The Rev. Dennis Dease is a

Roman Catholic Roman or Romans most often refers to: *Rome, the capital city of Italy *Ancient Rome, Roman civilization from 8th century BC to 5th century AD *Roman people, the people of ancient Rome *'' Epistle to the Romans'', shortened to ''Romans'', a lette ...

priest, and served as the 14th president of the

University of St. Thomas St. Thomas University or University of St. Thomas may refer to: *Saint Thomas Aquinas University, Colombia *Saint Thomas Aquinas University of the North, Tucumán province, Argentina *St. Thomas University (Canada), Fredericton, New Brunswick *St. ...

Minnesota Minnesota () is a state in the upper midwestern region of the United States. It is the 12th largest U.S. state in area and the 22nd most populous, with over 5.75 million residents. Minnesota is home to western prairies, now given over to ...

from his election in 1991 to 2013.

Biography

Father Dease earned a

B.A. degree Bachelor of arts (BA or AB; from the Latin ', ', or ') is a bachelor's degree awarded for an undergraduate education, undergraduate program in the arts, or, in some cases, other disciplines. A Bachelor of Arts degree course is generally complet ...

in Latin and philosophy from The

Saint Paul Seminary The Saint Paul Seminary (SPS) is a Roman Catholic major seminary in St. Paul, Minnesota. A part of the Archdiocese of Saint Paul and Minneapolis, SPS prepares men to enter the priesthood and permanent diaconate, and educates lay men and women o ...

in 1965, an M.A. degree in counseling psychology from the University of St. Thomas in 1972, a

M.Div. For graduate-level theological institutions, the Master of Divinity (MDiv, ''magister divinitatis'' in Latin) is the first professional degree of the pastoral profession in North America. It is the most common academic degree in seminaries and di ...

degree from The Saint Paul Seminary in 1973, and a

Ph.D. A Doctor of Philosophy (PhD, Ph.D., or DPhil; Latin: or ') is the most common degree at the highest academic level awarded following a course of study. PhDs are awarded for programs across the whole breadth of academic fields. Because it is a ...

degree in systematic theology from the

Catholic University of America The Catholic University of America (CUA) is a private Roman Catholic research university in Washington, D.C. It is a pontifical university of the Catholic Church in the United States and the only institution of higher education founded by U.S. ...

in 1978. He was ordained a

priest A priest is a religious leader authorized to perform the sacred rituals of a religion, especially as a mediatory agent between humans and one or more deities. They also have the authority or power to administer religious rites; in particu ...

in 1969. He was associate pastor at the Church of St. John the Evangelist in

Hopkins, Minnesota Hopkins is a small suburban city in Hennepin County, Minnesota, United States, located west of Minneapolis. Hopkins was the headquarters of Minneapolis-Moline, which was a large manufacturer of tractors and agricultural equipment in the United ...

, taught theology at the University of St. Thomas and served as spiritual director and dean of formation at The Saint Paul Seminary. From 1985 to 1991, he was rector of the Basilica of Saint Mary in Minneapolis. He is a tenured faculty member at The Saint Paul Seminary. Father Dease, who is a priest of the Archdiocese of Saint Paul and Minneapolis, was one of 54 applicants for the University of St. Thomas presidency. Of the four finalists, two were not from the local archdiocese. During Father Dease's presidency, St. Thomas under his leadership continued its growth in programs and facilities, adding six major buildings to its St. Paul campus and establishing a Minneapolis campus of four buildings for its

Opus College of Business The Opus College of Business is the business school for undergraduate, graduate, and continuing education students at the University of St. Thomas with campuses in Minneapolis and Saint Paul, Minnesota. Graduate programs The four UST MBA degree ...

, Schulze School of Entrepreneurship, School of Education, Graduate School of Professional Psychology and

School of Law A law school (also known as a law centre or college of law) is an institution specializing in legal education, usually involved as part of a process for becoming a lawyer within a given jurisdiction. Law degrees Argentina In Argentina, ...

