Edmund Joseph Dobbin (November 20, 1935 – March 8, 2015) was 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 of the

Order of Saint Augustine The Order of Saint Augustine, ( la, Ordo Fratrum Sancti Augustini) abbreviated OSA, is a religious mendicant order of the Catholic Church. It was founded in 1244 by bringing together several eremitical groups in the Tuscany region who were fo ...

(OSA, ordained 1962), and 31st president of

Villanova University Villanova University is a Private university, private Catholic church, Roman Catholic research university in Villanova, Pennsylvania. It was founded by the Order of Saint Augustine, Augustinians in 1842 and named after Thomas of Villanova, Sa ...

from 1988 to 2006. Raised in

Brooklyn Brooklyn () is a borough of New York City, coextensive with Kings County, in the U.S. state of New York. Kings County is the most populous county in the State of New York, and the second-most densely populated county in the United States, be ...

and

Staten Island Staten Island ( ) is a borough of New York City, coextensive with Richmond County, in the U.S. state of New York. Located in the city's southwest portion, the borough is separated from New Jersey by the Arthur Kill and the Kill Van Kull an ...

, New York, he became a noted educator in theology and mathematics, and Villanova's longest-serving president. According to Villanova's statement announcing his death: "During his tenure as President, he heightened awareness of the Augustinian character of the University, significantly increased the school's endowment, and embarked on an expansion of the campus, its facilities, and its programs." ''

The Philadelphia Inquirer ''The Philadelphia Inquirer'' is a daily newspaper headquartered in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. The newspaper's circulation is the largest in both the U.S. state of Pennsylvania and the Delaware Valley metropolitan region of Southeastern Pennsy ...

'' added: "During Father Dobbin's tenure, Villanova basketball went national. He envisioned basketball as a way to help Villanova appear on the national stage."

References

1935 births 2015 deaths Presidents of Villanova University Catholic University of America alumni Université catholique de Louvain alumni Villanova University alumni Augustinian canons 20th-century American Roman Catholic priests 21st-century American Roman Catholic priests People from Brooklyn People from Staten Island Catholics from New York (state) {{US-RC-clergy-stub