Introducing USF’s New President

International Scholar

Fr. Fitzgerald’s qualifications‚ including his sterling academic experience‚ global perspective‚ and strong ties to the Bay Area‚ prepare him to lead the next generation of USF students to change the world from here.

Fr. Fitzgerald is the senior vice president for academic affairs at Fairfield University in Connecticut‚ and for the past five years‚ he has been responsible for recruiting faculty and developing curriculum. He’s created programs in Latin American Studies; Arabic‚ Islamic‚ and Middle Eastern studies; and also Cinema Studies. Previously‚ he was associate dean and then senior associate dean at Santa Clara University’s College of Arts and Sciences‚ where he earned a bachelor’s degree in history in 1980.

Fr. Fitzgerald speaks German‚ is conversational in Spanish‚ and perfected his French living in Paris‚ where he earned two PhDs: one in the sociology of religion from the University of Paris – La Sorbonne‚ and one in ecclesiology from the Institut Catholique de Paris. “I continue to work at the intersection of sociology and theology‚” Fr. Fitzgerald says‚ fascinated by the ways people of faith engage “the gritty reality of the world.”

His love of teaching led him to diverse locations across the globe. First to Mexico in 1983‚ where he taught English to squatters living in the city dump in Guaymas‚ then to China in the summer of 1992 and to Kenya in 2004. Each of these unique experiences helped him develop his perspective on the world.

Fr. Fitzgerald joins a line of Jesuit leaders that stretches back to San Francisco’s founding. He describes his leadership style this way: “I have developed a style of academic leadership that rests upon habits of deep listening‚ inductive reasoning‚ data collection‚ analysis and sharing‚ benchmarking‚ best practices‚ and collaborative decision making.”

He goes on to emphasize that his presidency will be characterized by listening. “Every part of my presidency‚ from beginning to end‚ will be a time of listening and learning.”

Tech and the City

“It seems as if USF and San Francisco are each at a moment in their history where some amazing things are possible‚” Fr. Fitzgerald says.

The tech industry’s growing presence in the city offers some of those possibilities‚ and Fr. Fitzgerald plans to engage its leaders.

“The city of San Francisco is becoming a vibrant center for startups and venture capital‚ and USF can be at the heart of this story‚ helping to steer the direction of change in the city‚” he says. “We can align academic programs to educate the knowledge work-ers for these new industries‚ and provide continuing and executive education for the city’s evolving population. And USF can form research partnerships and joint ventures built on collaborations between faculty and firms in the city.”

Fr. Fitzgerald believes USF should be a university “for” San Francisco‚ and not simply “of” San Francisco‚ and a place “where folks from different constituencies come together to talk through the changes the city is experiencing. Whether the issue is housing‚ or jobs‚ or healthcare‚ I don’t think there is another organization in the city that has a better capacity to host that sort of a conversation.” He paused and added‚ “In some ways‚ it’s our biggest duty.”

“Fr. Fitz”

After he was announced as president‚ local media wanted to talk to the man who will be leading the city’s first university: The San Francisco Chronicle‚ the San Jose Mercury News‚ and of course‚ USF’s student newspaper‚ the San Francisco Foghorn‚ all came knocking.

In speaking with Tanya Dzekon‚ the Foghorn’s managing editor during a 20-minute phone call‚ she asked Fr. Fitzgerald about everything from his morning routine (yoga for about 25 minutes‚ then prayer‚ breakfast‚ and reading a newspaper)‚ to his thoughts on Pope Francis (“I love the new Pope. He is just so genuine‚ so warm‚ so loving” ).

She also asked him point-blank while she had the chance: “Will you ever censor the student newspaper?”

“I promise I will never censor the newspaper‚” Fr. Fitzgerald responded. “Student media is educational. Students are learning how to be journalists‚ but they serve a really important function of building community‚ and that also involves presenting difficult questions and brokering difficult conversations.”

Dzekon was thrilled with Fr. Fitzgerald’s clear support for student journalists‚ because they both know that Foghorn stories can be controversial and hard-hitting.

Even before print‚ Dzekon enthusiastically tweeted: He is officially okay with being called “Fr. Fitz.”

Coming Home

Fr. Fitzgerald has deep ties in the Bay Area‚ and he’s excited to return‚ having grown up in Los Gatos‚ after his family moved there from Southern California when he was 5. His mother and both sisters live in the South Bay‚ and his brother lives a few hours away in California’s Central Valley.

He first started visiting San Francisco as a boy‚ and he fondly remembers family pilgrimages to the city‚ “grand adventures” that made a big impression on a young kid. “I can remember driving up to the city‚ I think it was 1968‚” he recalls. “My grandfather got a little lost and we ended up in the Haight-Ashbury. I was 10 years old‚ and my grandmother suddenly made my older sister and me lie down in the back seat of the car‚ so we couldn’t look out the windows. She didn’t want us to see the hippies and beatniks.”

But Fr. Fitzgerald did see a city landmark towering skyward just a few blocks away‚ USF’s majestic St. Ignatius Church. It would later be the site of two of the most important moments in his life: it is where he was ordained into the priesthood in 1992‚ and its where he’ll be inaugurated as USF’s president this fall.

Second Time’s a Charm

This is the second time USF has offered Fr. Fitzgerald a job: the first was in 1992‚ as an assistant professor in the Department of Theology and Religious Studies. But his Jesuit superior had other plans and sent him instead to Santa Clara University‚ where he reported to then Provost Stephen A. Privett‚ S.J.‚ who is now USF’s president.

“I have known and respected and liked Steve for many‚ many years‚” Fr. Fitzgerald says. “Of all his accomplishments‚ his ability to animate the conversation around USF’s mission so that it is deeply shared and widely owned is his most lasting and most impressive accomplishment. I don’t know of another Jesuit university in the country that is more mission focused‚ or where the mission is more deeply shared across the university than the University of San Francisco.”

Cooking up Conversation

Fr. Privett has served as USF’s president since 2000‚ making him the third-longest serving president in university history. He will remain in office until Fr. Fitzgerald arrives to help ensure a smooth transition.

Through his extensive travels and living abroad‚ Fr. Fitzgerald has cultivated an appreciation for the foods of the world. “I never met a national cuisine I didn’t appreciate‚” he says‚ and starts ticking them off: Kenyan‚ Chinese‚ Japanese‚ French‚ Thai‚ and the list goes on. But his passion isn’t eating‚ it’s cooking‚ and he used to prepare 500 meals at a time as a sous chef at the Hilton Hotel in Sunnyvale before he became a Jesuit. “Industrial cooking‚” he calls it‚ for big events like reunions and weddings.

These days‚ he prefers cooking for smaller groups of six to eight people. “Sharing a meal is an amazing opportunity to share life‚” he says “When the food comes out‚ the conversation takes off. It’s not for nothing that some of Jesus’ most important conversations came during dinner.”

Storyteller-in-Chief

The president-elect says part of his job is to be the storyteller-in-chief. To help him tell USF’s story‚ he wants to hear about the extraordinary lives that alumni are leading. “The story I want them to tell me the most is how USF set them up for their professional and personal lives. I want to see how their education has led to a life well lived.”
To hear the stories of USF’s students and employees‚ he’s planning lots of structured meetings‚ lots of unstructured ones‚ and‚ sometimes‚ just walks across campus.

“We’re never done with the conversation about who we are‚ what our values are‚ what our identity is‚ what our mission is‚” he says. “We’ll want to move forward‚ and we’ll do so with our eyes open‚ with our arms open‚ and with our hearts open.”