Xavier University’s 35th president, Colleen M. Hanycz, PhD, was inaugurated Thursday at the Cintas Center.
The theme of the Inauguration, The Ignatian Year, celebrates Xavier University’s Jesuit heritage by honoring the life of St. Ignatius of Loyola, founder of the Society of Jesus. Inauguration events highlight Xavier’s Jesuit tradition of cultivating lives of reflection, compassion and informed action while marking the 500th anniversary of Ignatius’ injury during the Battle of Pamplona.
The installation ceremony followed a week of Inauguration events including a National Day of Service and Solidarity, Academic Showcase, and Missioning Mass, among other events.
“Xavier’s lived mission is deeply appealing to me,” President Hanycz said. “As a Jesuit Catholic university committed to serving society by forming students intellectually, morally and spiritually for lives of solidarity and service, Xavier’s values strongly align with my own. Building on the tremendous legacy of Fr. Michael Graham, S.J., I am excited to partner with Xavier’s community in writing the next chapter in its storied history.”
Special guests included Thomas More University President Joseph Chillo.
Hanycz is the first layperson and woman to serve in the role of president in Xavier’s 190-year history. Throughout her accomplished career as an attorney, professor, and administrator, Hanycz has been an active proponent of Catholic education as a means to advance the common good and to celebrate the dignity of each person, and will continue this commitment in a Jesuit setting at Xavier. From 2015 to 2021, Hanycz served as the 29th president of La Salle University in Philadelphia, Pa.
Hanycz and her husband Peter have been married for 25 years and have raised a family of three children.
