• Share:

November 24, 2020

Rev. Brian J. Shanley, O.P. ’80 to become next president of St. John’s University

Rev. Brian J. Shanley, O.P. ’80, who stepped down as Providence College president in June after 15 years — the longest tenure in College history — will become the new president of St. John’s University in Queens, N.Y., in February.

The appointment was announced by St. John’s on Nov. 24. It followed a national search led by an 18-member committee representing faculty, students, administrators, and trustees, aided by WittKieffer, one of the nation’s leading higher education consulting firms.

“Father Shanley’s steadfast devotion to Catholic education and to student success were apparent from our very first conversations with him,” said William J. Janetschek, chair of the St. John’s Board of Trustees. “He has a demonstrated record of achievement as president of Providence College, and we believe that he is the ideal candidate to serve as our beloved university’s 18th president. We look forward to, and will be grateful for, Father Shanley’s visionary leadership in the years ahead.”

In an interview with The Torch, the St. John’s student newspaper, Father Shanley said he believes God was calling him to the role.

“When I stepped down from PC, I spent a lot of the summer trying to discern what God wanted for me,” Father Shanley said. “At the end of the day, I’m a priest, and this is about my vocation and what God asks of me … I have felt like God was leading me here, and that I’m supposed to be at St. John’s — and I feel like it’s a really good fit for me.”

Father Shanley said the job will “stretch and challenge” him. Like other colleges and universities, St. John’s faces challenges in recruiting and retaining students. It offers more than 100 degree programs at the associate, bachelor, master, and doctoral levels. It has 17,088 undergraduate students, about 25 percent of whom live on campus, and 4,633 graduate students.

“I’m looking forward to helping St. John’s become the best version of itself that it could possibly be,” Father Shanley said.

St. John’s was founded in 1870 by the Vincentian Community, a religious order of priests and brothers established in Paris by St. Vincent de Paul. Father Shanley will be the first member of the Dominican Order of Preachers to serve as its president. He will succeed Dr. Conrado “Bobby” Gempesaw, the first lay president, who has served since 2014.

Rev. Kenneth R. Sicard, O.P. ’78 & ’82G, who was Father Shanley’s executive vice president throughout his tenure and now is PC’s 13th president, wished him well in the new role.

“I am thrilled for Father Shanley,” Father Sicard said. “He was such an impactful president during his 15-year tenure at Providence College, and he will long be remembered as one of the best presidents in the history of our college. He was an amazing colleague, friend, and mentor to me. I know that he still has more to offer, and I have no doubt that he will do a wonderful job at St. John’s University. On behalf of the entire Providence College community, I wish him the very best and every success in this new endeavor.”

Father Shanley is PC’s first legacy president. His father, Joseph V. Shanley ’49, was a Providence College graduate, and his mother, Elaine Shanley, was a long-time member of PC’s library staff and the first woman awarded tenure by the College.

Father Shanley is a Warwick, R.I., native who earned a bachelor’s degree in history from PC. He also holds a doctorate in philosophy from the University of Toronto and was a professor at The Catholic University of America. During his time as PC’s president, from 2005-2020, he changed the physical face of campus, hired most of the current faculty, diversified the student body, strengthened the Catholic and Dominican mission, enhanced the athletics program, and raised the College’s national profile

St. John’s competes with PC in the BIG EAST Conference. Father Shanley told The Torch he will root for the Red Storm — but not necessarily in games against the Friars.