Jonathan DeFelice is an American Catholic priest and the former President of Saint Anselm College in

Goffstown, New Hampshire Goffstown is a town in Hillsborough County, New Hampshire, United States. The population was 18,577 at the 2020 census. The compact center of town, where 3,366 people resided at the 2020 census, is defined by the U.S. Census Bureau as the Goffst ...

. Serving the college for 24 years, Father DeFelice was the longest serving college president in the state of New Hampshire. DeFelice grew up in

Bristol, Rhode Island Bristol is a town in Bristol County, Rhode Island, US as well as the historic county seat. The town is built on the traditional territories of the Pokanoket Wampanoag. It is a deep water seaport named after Bristol, England. The population of ...

, and graduated from

Portsmouth Abbey School Portsmouth Abbey School is a coeducational Benedictine boarding and day school for students in grades 9 to 12. Founded in 1926 by the English Benedictine community, the School is located on a 525-acre campus along Rhode Island's Narragansett Bay. ...

in 1965; he then attended Saint Anselm College, earning a bachelor's degree in Philosophy in 1969. He entered Saint Anselm Abbey as a novice in 1968, and professed solemn vows as a

Benedictine , image = Medalla San Benito.PNG , caption = Design on the obverse side of the Saint Benedict Medal , abbreviation = OSB , formation = , motto = (English: 'Pray and Work') , foun ...

monk in 1973. He was ordained a Catholic priest in 1974. Defelice was a "Faithful Educator" according to Christy Nadalin in her book, ''Legendary Locals of Bristol''. He served a five-year term as a member of the New Hampshire Postsecondary Education Commission beginning in 1990 after being sworn in by then Gov.

Judd Gregg Judd Alan Gregg (born February 14, 1947) is an American politician and lawyer who served as the 76th governor of New Hampshire from 1989 to 1993 and was a United States senator from New Hampshire; in the Senate, Gregg served as chairman of the S ...

. Under his leadership, the college sought to expand its inclusiveness efforts to attract both students and faculty of diverse backgrounds. In May 1992, The Sun Journal reported on Defelice's directive to college employees to discontinue construction contracts with the late Republican U.S. Senate candidate Hal Eckman for his pro-choice position on abortion then. DeFelice, together with John J. Reilly Jr., and Paul A. Dowd wrote a case study on Successful Fund Raising at a Religious-Based College, which was included in the book, ''Successful Fund Raising for Higher Education. The Advancement of Learning,'' by Frank H. T. Rhodes, Ed. DeFelice stepped down as President in June 2013. On March 13, 2015, he received the State Merit Award by the New England Board of Higher Education (NEBHE).New England Board of Higher Education (NEBHE) Article: New England Higher Ed Group to Honor Head of New England Council Among Annual Excellence Awardees
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References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Defelice, Jonathan American Benedictines Heads of universities and colleges in the United States Living people People from Bristol, Rhode Island Place of birth missing (living people) Saint Anselm College alumni Saint Anselm College faculty Year of birth missing (living people) Catholics from Rhode Island Portsmouth Abbey School alumni