AJCU Celebrates Inaugurations of Five New Presidents - Association of Jesuit Colleges and Universities

Colleen M. Hanycz, Ph.D., 35th president of Xavier University in Cincinnati, OH (photo courtesy of Xavier)

Vincent D. Rougeau, J.D., 33rd president of the College of the Holy Cross in Worcester, MA (photo courtesy of Holy Cross)

Rev. Joseph G. Marina, S.J., 29th president of The University of Scranton in Scranton, PA (photo courtesy of Scranton.edu)

Eduardo M. Peñalver, J.D., 22nd president of Seattle University (photo courtesy of Seattle U)

Alan R. Miciak, Ph.D., 26th president of John Carroll University in University Heights, OH (screenshot of installation ceremony at the Church of the Gesu)

It’s been an exciting fall on five Jesuit campuses across the country, where new presidents have been inaugurated: Xavier University, College of the Holy Cross, Seattle University, The University of Scranton and John Carroll University. We invite you to read excerpts from the speeches they delivered during their installation ceremonies, and to watch highlights from inauguration week activities, now available on YouTube. We pray for our new presidents and thank them for their leadership! (Please note: excerpts listed in reverse chronological order, beginning with the most recent ceremony on October 28.)

Xavier University

“The temptation is always to view an inauguration as being focused on the person wearing the new robe. But the real focus of an inauguration should be on the institution itself. It is about the resilience of this place, thriving through countless generations of students and faculty and staff and alumni and presidents outliving its founders, and with certainty, being destined to outlive all of us here today.” – President Colleen M. Hanycz, Ph.D.

Click here to read more excerpts from President Hanycz’s remarks, delivered during her installation on campus at Xavier University on October 28, 2021. More photos, videos (including the full installation ceremony) and highlights from Inauguration Week events can be found here.

College of the Holy Cross

“This is our enduring mission, guided by our Catholic faith, and reflecting the changing times. This is a moment of opportunity, of audacious hope, and belief in the transformative power of education…At Holy Cross, we accept that our world is knotty and imperfect. We believe that the best preparation for the challenges of the 21st century is a broad liberal education rooted in discovery, and amplified by our Catholic intellectual traditions.” – President Vincent D. Rougeau, J.D.

Click here to read more excerpts from President Rougeau’s remarks, delivered during his installation ceremony, held on campus at the College of the Holy Cross on October 22, 2021. More photos, videos (including the full installation ceremony) and highlights from Inauguration Week events can be found here.

Seattle University

“As Seattle University’s 22nd President, I am committed to stewarding our unique approach to the academic enterprise, ensuring that our bold ambition to become a university that is simultaneously innovative and progressive and Jesuit and Catholic [is realized]. No matter what field of study our students have chosen, from political science to computer science, they need to understand data and technology, not just in their technical dimensions, but through a lens that includes their impact on human beings and on our communities.” – President Eduardo M. Peñalver, J.D.

Click here to read more excerpts from President Peñalver’s remarks, delivered during his installation ceremony, held on campus at Seattle University on September 24, 2021. More photos, videos (including the full installation ceremony) and highlights from Inauguration Week events can be found here.

The University of Scranton

“The community that is Scranton is authentic, and you can feel it almost immediately when stepping onto our beautiful campus. We are a family. Our community is not an insulated one. It is grounded in God’s love. Our university exists because of Jesus Christ. And our future will be stoked by the fire of the Holy Spirit for decades to come. This triune reality makes our community open to all, not despite their differences, but precisely because of them. We are made stronger by our diversity and by our love for one another.” – President Rev. Joseph G. Marina, S.J.

Click here to read more excerpts from President Marina’s remarks, delivered during his installation on campus at The University of Scranton on September 24, 2021. More photos can be viewed here.

John Carroll University

“We stand at a crossroad as a University. Behind us lay our share of mistakes and regrets, along with a long history of responding to the urgency of a particular moment with imagination and courage. Ahead lay the great challenges and opportunities of this century: climate, health, technology, energy, security, hunger, justice, equity…I believe that we can — we must — resolve such tensions if we are to prepare this generation of young people to meet this moment. Only then, only by our example, can we then call upon these young people to unleash a storm of innovation and change to address the world’s greatest needs.” – President Alan R. Miciak, Ph.D.

Click here for the full text of President Miciak’s remarks, delivered during his installation at the Church of the Gesu in Cleveland, OH on September 9, 2021.