Inauguration of the 27th President of the University
“Pay attention today to others who have had a hand in shaping you during your Scranton years... Paying attention opens you to astonishment. Ignatian spirituality urges us to celebrate how " the world is charged with the grandeur of God." Where have you encountered God's grandeur here at Scranton? I might suggest that it has to do with recognizing the extraordinary in the seemingly ordinary. As you look back today, and in the years ahead, be astonished by how you've changed, stretched and gown here. Certainly, at a university, the life of the mind is the measure of that, but at The University of Scranton there is so much more, starting with this community, your friends.”
Scott R. Pilarz, S.J.
Inauguration Address, September 21, 2018
Excerpt from the Inauguration Program:
On July 1, 2018, Scott R. Pilarz, S.J., became the 27th president of The University of Scranton. Father Pilarz returned to Scranton after completing his term as president of Georgetown Preparatory School in Washington, D.C., at the end of the 2017-18 academic year. His accomplishments at Georgetown Prep include leading the community in a celebration of the 225th anniversary of its founding, guiding the development of a comprehensive strategic plan and working to secure the largest gift in the school’s history. In October of 2016, the school announced a $20 million commitment to support building restorations and other strategic plan projects.
During his service as president of Marquette University, in Milwaukee, Wisconsin, from 2011 to 2013, he spearheaded a strategic planning process and also guided the school into the newly configured Big East conference.
Father Pilarz, who served as Scranton’s 24th president from 2003 to 2011, was the fifth longest-serving president at Scranton and third longest-serving Jesuit president. During his previous tenure, the University earned national recognition for academic quality, community engagement and student success, achieving then record admissions and undertaking the largest construction projects in its history. He expanded international mission and service opportunities and programs to enhance its Catholic and Jesuit identity. The University also earned the highly selective Community Engagement Classification designated by the Carnegie Foundation for the Advancement of Teaching.
Read more about the inauguration in the Fall 2018 issue of the Scranton Journal.
Members of the University community and others welcome Father Pilarz back as the University's 27th President.
The University celebrated the inauguration of its 27th President on the morning of September 21, 2018, in the Byron Recreation Complex. Father Pilarz was welcomed by a University community elated for his return during the investiture.
University of Scranton Board of Trustees Chair Joseph Vaszily ’95 introduces Rev. Scott R. Pilarz, S.J., for his Inaugural Address as Scranton’s 27th president.
