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Currently an Associate Professor of Philosophy at The Catholic University of America in Washington, D.C., he is 46 years old and a native of Warwick, RI.
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He will assume office July 1, 2005, succeeding Rev. Philip A. Smith, O.P, who has served as Providence College President for 11 years.
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Providence College is the nation's only college operated by the Dominican Friars, a Catholic religious Order.
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Providence, RI --Providence College announced today the election of Rev. Brian J. Shanley, O.P., to serve as the 12th president of Providence College. The announcement follows separate deliberations held earlier today by the College's Board of Trustees and members of the College Corporation. The Board of Trustees first voted to recommend Father Shanley's election to the presidency of the College. The Board's recommendation was subsequently accepted by the Corporation.
The College established a two-tier governing structure in 1994. The Board of Trustees currently numbers 32 members, more than two-thirds of whom are lay persons; 12 members of the Board of Trustees compose the Corporation. Under the College by-laws, the Board of Trustees is responsible for recommending to the Corporation a Dominican Friar for election to the presidency of the College. The Corporation is authorized to accept or reject the recommendation for election.
Father Shanley, age 46, currently serves as an associate professor in the School of Philosophy at The Catholic University of America in Washington, D.C. He will assume his office at Providence College on July 1, 2005. The office has a five-year term that is renewable.
"Father Shanley is widely recognized as an outstanding priest, scholar, and administrator," noted Very Rev. Dominic Izzo, O.P., Chairman of the Providence College Corporation, prior provincial of the Dominican Province of St. Joseph, and a 1988 graduate of the College. "He is a dedicated Dominican Friar with the strength of mind and heart to lead Providence's exceptional academic community humbly and effectively, with an unwavering focus on the College's mission," added Father Izzo.
"When we launched our search for Providence College's next president, we knew that the College itself needs to change, yet remain true to its traditions," noted Board of Trustees Chairman Michael A. Ruane, managing partner of T.A. Associates Realty in Boston, MA and a 1971 graduate of Providence College. "In order to do that - and execute an effective vision - we sought a Dominican Friar with strong leadership skills who was fully aware of this need to find the right balance between continuity and change," he continued. "The Board is very confident that Father Shanley is the leader Providence College needs to continue to strengthen its position as one of the nation's top performing liberal arts colleges."
Father Shanley is a native of Warwick, Rhode Island. A parishioner at St. Gregory the Great Church, he attended local public schools, graduating from Toll Gate High School in 1976. Close family members still reside in Rhode Island.
In 1980 Fr. Shanley earned his undergraduate degree in history at Providence College. He holds a doctorate degree in philosophy from the University of Toronto, where he completed the Collaborative Program in Philosophy and Medieval Studies. He also holds a master of divinity degree (theology) and the Licentiate in Sacred Theology (S.T.L.), both from the Dominican House of Studies in Washington, D.C. (Pontifical Faculty of the Immaculate Conception.)
Ordained to the priesthood in 1987, Father Shanley has devoted his entire career to teaching and administration in Catholic higher education. Following teaching assignments at Providence College and the University of Toronto, he began his tenure at The Catholic University of America in 1994, achieving the rank of associate professor in 2001. His research interests include Thomas Aquinas, the philosophy of religion, metaphysics, Medieval philosophy and ethics.
Father Shanley spent the Fall 2002 semester as a visiting professor at the Candler School of Theology at Emory University. He previously engaged in a post-doctoral fellowship at the University of Notre Dame's Center for Philosophy of Religion in 1998-99.
As the Regent of Studies for the Dominican Province of St. Joseph, Father Shanley holds a seat on the Provincial Council, a body of 12 Dominican Friars serving as cabinet-level advisors to the Prior Provincial. He advises the Prior Provincial on all matters pertaining to the intellectual and academic life of the Province and oversees the academic endeavors of members of the Province, including those in preparation for the priesthood and those engaged in graduate studies.
Father Shanley has been widely published in philosophy-focused academic journals and has been a guest lecturer at a wide range of scholarly conferences. He currently serves as the editor of The Thomist and on the editorial board of the International Journal for Philosophy of Religion.
Father Shanley succeeds Rev. Philip A. Smith, O.P., who has served as the President of Providence College since July of 1994.
According to the Providence College by-laws, the president of the College must be a Dominican Friar. The Dominicans are a Catholic religious Order with roots in 13th century Europe where Dominicans played a vital role in the development of universities there. Providence College is the only college or university in the United States operated by the Dominican Friars. The Catholic, liberal arts college has an undergraduate enrollment of approximately 3,700 students and offers degrees in 50 academic majors.
For the last nine consecutive years, the U.S. News' America's Best Colleges guide has ranked Providence College as one of the top two regional universities in the North. The College achieved the #2 position in the year 2005 edition of the popular college guide.
U.S. News recognized Providence College's 85% graduation rate as the highest in the nation among the 572 regional universities in its category; the College's 92% freshmen retention rate was recognized as the fourth-highest among institutions in its category. The guide also ranked Providence among the top 15 North region institutions offering the "best value" when comparing academic quality to the net cost of attendance.
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