Rev. William P. Leahy, S.J.

William P. Leahy, SJ was born in 1948 and is the 25th President of Boston College, a post he has held since 1996. He was born in Omaha, Nebraska and raised in Imogene, Iowa. He joined the Society of Jesus in 1967, and is a member of the Jesuit's Wisconsin province. Leahy earned a bachelor's degree in philosophy and a master's degree in United States history at Saint Louis University in 1972 and 1975, respectively. He then began studies at the Jesuit School of Theology at Berkeley in Berkeley, California, where he earned degrees in theology (1978) and historical theology (1980). He was ordained a priest in 1978. He received a doctoral degree in U.S. history from Stanford University in 1986.

He began his academic career as a teacher at Campion High School in Wisconsin from 1973-1975. He served as a teaching assistant at Stanford in 1981 before joining the Marquette University faculty as an instructor of history in 1985. He became an associate professor with tenure in 1991, and in that same year became Marquette's executive vice president.

Since assuming the Boston College presidency, Leahy's tenure has been marked with an acceleration of the growth and development of the university. BC's endowment has more than doubled, it has expanded by almost 150 acres (607,000 m²), and undergraduate applications have surpassed 30,000. At the same time, its students, faculty and athletic teams have seen unprecedented success — winning record numbers of Truman, Marshall, Fulbright, Rhodes scholarships, and other academic awards; setting new marks for research grants; and winning conference and national titles. In 2002, Leahy initiated the Church in the 21st Century program to examine issues facing the Roman Catholic Church in light of the clergy sexual abuse scandal. His effort brought BC worldwide praise and recognition for "leading the way on Church reform.

In 2004, Leahy announced plans to merge with the Boston College School of Theology and Ministry to advance BC as the world's foremost Jesuit university and a leading center of Catholic intellectual thought. In athletics, Boston College left the Big East Conference and joined the Atlantic Coast Conference on July 1, 2005.

In 2006, after a two-year self-study involving more than 200 BC faculty, administrators, students and alumni, Fr. Leahy announced a $1.6 billion Strategic Plan that called for hiring 100 new faculty, adding a dozen new academic centers and spending $1 billion in construction and renovation projects to elevate Boston College to the highest echelon of premier national universities. The Plan set seven strategic directions for the University: To become a national leader in liberal arts education and student formation; to enhance its research initiatives in select natural sciences and in areas that address urgent society problems; to support leadership initiatives in BC’s graduate and professional schools; to expand international programs and partnerships; and to become the world’s leading Catholic university.

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. James Fleming, SJ

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. Garanzini, 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.

Thayne M. McCulloh, Ph.D.

Quote of the week

"...This crest [IHS] continually reminds us of a reality that we must never forget: the centrality of Christ for each one of us and for the whole Society, the Society that Saint Ignatius wanted to name "of Jesus" to indicate the point of reference."

Pope Francis: July 31, 2013

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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