. He also established nationally recognized Centers for Catholic Studies and Irish Studies. He opened a residential campus in

Rome , established_title = Founded , established_date = 753 BC , founder = King Romulus (legendary) , image_map = Map of comune of Rome (metropolitan city of Capital Rome, region Lazio, Italy).svg , map_caption ...

and semester-abroad programs in Rome for Catholic Studies majors, in

London London is the capital and largest city of England and the United Kingdom, with a population of just under 9 million. It stands on the River Thames in south-east England at the head of a estuary down to the North Sea, and has been a majo ...

for business majors, in

Paris Paris () is the capital and most populous city of France, with an estimated population of 2,165,423 residents in 2019 in an area of more than 105 km² (41 sq mi), making it the 30th most densely populated city in the world in 2020. S ...

for liberal arts majors and in

Glasgow Glasgow ( ; sco, Glesca or ; gd, Glaschu ) is the most populous city in Scotland and the fourth-most populous city in the United Kingdom, as well as being the 27th largest city by population in Europe. In 2020, it had an estimated popul ...

for English majors. In addition, he has established several faculty and student exchange programs with universities throughout the world, including a covenant with the

University of Havana The University of Havana or (UH, ''Universidad de La Habana'') is a university located in the Vedado district of Havana, the capital of the Republic of Cuba. Founded on January 5, 1728, the university is the oldest in Cuba, and one of the first ...

in 2000 which was celebrated by a series of baseball games played both in Havana and in the

Twin Cities Twin cities are a special case of two neighboring cities or urban centres that grow into a single conurbation – or narrowly separated urban areas – over time. There are no formal criteria, but twin cities are generally comparable in statu ...

. Father Dease has served on numerous boards and committees, including the

Association of Catholic Colleges and Universities The Association of Catholic Colleges and Universities (ACCU) is a voluntary association of delegates from Catholic institutions of higher learning. History It was founded in 1899 by fifty-three delegates from Catholic colleges across the United ...

, the Minnesota Private College Council, Research Foundation and Fund, and The

Catholic Digest ''Catholic Digest'' was an American Roman Catholic monthly magazine founded in 1936. By the 1950s ''Catholic Digest'' was publishing articles by such well-known Catholic authors as Fulton J. Sheen, Frank Sheed and Dorothy Day. In 2016 it was reac ...

, all three of which he has chaired. He also has been a board member of the

National Catholic Education Association The National Catholic Educational Association (NCEA) is a private, professional educational membership association of over 150,000 educators in Catholic schools, universities, and religious education programs. It is the largest such organization ...

, has served on the Priestly Life and Ministry, Domestic Policy and Education Committees of the

United States Conference of Catholic Bishops The United States Conference of Catholic Bishops (USCCB) is the episcopal conference of the Catholic Church in the United States. Founded in 1966 as the joint National Conference of Catholic Bishops (NCCB) and United States Catholic Conference (US ...

(USCCB), and serves as a consultant to the USCCB’s Committee on International Justice and Peace. He also served as the American representative on the

International Federation of Catholic Universities The International Federation of Catholic Universities (IFCU) is an organisation of over 200 Catholic universities throughout the world. History Founded in 1924. Created by a Papal Decree in 1948 as the ''Fœderatio Universitatum Catholicarum'' it ...

board and on the Policy Analysis and Public Relations Committee of the

National Association of Independent Colleges and Universities The National Association of Independent Colleges and Universities (NAICU) is a nonprofit 501(c)(3) located in Washington D.C.. It is an organization of private American colleges and universities. Founded in 1976, it has over 1,000 independent hig ...

board. He is active philanthropically in

Armenia Armenia (), , group=pron officially the Republic of Armenia,, is a landlocked country in the Armenian Highlands of Western Asia.The UNbr>classification of world regions places Armenia in Western Asia; the CIA World Factbook , , and ''Ox ...

, serving on the board of directors of the Cafesjian Family Foundation, and in

Uganda }), is a landlocked country in East Africa East Africa, Eastern Africa, or East of Africa, is the eastern subregion of the African continent. In the United Nations Statistics Division scheme of geographic regions, 10-11-(16*) territor ...

