General Context

Boston College University President. William Leahy, S.J., a member of the U.S. East Province of the Society of Jesus, became the 25th president of Boston College in July, 1996. He came to Boston College from Marquette University, where he served as a faculty member for six years and then as Executive Vice President.

Leahy holds a Ph.D. in history from Stanford University, an M.A. in US history from Saint Louis University, and master’s degrees in divinity and sacred theology from the Jesuit School of Theology in Berkeley, California. He is the author of Adapting to America: Catholics, Jesuits and Higher Education in the Twentieth Century, as well as scholarly articles on religious and educational history in the United States. Leahy is a trustee of Santa Clara and Creighton universities.