Fr. Eugene Kole,

OFM Conv The Order of Friars Minor Conventual (OFM Conv) is a male religious fraternity in the Roman Catholic Church that is a branch of the Franciscans. The friars in OFM CONV are also known as Conventual Franciscans, or Minorites. Dating back to ...

, served as

Quincy University Quincy University (formerly known as St. Francis Solanus College, and today abbreviated as QU) is a private Franciscan university in Quincy, Illinois. It was founded in 1860 and enrolls about 1,100 students. History A small group of Franciscan ...

's 20th president from 1997–2002. During his tenure the school embarked on an $8.6 million fitness center renovation, remodeling of St. Francis Hall and the addition of new academic programs.

Resignation

Kole resigned from Quincy University on October 22, 2002, after the school's Board of Trustees discovered several inconsistencies in Kole's resume. Specifically, Kole lied about receiving a master of science degree in counseling from

Canisius College Canisius College is a private Jesuit college in Buffalo, New York. It was founded in 1870 by Jesuits from Germany and is named after St. Peter Canisius. Canisius offers more than 100 undergraduate majors and minors, and around 34 master's ...

and a master of arts degree in psychology and counseling from

La Salle University La Salle University () is a private, Catholic university in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. The university was founded in 1863 by the Institute of the Brothers of the Christian Schools and named for St. Jean-Baptiste de La Salle. History La ...

. He did have a degree from the similarly named unaccredited

LaSalle University La Salle University () is a private, Catholic university in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. The university was founded in 1863 by the Institute of the Brothers of the Christian Schools and named for St. Jean-Baptiste de La Salle. History La ...

which was later closed down due to its being a diploma mill. According to Canisius College, Kole took classes in the summers of 1972 and 1973 under the name Eugene Kolodiezj. Kole was succeeded by Fr. Mario DiCicco, O.F.M., who served as intern president for one year. Kole later served as a chaplain at

Pope Air Force Base Pope Field is a U.S. military facility located 12 miles (19 km) northwest of the central business district of Fayetteville, in Cumberland County, North Carolina, United States.. Federal Aviation Administration. effective 15 November 2012 ...

and

Langley Air Force Base Langley Air Force Base is a United States Air Force base located in Hampton, Virginia, adjacent to Newport News, Virginia, Newport News. It was one of List of airfields of the Training Section of the United States Army Air Service, thirty-two ...

Death

Kole died suddenly on March 3, 2016. He was posthumously awarded a medal for meritorious civilian service by the Air Force.https://www.olaprovince.org/index/2016/03/14/remembering-fr-eugene-kole-ofm-conv/ Remembering Fr. Eugene Kole, OFM Conv.

Notes

{{DEFAULTSORT:Kole, Eugene Quincy University Heads of universities and colleges in the United States Living people Conventual Friars Minor United States Air Force chaplains Year of birth missing (living people) Canisius College alumni La Salle University alumni