J. Donald Monan, SJ (December 31, 1924 – March 18, 2017) was the chancellor of

Boston College Boston College (BC) is a private Jesuit research university in Chestnut Hill, Massachusetts. Founded in 1863, the university has more than 9,300 full-time undergraduates and nearly 5,000 graduate students. Although Boston College is classified ...

from 1996 to 2017 and its 24th president from 1972 to 1996—the longest such tenure in the university's history until it was surpassed by his successor. A native of

Blasdell, New York Blasdell is a village in Erie County, New York, United States. The population was 2,553 according to the 2010 Census. The name is derived from Herman Blasdell, the first station master of the Erie and Pennsylvania railroad depot. It is part of the ...

, he joined the

Society of Jesus , image = Ihs-logo.svg , image_size = 175px , caption = ChristogramOfficial seal of the Jesuits , abbreviation = SJ , nickname = Jesuits , formation = , founders ...

in 1942. Monan earned a bachelor's degree, a licentiate of philosophy, and a

Licentiate of Sacred Theology Licentiate in Sacred Theology ( la, Sacrae Theologiae Licentiatus; abbreviated STL) is the second of three ecclesiastical degrees in theology (the first being the Baccalaureate in Sacred Theology and the third being the Doctorate in Sacred Theol ...

Woodstock College Woodstock College was a Jesuit seminary that existed from 1869 to 1974. It was the oldest Jesuit seminary in the United States. The school was located in Woodstock, Maryland, west of Baltimore, from its establishment until 1969, when it moved to ...

. He then studied at the

University of Louvain A university () is an institution of higher (or tertiary) education and research which awards academic degrees in several academic disciplines. Universities typically offer both undergraduate and postgraduate programs. In the United States, the ...

(UCLouvain) in Belgium, where he earned a Ph.D. in philosophy. He was ordained a priest in 1955. Prior to becoming president of Boston College, Monan served as acting president, vice president, academic dean, chairman of the philosophy department, professor and instructor at

Le Moyne College Le Moyne College is a private Jesuit college in DeWitt, New York.http://www.ongov.net/planning/haz/documents/Section9.7-TownofDeWitt.pdf It was founded by the Society of Jesus in 1946 and named after Jesuit missionary Simon Le Moyne. At its fo ...

Boston College

When Monan took over as president, BC was approximately $30 million in debt and its endowment totaled just under $6 million. By the time he retired, the university's endowment had risen to over $500 million and the campus had greatly expanded to include such new buildings as O’Neill Library, Merkert Chemistry Center and Conte Forum. Monan served as chancellor of the university after retiring as president. His memberships included the National Leadership Roundtable on Church Management, the Jesuit Philosophical Association,"2012 Jesuit Jubilarians"
/ref> New England Province of Jesuits. the Society for Phenomenology and Existential Philosophy, and the

Massachusetts Historical Society The Massachusetts Historical Society is a major historical archive specializing in early American, Massachusetts, and New England history. The Massachusetts Historical Society was established in 1791 and is located at 1154 Boylston Street in Bosto ...

Notes

External links

About The Chancellor
Boston College Chancellor bio

The 1863 Society bio {{DEFAULTSORT:Monan, J. Donald 1924 births 2017 deaths 20th-century American Jesuits 21st-century American Jesuits Presidents of Boston College People from Erie County, New York Religious leaders from Massachusetts Religious leaders from New York (state) Catholics from New York (state) American expatriates in Belgium