Former UD business dean installed as president of St. John’s University

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DAngelo, left and _Gempesaw
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DAngelo, left and _Gempesaw
DAngelo, left and _Gempesaw

St. John’s University celebrated the investiture of Conrado “Bobby” Gempesaw, Ph.D, as its 17th and first lay president last week. He took the post on July.

He previously  served as Provost and Executive Vice President for Academic Affairs at Miami University in Oxford, Ohio. St. John’s has more than 20,000 students and a  main campus in New York City.

Dr. Gempesaw spent much of his academic career at the University of Delaware, where he  served as Dean of the  Alfred Lerner College of Business and Economics, Vice-Provost for Academic and International Programs, Interim Dean of UD’s College of Arts and Sciences, and Chair of the Department of Food and Resource Economics. He joined UD as an assistant professor in 1985, was awarded tenure and promoted to associate professor in 1989, and promoted to full professor in 1993.

“St. John’s is blessed to have as president an individual who can preserve the Catholic and Vincentian traditions of our great institution while invigorating our academic landscape and challenging us to reach greater heights in our teaching, scholarship, and research,” said Peter P. D’Angelo, Chair of the Board of Trustees, who presided over the investiture.

During the ceremony, Dr. Gempesaw was presented with the presidential regalia, a distinctive red robe representing the academics of the university; the presidential medallion, which bears the university crest and symbolizes the high office of the university; and the university mace, a representation of faculty and students that signifies leadership and the power of higher learning.

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“St. John’s faculty members are noted for their outstanding teaching and scholarly accomplishments, and their commitment to service consistent with our university mission,” Dr. Gempesaw remarked during the ceremony. “Our student’s success comes from their motivation to learn and their compassion to serve those in need.  There is much to celebrate but a great university never is content with the way things are – it seeks to be better.”

“Although the challenges in higher education may seem daunting, St. John’s University can overcome them and continue to thrive as one of the country’s premier Catholic universities. We will face these challenges with a dynamic entrepreneurial and strategic mindset. We must be bold and decisive in meeting these challenges.”

St. John’s ranks 145th on the US News ranking, while the University of Delaware ranks 76th.

Presidents and delegates from universities around the country, as well as local elected officials, Church leaders, students, faculty, administrators and other members of the St. John’s community were on hand.

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