Father John P. Fitzgibbons, S.J.

(DENVER) – Colorado’s only Jesuit Catholic university welcomed a new leader June 1, 2012 as Father John P. Fitzgibbons, S.J. assumed duties as the 24th president of Regis University.

He succeeds retiring University president Father Michael Sheeran, S.J., who had served as president since 1993. The Regis University Board of Trustees announced Father Sheeran’s retirement and Father Fitzgibbons selection in summer of 2011.

An official inauguration ceremony for Father Fitzgibbons is scheduled for Sept. 25, 2012 at the University’s North Denver (Lowell) campus. Father Fitzgibbons becomes only the third Regis University president in nearly 40 years. Father Sheeran served as president for 19 years and Father David Clarke was president for 20 years.

“I’m elated and honored to be part of Regis University,” Father Fitzgibbons said, who also celebrates his 57th birthday on the same day he officially became Regis University president. “Building on the excellent work done by Father Sheeran, I look forward to ensuring that the enrollment, retention and promised academic excellence of Regis University continue in upward trajectories.” 

Father Fitzgibbons most recently served as associate provost for faculty development at Marquette University. His experience in Catholic higher education as a Jesuit priest, professor, administrator and trustee will ensure the continued strength of the University’s Jesuit Catholic heritage, guide strategic planning efforts, and support growth and academic excellence at Regis University.
A native of Omaha, Neb., he joined the Jesuits in1973 and was ordained a priest in 1985.

He began his professional career in the summer of 1979 serving as an English instructor at Sogang University in Seoul, South Korea. From 1980 to 1982, he was an instructor of English and religion at Marquette University High School, Milwaukee, Wis. He spent two years as the assistant director of the Jesuit Collegiate Program at Loyola University Chicago (1990-1992). The next three years (1993-1996) were spent as assistant professor of English at Marquette University. 

From 1996 until 2001 he served as assistant professor of English and director of the Jesuit Humanities Program at Creighton University, Omaha, Neb. The next five years, (2001-2006) were spent as director of novices for the Wisconsin, Missouri and Upper Canada (English speaking) Provinces of the Society of Jesus. During that same period (2002-2005), he served as an adjunct professor of English at the University of St. Thomas, St. Paul, Minn., and superior of the Jesuit Novitiate Community in St. Paul.

He spent three years at the University of San Francisco (2006-2009) serving in three positions: as executive intern in the Office of the President from 2006-2007; as interim dean of the College of Professional Studies from 2007-2009; and as vice president of administration from 2007-2009.

Since 2008, he has served as a member of the Gonzaga University Board of Trustees and since 2009 has been a member of the Board of Directors for Nativity Jesuit Middle School, in Milwaukee. He was a member of the Board of Trustees at the University of San Francisco from 1999-2007.

“As a Jesuit priest in service of the Church, my apostolic work in Catholic higher education has been as a student, a professor, an administrator and a trustee,” Father Fitzgibbons said. “I believe this variety of perspectives has provided me with a deep understanding and informed appreciation for the work of our universities.”

Father Fitzgibbons earned a Ph.D. in English from Loyola University Chicago, an S.T.M. in theology from the Jesuit School of Theology at Berkeley, a Master of Divinity from the Weston School of Theology, a Master of Arts in English from the University of Chicago, and a Bachelor of Arts in philosophy and English from Saint Louis University. His doctoral dissertation was titled “Theodore Parker’s Man-Making Strategies: A Study of His Professional Ministry in Selected Sermons.”

He was elected a member of Alpha Sigma Nu, the national Jesuit honor society, and received the Archbishop John R. Roach Award for his work on the Archdiocesan Commission on Women, Archdiocese of Saint Paul, Minn.

In 2008, Father Fitzgibbons was appointed a delegate and elector at the Jesuits’ 35th General Congregation in Rome, Italy.