received his BA in psychology from Saint Louis University in 1971, the same year he entered the Society of Jesus. From 1984 to 1988, he divided his academic responsibilities between the University of San Francisco and Gregorian University in Rome. He received a doctorate in psychology and religion from the Graduate Theological Union/University of California, Berkeley, in 1986. In 1988, he returned to Saint Louis as an associate professor of counseling and family therapy. He then served as assistant academic vice president from 1992 to 1994. He was appointed academic vice president in 1994, a post he held until 1998. In 2008, he was awarded an honorary doctorate of public service from Carthage College in Kenosha, Wisconsin.

Father Garanzini currently serves on the following boards of trustees: Fairfield University; Fordham University; the Association of Catholic Colleges and Universities; the Federation of Independent Illinois Colleges and Universities; the Archdiocese of Chicago, Board of Catholic Schools; Loyola Academy in Wilmette, Illinois; the Flannery O'Connor-Andalusia Foundation; and LIFT-Chicago.

Active in community service, Father Garanzini is known for his work on behalf of children and families. He is a frequent speaker and has published many books and articles on issues such as child and family therapy, moral development, and Catholic education.


AJCU Board of Directors

Antoine M. Garibaldi, Ph.D.
David W. Burcham
Eugene J. Cornacchia, Ph.D.
Fred P. Pestello, Ph.D.
John J. DeGioia, Ph.D.
John J. Hurley, JD
Rev. Brian F. Linnane, S.J.
Rev. C. Kevin Gillespie, S.J.
Rev. Jeffrey von Arx, S.J.
Rev. John P. Fitzgibbons, S.J.
Rev. Joseph M. McShane, S.J.
Rev. Kevin P. Quinn, S.J.
Rev. Kevin Wm. Wildes, S.J., Ph.D.
Rev. Lawrence Biondi, S.J.
Rev. Michael E. Engh, S.J.
Rev. Michael J. Graham, S.J.
Rev. Philip L. Boroughs, S.J.
Rev. Richard P. Salmi, S.J.
Rev. Robert L. Niehoff, S.J.
Rev. Scott R. Pilarz, S.J.
Rev. Stephen A. Privett, S.J.
Rev. Stephen V. Sundborg, S.J.
Rev. Thomas B. Curran
Rev. Timothy R. Lannon, S.J.
Rev. William P. Leahy, S.J.
Richard Allen Beyer
Thayne M. McCulloh, Ph.D.

Quote of the week

"Immersion experiences can open eyes, destroy prejudice, and change lives. I have watched countless students return from developing countries as changed persons, with renewed hearts eager to live as men or woman for others."
Rev. Stephen A. Privett, S.J., President of the University of San Francisco, commenting on the power of immersion experiences


Meet the AJCU President
On April 1, 2013, Rev. Michael J. Sheeran became president of the Association of Jesu...
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Federal Relations


AJCU Federal Relations Network is the lobbying arm of the Association of Jesuit Colleges and Universities and comprised of at least one representative from each one of the twenty-eight Jesuit Colleges and Universities. The Network is kept up to date on an on-going basis by the Vice President for Federal Relations on all issues relating to Appropriations, budget, higher education authorization issues and taxes. The Network meets annually in September for a Legislative Conference and also participates in the Annual Committee for Education Funding Legislative Conference and Awards Dinner.
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AJCU Conferences


The 35+ Conferences sponsored by the Association of Jesuit Colleges and Universities (AJCU) are affinity groups within the AJCU Network. The Conferences provide a forum for the exchange of ideas, information and best practices; support the professional development of their members; and present opportunities for AJCU representatives to discuss opportunities and challenges in Jesuit higher education. Most of the AJCU Conference groups meet in person at least once a year, and many of them communicate regularly through an AJCU listserv.
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International Outreach


The member institutions of the Association of Jesuit Colleges and Universities (AJCU) are committed to developing programs and partnerships that advance international education and support initiatives that advance global citizenship.
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