Jersey City — The Board of Trustees appointed Eugene J. Cornacchia, Ph.D., as the 22nd President of Saint Peter’s College. Dr. Cornacchia is the first layperson to serve as President of the 135 year-old Catholic, Jesuit College in Jersey City, New Jersey. He succeeds the Rev. James N. Loughran, S.J., who died in December.
“On behalf of the Board of Trustees and Presidential Search Committee, I am pleased to announce that Dr. Eugene Cornacchia has agreed to lead Saint Peter’s as President,” said Board of Trustees Chairman Frank Ziegler. “Gene’s 26 years of outstanding service to our College have prepared him to direct the continued growth of Saint Peter’s,” Ziegler added. “Throughout his career, Gene has demonstrated a strong commitment to the ideals of a Jesuit education – strong academics, service and personal attention for students.”
Prior to his appointment in January as Acting President, Dr. Cornacchia was the Provost and Vice President of Academic Affairs at Saint Peter’s. In this role, he served as the College’s chief operating officer and managed the departments of Student Affairs, Academic Affairs, Finance and Business and Information Technology. Under his leadership, Saint Peter’s raised academic standards for admission while realizing gains in enrollment. He restructured the Information Technology department to provide significant upgrades for students, faculty and administration.
“I am honored to be selected as the next president of Saint Peter’s College,” said Dr. Cornacchia. “The College has a generous and caring Jesuit community, an outstanding faculty, a dedicated and highly professional staff, loyal alumni, and a committed Board of Trustees,” added Dr. Cornacchia. “Our rich tradition of academic excellence, personal care, and commitment to the development of the whole person continues to be a source of great pride and strength. I look forward to working with the entire College community to deepen our commitment to a quality Catholic education in the Jesuit tradition.”
Dr. Cornacchia joined the College in 1981 as a lecturer in the Political Science Department and served in the department for 19 years as a Professor and then Chairman. He held positions as Academic Dean and Dean of Faculty from 2000-2002. Throughout his career, Dr. Cornacchia has written and lectured extensively on topics relative to ethnic and racial relations and urban education.
Dr. Cornacchia earned his B.A., M.A. and Ph. D from Fordham University. He lives in Elmsford, NY with his wife, AnnMarie, and their two daughters, Lauren and Katherine. He served on the Elmsford Board of Education for 12 years, including a term as President from 1996 to 2000.
Chairman of the Board of Trustees Frank Ziegler and the Saint Peter’s College community formally welcomed and introduced Dr. Cornacchia as President on Monday, May 14 at 11 a.m. in the McIntyre Room in Dinneen Hall on the Jersey City campus.
More than 100 members of the College community, friends and family attended the ceremony. Pictured with President Cornacchia are (left to right): Rev. Edward J. Heavey, S.J., rector of the Jesuit community at Saint Peter’s, Rev. Gerald J. Chojnacki, S.J., provincial of the New York Province and Chairman of the Board of Trustees Frank Ziegler ’63.
Saint Peter’s College is the Jesuit College of New Jersey. Founded in 1872, Saint Peter’s has an enrollment of more than 3,000 students in undergraduate and graduate programs. The main campus is located in Jersey City. The College has a branch campus for adults in Englewood Cliffs, NJ and also offers courses at various corporate sites at the Jersey City waterfront and in South Amboy, NJ.