SJU has a new leader.

Here is some very good news from Hawk Hill, announced late this afternoon:

The Saint Joseph’s University Board of Trustees today elected C. Kevin Gillespie, S.J., Ph.D. as its 27th president. A Saint Joseph’s alumnus (’72) who currently serves as associate provost for University Centers of Excellence at Loyola University Chicago, he will be introduced to SJU students, faculty and staff at a special gathering of the campus community tomorrow, Friday, Nov. 11, at 11:30 a.m. in the Campus Commons on the University’s Maguire Campus.

"It is truly an honor for the Board of Trustees to introduce Fr. Gillespie as the next president of Saint Joseph’s University," said Robert Falese ’69, chairman of Saint Joseph’s Board of Trustees. "He is an accomplished, and acclaimed, scholar with a commitment to academic excellence and a fervent dedication to advancing his alma mater and Catholic, Jesuit education in the region and indeed around the globe."

"He is the right Jesuit to lead Saint Joseph’s forward and into the future at a time of great momentum for the University."

To read the rest, click here. My congratulations and good wishes are with Father Gillespie as he prepares to become the 27th President of Saint Joseph's University, and I hope that you will join me in praying for him as he returns home to Hawk Hill. AMDG.