Former PC President Shanley Named New President of St. John's University

Former PC President Shanley Named New President of St. John's University

The St. John’s University Board of Trustees announced on Tuesday the unanimous election of Rev. Brian J. Shanley, O.P. as the University’s 18th President. 

From 2005-2020, Shanley was the 12th and longest-serving president in the history of Providence College.  During Shanley’s tenure at the College, he was widely credited with making substantial improvements to campus facilities and student services, hiring large numbers of new faculty, diversifying the student body, and strengthening the College’s national profile in academics and athletics. 

“I am honored and delighted to be elected by the Board of Trustees to serve the St. John’s community as President of the University,” said Shanley.  “I have long admired St. John’s commitment to the founding mission set forth by the Vincentian community to provide a Catholic education for first generation students in a diverse and inclusive environment.  I look forward to leading our community to remain committed to that mission amidst the unique challenges of the current times.” 

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Shanley, a 1980 Providence College alumnus, graduated summa cum laude with a degree in history and was ordained to the priesthood in 1987.  Four years later, he was sent to the University of Toronto to complete a Ph.D. in philosophy.  Soon thereafter, Shanley joined the faculty at The Catholic University of America where he was awarded tenure.  He subsequently spent time at the University of Notre Dame and at Emory University. Shanley joined the Providence College Board of Trustees in 1999 and was elected President in 2005, serving three consecutive five-year terms; he concluded his service as President of Providence College in June 2020. 

“I am thrilled for Fr. Shanley.  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,” said Providence College President Fr. Kenneth R. Sicard, O.P.  “He was an amazing colleague, friend and mentor to me.  I know that he still had 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."

Shanley is expected to begin his tenure at St. John’s on February 1, 2021. 

About Search

The selection of Shanley follows an extensive national search overseen by an 18-member committee representing a cross-section of St. John’s University constituencies, including faculty, students, administrators, and current and emeriti members of the Board of Trustees.  The search committee was led by St. John’s alumnus and Chair of the Board of Trustees William J. Janetschek, Retired Partner and Chief Financial Officer, Kohlberg Kravis Roberts & Co. L.P.  The University was aided in the search by WittKieffer, one of the nation’s leading higher education consulting firms. 

“On behalf of the entire Board of Trustees, I am absolutely delighted to welcome Fr. Shanley to St. John’s,” said Janetschek.  “Fr. Shanley’s steadfast devotion to Catholic education and to student success were apparent from our very first conversations with him.  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, Fr. Shanley’s visionary leadership in the years ahead.” 

Fr. Shanley will succeed Conrado “Bobby” Gempesaw, Ph.D., who announced in June 2020 his intention to retire as St. John’s President after joining St. John’s in 2014 as the first lay President in its then 144-year history.