Providence, R.I.--Rev. Brian J. Shanley, O.P., Ph.D. has been re-elected president of Providence College for a second, five-year term. The new term is effective July 1, 2010.
The re-election was announced to the campus community by Rev. D. Dominic Izzo, O.P., prior provincial of the Dominican Province of St. Joseph and chairman of the Providence College Corporation. "I am grateful to Father Shanley for his generosity in accepting another five years as president of Providence College," said Father Izzo. "He is passionate about the Catholic and Dominican mission and providing students with a quality liberal arts education. As the College approaches its centenary anniversary, I am confident that Father Shanley and his administration, by his trust in Divine Providence and by ongoing collaboration with the many gifted men and women of the College community, will match the dedication and faith of our brothers who founded the College in 1917."
Father Shanley, age 51, has served as PC president and professor of philosophy since July 1, 2005. During his tenure as president, he has focused on strengthening the College's distinctive Catholic and Dominican character, enhancing its academic reputation, and investing heavily in student life initiatives to further reinforce its already high national rankings in student retention and graduation rates.
As his first presidential action upon his election in July 2005, Father Shanley established a new cabinet-level division of Mission & Ministry, which guided a reorganization of the Office of the Chaplain/ Campus Ministry and the founding of the Center for Catholic and Dominican Studies. Shortly thereafter, he authorized the College's admission office to implement an SAT "test-optional" admission policy designed to help close the "student accessibility gap" for applicants, especially among underrepresented populations. The move drew national media attention and Father Shanley was subsequently asked to author a published article about the policy for the Winter 2007 issue of the Harvard Educational Review.
Under Father Shanley's leadership, the College's academic reputation has been bolstered with the hiring of 49 tenure-track faculty in the last two years, almost all of whom earned their advance degrees from the top 100 graduate schools nationally. He also guided efforts to establish the School of Business, which is currently a candidate for accreditation from the Association to Advance Collegiate Schools of Business (AACSB). AACSB accreditation is considered the highest standard of achievement for business schools, with less than 30% of business schools nationwide having achieved this distinction. The School of Business recently developed a new core curriculum and secured a $2 million endowed chair for business engagement that will foster new partnerships with a wide array of local and national businesses and their top leadership.
Academic facility investments during Father Shanley's tenure have included renovations to Phillips Memorial Library, the Hickey Hall science research labs, St. Catherine of Siena Hall--the building housing the departments of theology and philosophy--and the expansion of Academic Services, including a new Writing Center.
Student life also has been enhanced with the construction of the $12 million Concannon Fitness Center, the $6 million expansion and renovation of the Slavin Center student union, and multiple renovations to training and playing facilities used by the College's Division I student-athletes.
In response to the difficult economy of the last two years, Father Shanley approved the reallocation of more than one million dollars in operating funds for financial aid that enabled students whose families were experiencing economic crisis to remain enrolled.
Prior to his appointment, Father Shanley was an associate professor in the School of Philosophy at The Catholic University of America in Washington, D.C. A native of Warwick, R.I., he earned his undergraduate degree in history at PC in 1980. He holds a doctoral degree in philosophy from the University of Toronto and 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.
Ordained to the priesthood in 1987, Father Shanley has devoted his entire career to teaching and administration in Catholic higher education. His research interests include Thomas Aquinas, the philosophy of religion, metaphysics, Medieval philosophy, and ethics. His writings include: The Treatise on the Divine Nature, Summa Theologiae I 1-13, Translation and Commentary (Indianapolis, IN; Hacket Publishing Company, Inc., 2006); The Thomist Tradition, Handbook of Contemporary Philosophy of Religion, Vol. 2 (Dordrecht, Holland; Kluwer Academic Publishers, 2002); and as editor and author of the "Introduction" in One Hundred Years of Philosophy, (Washington, D.C.; The Catholic University of America Press, 2001.)
Locally, Father Shanley serves as chairman of the Board of Directors of the Association of Independent Colleges & Universities of Rhode Island (AICU/RI); member of the Board of Trustees for the Greater Providence Chamber of Commerce; member of the Board of Directors of Citizens Bank; and member of the R.I. Commodores, a privately funded coalition of business and civic leaders committed to supporting economic development programs in Rhode Island. He also is a member of the board of the National Association of Independent Colleges & Universities (NAICU).
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