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Rev. Charles L. Currie, SJ
President

Rev. Charles L. Currie, S.J., a native of Philadelphia, PA, has studied at Fordham, Boston College, Woodstock College, gaining graduate degrees in philosophy and theology and at the Catholic University of America where he obtained a doctorate in physical chemistry before pursuing postdoctoral research at Cambridge University, the Canadian National Research Council and the National Bureau of Standards in Washington.

He served as a chemistry faculty member at Georgetown University (specializing in photochemistry), as president of Wheeling College (now Wheeling Jesuit University), and as president of Xavier University, before returning to Georgetown to direct the University’s Bicentennial Celebration, which included over 90 academic, cultural and celebratory events from September of 1988 through September of 1989

At Wheeling and Xavier, he stressed the importance of academic quality, effective planning and management, commitment to the community (including active involvement in the public arena), and strong public/private and ecumenical partnerships.

Active throughout his career in various professional, educational, and civic organizations at the local, regional and national levels, he has served on numerous of boards of trustees of colleges, high schools, and various organizations and associations. More recently, he has served on the board (and executive committee) of the National Association of Independent Colleges and Universities, and chaired its secretariat, the board of the Vatican Observatory Foundation, and the Washington Office on Latin America, which he chaired. He is a member of the Washington Higher Education Secretariat, and has chaired the Executives in Church-Related Higher Education. 

Father Currie has had extensive international experience. In November 1989, he traveled to Vietnam to arrange cooperative programs between Georgetown and Vietnamese universities. After the assassination of the Jesuit priests in El Salvador later in 1989, Father Currie was named special assistant to the President of Georgetown to coordinate Georgetown's response to this tragedy.

In that capacity he traveled to El Salvador many times to observe the situation first hand, organized a number of educational programs at Georgetown, participated in the extensive Congressional response that would cut off military aid, and kept in touch with the various individuals and groups involved with El Salvador. He co-hosted two private meetings of a cross-section of Salvadoran leaders in support of the peace negotiations with the government and the rebel forces. In September 1991, he was one of three official representatives of U.S. Jesuits at the trial of the soldiers accused in the murders of the six Jesuits, their cook and her daughter. In April 1994, he served as an official observer for the presidential elections in El Salvador. Most recently, he participated in the 25th anniversary commemoration of the killing of the four American churchwomen with Congressman Jim McGovern and former Senator and Presidential Candidate George McGovern.  He has accompanied Congressman McGovern not only to El Salvador, but to Colombia and Cuba.

During 1990-91, he was a Senior Fellow at the Woodstock Theological Center at Georgetown, and developed a program on Science, Technology and Culture, with a particular interest in environmental issues. 

In August 1991, Father Currie was appointed Rector of the Jesuit Community at Saint Joseph's University in Philadelphia.  At Saint Joseph's, he was also an adjunct member of the Theology Department, teaching a course on "Theology and Science," for which he won an award from the Templeton Foundation. During 1996-97, he coordinated university-wide “Conversations on Ignatian Identity” at St. Joseph’s, involving faculty, staff and students in discussions of how to make Ignatian ideals effectively present within the University.

In August 1997, he became President of the Association of Jesuit Colleges and Universities. The Association promotes numerous collaborative efforts among the 28 institutions and represents Jesuit colleges and universities before Congress and the Federal Government, Jesuit and Church officials, and other higher education associations. Under his leadership, the Association has begun a number of new communication and networking initiatives, developed a Jesuit Distance Education Network (JesuitNET), promoted mission and identity activities, including the AJCU Leadership Development Seminar, the commitment of Jesuit colleges and universities to educate for justice. He has been a co-founder of both the Ignatian Family Teach-In for Justice and the Ignatian Solidarity Network. 

He has actively encouraged the internationalization of AJCU campuses, traveling to five continents to pursue collaborative efforts, including a cooperative International MBA program with the University of Peking in Beijing, China, undergraduate immersion experiences in China and in El Salvador, exchange opportunities in Cuba, and extensive collaboration with Latin American Jesuit universities. Currently, he is helping to develop a new initiative, the Jesuit Commons, which endeavors to link Jesuit education worldwide with Jesuit efforts with poor and  marginalized populations worldwide.

Immediately after the Katrina disaster in 2005, he coordinated a rapid response by Jesuit colleges and universities to admit over 1600 students from Loyola University New Orleans and other affected universities, so that they could continue their studies before returning to the Gulf area to complete those studies in the spring semester.

Fr. Currie was deeply involved in discussions concerning the application of the Vatican document on Catholic higher education, Ex corde Ecclesiae, in the United States, and has traveled frequently to Rome for discussion with officials there. He is currently the U.S. representative on the International Committee on Jesuit Higher Education. 

Besides publishing in his field of chemistry, Fr. Currie has published and lectured widely on higher education. Most recently, he edited Mission and Identity: A Handbook for Trustees. He is the recipient of 11 honorary degrees, and most recently, the Hesburgh Award from the Association of Catholic Colleges and Universities and the DeSmet Medal from Gonzaga University.