In Memoriam: Nicholas S. Rashford, S.J., 1940-2025
Saint Joseph’s University remembers its 25th president, Nicholas S. Rashford, S.J., who led the University from 1986 until 2003.
July 14, 2025
Saint Joseph’s University mourns the passing of Nicholas S. Rashford, S.J., who served as University president from 1986 to 2003. Having led the University during a rapidly changing 17 years, Fr. Rashford will be remembered for shaping Saint Joseph’s future, campus and surrounding communities into what they are today.
You didn’t need to have met Saint Joseph’s 25th president to have known him. Fr. Rashford’s presence can be felt at every corner of the University’s Hawk Hill campus, from the iconic Mandeville Hall, whose construction he oversaw, to the echo of his voice in every classroom asking, “So what have you learned?” — a question he famously posed to his students.
“Fr. Rashford was an inspired leader who left an indelible mark on our students and University,” says President Cheryl A. McConnell, PhD. “He was not only a transformative thinker — establishing our EMBA program, spearheading the construction of McShain Bridge, modernizing our classrooms — but he was also an educator who cared deeply about his students. He was a man of faith and vision. Saint Joseph’s wouldn’t be what it is today without Fr. Rashford.”
Born in 1940 in Peoria, Illinois, Fr. Rashford joined the Society of Jesus (The Jesuits) in 1964. He began his academic career at Saint Louis University, where he earned a Bachelor of Science in sociology and philosophy, and a Master of Science in urban affairs and theology. He later received a Doctor of Science in behavioral science from Johns Hopkins University in 1976, and was an Alfred P. Sloan fellow in organizational leadership at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology.
Fr. Rashford, front row, far right pictured with fellow Jesuits.
After serving as dean of Rockhurst College’s school of management for three years, Fr. Rashford set foot on Hawk Hill in 1986 as president. He emphasized campus expansion and beautification, as well as infrastructure enhancement during his tenure.
“It’s exciting to be associated with a Jesuit university with 134 years of history,” Fr. Rashford told The Philadelphia Inquirer in December 1985. “The next 10 years is going to see education change more dramatically than it has changed in a long time.”
And he was right. A little over a decade later, SJU constructed the $25 million Owen A. Mandeville Hall and established the now decades-long relationship with Erivan K. Haub and the Tengelmann Group. Fr. Rashford often stressed the importance of students being global citizens and he made sure the new home for the Erivan K. Haub School of Business featured best-in-class technological enhancements that allowed Hawks to interact with people around the globe in real time — including a satellite teleconference to the Vatican at the building’s dedication ceremony in 1998.
Ahead of its time, Mandeville Hall and its high-tech features were highlighted by The Chronicle of Higher Education, touting “few have committed to the wired classroom more fully than Saint Joseph’s.”
Fr. Rashford told The Chronicle, “I wanted to enhance the classroom experience to teach process as well as content … to get students in the classroom to use some of the programs and techniques that they would eventually encounter in the business world.”
Nicholas Rashford, S.J. (left), Haub School of Business Dean Joseph DiAngelo Jr., BS '70, EdD (center), and former Campbell Soup Company CEO and President Douglas Conant (right) at the 20th anniversary celebration of the EMBA program in 2010.
Fr. Rashford’s influence on the future of business extended well beyond Hawk Hill. In 1988, Gov. Bob Casey Sr. appointed him as chairman of the Delaware River Port Authority, a role that enabled Fr. Rashford to shape the economic development of the City of Philadelphia. Among his notable contributions was the introduction of stacked shipping — a move that saved the region’s railroad freight business.
In recognition of his accomplishments, Fr. Rashford was awarded a Golden Amtrak pass, which granted him unlimited travel along the passenger rail. It was a fitting honor for the train-loving president who proudly displayed a model train set in Regis Hall.
Fr. Rashford also played a critical role in founding the City Avenue District, which he chaired for four years. It was his vision to make the City Avenue District the entrance to the City of Philadelphia, starting with the construction of McShain Bridge, which quite literally connected Lower Merion to Philadelphia.
A farsighted leader, the Jesuit priest was always making connections. He was instrumental in forging partnerships with the Irish and Italian governments that benefited the Haub School and its students, including an agreement with Bord Bia, the Irish Food Board, that allowed St. Joe’s students to conduct internships in Ireland. Simultaneously, he created international programs in China, Italy, Germany and Ireland that increased the number of international students on Hawk Hill.
“With Fr. Rashford, no stone was ever left unturned,” says Joseph DiAngelo Jr., BS ’70, EdD, dean of the Haub School of Business. “It was his brainchild to establish cooperative agreements with universities in Italy and Ireland, including the University of College Cork and University of Bologna. He recognized the need for students to immerse themselves in the global community and to learn from cultures around the world.”
Saint Joseph’s benefited in countless other ways from Fr. Rashford’s prescience, becoming synonymous with top business education and graduating a record number of student-athletes. He also oversaw the addition of five varsity sports programs, the renovation of Alumni Memorial Fieldhouse (now Hagan Arena), and construction of the Robert M. Gillin Jr. Boathouse — the first boathouse to be built on the Schuylkill River in 98 years.
“Fr. Rashford was a true visionary when it came to athletics, as evidenced by his longtime membership on the NCAA President's Commission, along with being chairman of the Atlantic 10 Presidents Council,” says Don DiJulia, advancement officer and former vice president of athletics during Fr. Rashford’s tenure. “He strongly believed in athletics’ value to the University and in providing student-athletes the opportunities to learn and grow by moving the needle on facility enhancements and scholarship opportunities.”
After stepping down as president in 2003, Fr. Rashford remained at SJU as University professor of management until 2021. He is remembered around campus as a devoted mentor and advisor to decades of Hawks, preferring to meet with students than to be isolated in his office. He also served as visiting professor at Universidad Alberto Hurtado in Santiago, Chile, and at Trinity College in Dublin, Ireland, where he held dual citizenship.
Fr. Rashford’s two loves, photography and travel, informed many of his on- and off-hours at SJU. He was often found on the sidelines at Hawks basketball games snapping pictures of players and fans, and photography from his international travels continues to grace the walls and halls of many SJU buildings today.
“Fr. Nicholas Rashford is one of those rare individuals who define a new era. His impact on higher education, the Philadelphia business community and global educational partnerships created new horizons for us all,” says Daniel R.J. Joyce, S.J., BA ’88, vice president of mission and ministry.