Rev. Brian J. Shanley, O.P., Ph.D., Installed as 18th President of St. John's University

QUEENS, N.Y., Sept. 27, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- Rev. Brian J. Shanley, O.P., Ph.D., formally became the 18th President of St. John's University during a recent investiture ceremony held at the Queens, NY, campus attended by delegates from neighboring universities, as well as Catholic Church leaders, elected officials, students, faculty, administrators, staff, and other members of the St. John's community. Fr. Shanley was ceremoniously installed as President after assuming his new role on February 1.

Fr. Shanley, an ordained member of the Dominican Order of Preachers, was the 12th and longest-serving president in the history of Providence College. He was unanimously elected by the Board of Trustees at St. John's following a national search.

During his investiture address, Fr. Shanley drew parallels between the Order of Preachers, also known as the Dominicans, to which he belongs, and the Congregation of the Mission, known also as the Vincentians, who founded St. John's. Upon deeper reflection, he said, "I have come to realize there is a lot more to the Vincentians that I wasn't seeing because I too easily assimilated them into the model of which I was most familiar: my own order. I needed to explore what is new, different, and challenging about the Vincentian community to understand why God led me here to St. John's."

At the heart of the Vincentian charism is loving service to the poor, Fr. Shanley stressed. "The greatest way to lift a person out of poverty is a college degree—and that must remain at the center of who we are as a University." He added that also at the heart of the work done by St. John's is the study and exploration of the systemic structures that produce exclusion, marginalization, and injustice.

"Since arriving at St. John's University, Fr. Shanley has demonstrated that he has the experience and the passion—and is uniquely equipped with the leadership skills—necessary to move the University in the direction that we want to go, both now and in the future," said William J. Janetschek '84CBA, '17HON, Chair of the University's Board of Trustees and Retired Partner and Chief Financial Officer, Kohlberg Kravis Roberts & Co. L.P. "In just a few months, he already has made an impact and developed an astute awareness of the transformative power of the St. John's experience."

A native of Warwick, RI, Fr. Shanley holds a doctorate in philosophy from the University of Toronto and received a postdoctoral fellowship at the University of Notre Dame's Center for Philosophy of Religion. After completing undergraduate studies in history at Providence College in 1980, he earned a licentiate degree in philosophy from The Catholic University of America. He also holds a Master of Divinity and a licentiate degree in Sacred Theology from the Dominican House of Studies in Washington, DC.

He taught philosophy at Providence College and was a visiting professor at Emory University's Candler School of Theology. He served as a philosophy professor at The Catholic University of America from 1994 to 2005.

Founded in 1870, St. John's is a Catholic and Vincentian university that prepares students for ethical leadership in today's global society. The University has three New York City campuses—in Queens, Staten Island, and Manhattan—in addition to a campus in Rome, Italy; an academic center in Hauppauge, NY; and study abroad locations in Paris, France, and Limerick, Ireland.

Students come from 45 states and 121 countries. The University offers more than 100 associate, bachelor's, master's, and doctoral degree programs in the arts, business, education, law, pharmacy, and the natural and applied sciences. Students also benefit from academic service-learning activities; extensive global studies opportunities; and 17 BIG EAST, Division I men's and women's athletic teams.

For media inquiries, please contact:

Brian Browne
St. John's University Spokesperson
Office: 718-990-2762
Cell: 917-561-7068
email: [email protected]  

SOURCE St. John's University