, where he founded and chairs the Board of Directors of Hope Medical Clinics (HMC), headquartered in Kampala. HMC consists of two clinics and a hospital. He serves on the boards of Packaging Incorporated and Premier Banks in the Twin Cities, and formerly served on boards of Allianz Life Insurance Company of North America and the former American National Bank of St. Paul. Father Dease served as a founding member of the board of directors of

Southern Catholic College Southern Catholic College was a private, co-educational Roman Catholic four-year college located in Dawsonville, Georgia. It was founded in 2000 by Thomas J. Clements and the first classes were held in the fall of 2005 and its last classes were h ...

Georgia Georgia most commonly refers to: * Georgia (country), a country in the Caucasus region of Eurasia * Georgia (U.S. state), a state in the Southeast United States Georgia may also refer to: Places Historical states and entities * Related to the ...

from 2001 until its closing in 2010 due to lack of funding. He has served on the board of trustees of St. Thomas since 1982. On Oct. 6, 2008, Father Dease received the

National Catholic Educational Association The National Catholic Educational Association (NCEA) is a private, professional educational membership association of over 150,000 educators in Catholic schools, universities, and religious education programs. It is the largest such organization ...

’s highest honor—the St. Elizabeth Ann Seton Award—in recognition of his lifelong work as a Catholic educator. Father Dease retired as St. Thomas president on June 30, 2013. He was succeeded by Dr. Julie Sullivan on July 1, 2013. Prior to her election to the presidency of St. Thomas, Dr. Sullivan had served as executive vice president and provost of the University of San Diego. She is the first woman and first lay person to serve as St. Thomas president. Honorary doctorates: *Doctor of Humane Letters Degree, 2013, St. Catherine University. *Doctor of Humane Letters Degree, 2013, St. John’s University. *Doctor of Humane Letters Degree, 2013, University of St. Thomas. Awards: *Society of the Arches Socius Fidelissimus Award for Contributions of Time and Talent to the University Community, University of St. Thomas Alumni Association. *Distinguished Alumnus Award, 2013, University of St. Thomas Alumni Association. *Justitia et Lex Award, 2013, University of St. Thomas School of Law. *Dean’s Medal of Excellence, 2013, University of St. Thomas Opus College of Business. *ELS International Pathways Award for Lifetime Contribution to International Education, 2013, ELS Educational Services. *Opus Sancti Thomae Award, 2013, Saint Thomas Academy. *Legacy of Leadership Award, 2013, Saint Paul Chamber of Commerce. *Honorary Membership in Recognition of Professional Achievement, 2013,

Beta Gamma Sigma Beta Gamma Sigma () is the International Business Honor Society. Founded in 1913 at the University of Wisconsin, University of Illinois and the University of California, it has over 980,000 members, selected from more than 600 collegiate chapters ...

, University of St. Thomas-Minnesota Chapter. *Recognition Award for Contributions to the People of Uganda, 2010 Ugandan North American Association (UNAA) Convention & Trade Expo. *For Delivering Keynote Address to the DICOTA Convention 2010 and Unmeasurable Contribution to the Tanzanian Community Diaspora Council of Tanzanians in America. *Partner in Hope Award, 2009, Hope for the City. *Elizabeth Ann Seton Award, 2008, National Catholic Education Association. *Recognition for Outstanding Dedication, Commitment and Leadership, 2008, The Royal Embassy of Saudi Arabia and the Saudi Arabian Cultural Mission. *Pope John XXIII Award, 2004, Viterbo University. *Certificate of Appreciation: “Recognition for encouragement of the next generation of business owners,” 2003, Saint Louis University. *“Good Neighbor Award,” 1991, WCCO Radio. *Harriet P. Burns Award, 1990, College of St. Thomas Faculty of Professional Psychology. *Knight of the Equestrian Order of the Holy Sepulchre of Jerusalem, 1987.

Biography

Footnotes

Further reading