Saint Joseph’s University officially inaugurated C. Kevin Gillespie, S.J. ’72, as its 27th president on October 12, 2012.

More than 60 presidents and delegates from other colleges and universities, along with alumni, faculty, staff, students, and Fr. Gillespie’s friends and family, witnessed the inaugural ceremony in the Michael J. Hagan ’85 Arena.

Special dignitaries joined Fr. Gillespie on the stage, including the Most Rev. Charles J. Chaput, O.F.M. Cap., D.D., archbishop of Philadelphia; the Very Rev. James M. Shea, S.J., provincial for the Maryland Province of the Society of Jesus; U.S. Rep. Robert A. Brady (D-Pa.); and Philadelphia Mayor Michael A. Nutter. Fr. Gillespie’s friend and former colleague Nancy Tuchman, Ph.D., associate provost at Loyola University Chicago, served as the keynote speaker.

University Provost Brice Wachterhauser, Ph.D., welcomed guests to the inauguration, saying, “Today we inaugurate one of our own. … In its new leader, our community will find the sharp mind of a scholar, the open heart of a counselor and a visionary spirit, never afraid to ask, ‘What if … ?’”

Fr. Gillespie emphasized the inauguration theme, “Awakening to the Magis,” in his inaugural address, and named academic distinction as the central objective of his presidency.

“Academic life must be meaningful,” said Fr. Gillespie. “It must bring substance and value to daily discourse. Those in our care, as they awaken their minds, should do so for reasons beyond knowledge itself. They must do so in order to improve the human condition and ‘make the most of their God-given talents.’ In short, their academic experience — as well as our own — must be one of distinction.”

In his remarks, Archbishop Chaput affirmed the value of a Jesuit education. “For the Jesuits, excellence in education has always been a core skill,” he said. “Saint Joseph’s University embodies that excellence. It’s a legacy that demands superior talent in the person called to serve as president.”

Fr. Gillespie’s inauguration is a homecoming for the SJU alumnus. He earned a bachelor’s degree in psychology at Saint Joseph’s and master’s degrees in psychology from Duquesne University and in divinity from the Jesuit School of Theology Berkeley, as well as a doctorate in pastoral psychology from Boston University.

Prior to being named president, Fr. Gillespie was an SJU Trustee and associate provost for University Centers of Excellence at Loyola University Chicago, where he oversaw five academic centers.