Joseph A. Sellinger, S.J. (January 17, 1921 – April 19, 1993) was an American
Catholic
The Catholic Church, also known as the Roman Catholic Church, is the largest Christian church, with 1.3 billion baptized Catholics worldwide . It is among the world's oldest and largest international institutions, and has played a ...
priest and
Jesuit
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, image_size = 175px
, caption = ChristogramOfficial seal of the Jesuits
, abbreviation = SJ
, nickname = Jesuits
, formation =
, founders ...
. He served as the President of
Loyola College in Maryland
Loyola University Maryland is a private Jesuit university in Baltimore, Maryland. Established as Loyola College in Maryland by John Early and eight other members of the Society of Jesus in 1852, it is the ninth-oldest Jesuit college in the U ...
from 1964 to 1993, making him the longest-serving president of any Jesuit university in the United States at the time. During his presidency, he oversaw a significant transformation and growth of the school, including its merger with
Mount Saint Agnes College
Mount Saint Agnes College was a Catholic women's college located in the Mount Washington neighborhood of Baltimore, Maryland. It opened in 1890 and was operated by the Sisters of Mercy. In 1971, Mount Saint Agnes merged with nearby Loyola College ...
, the admission of female students, the creation of an independent
School of Business and Management
A school is an educational institution designed to provide learning spaces and learning environments for the teaching of students under the direction of teachers. Most countries have systems of formal education, which is sometimes compulso ...
(which was later named in his honor), and substantial increases in the school's endowment, number of professors, and campus. Prior to his appointment as president, he was a professor of theology at
Georgetown University
Georgetown University is a private university, private research university in the Georgetown (Washington, D.C.), Georgetown neighborhood of Washington, D.C. Founded by Bishop John Carroll (archbishop of Baltimore), John Carroll in 1789 as Georg ...
in
Washington, D.C.
)
, image_skyline =
, image_caption = Clockwise from top left: the Washington Monument and Lincoln Memorial on the National Mall, United States Capitol, Logan Circle, Jefferson Memorial, White House, Adams Morgan, ...
, and served as the Dean of
Georgetown College
Georgetown College is a private Christian college in Georgetown, Kentucky. Chartered in 1829, Georgetown was the first Baptist college west of the Appalachian Mountains.
The college offers 38 undergraduate degrees and a Master of Arts in educat ...
from 1957 to 1964.
Early life
Joseph Sellinger was born on January 17, 1921 in
Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
Philadelphia, often called Philly, is the largest city in the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, the sixth-largest city in the U.S., the second-largest city in both the Northeast megalopolis and Mid-Atlantic regions after New York City. Sinc ...
to Frank and Carolyn Sellinger.
He was the younger brother of Frank Sellinger, an executive who worked with the
Burger Brewing Company and
Anheuser-Busch
Anheuser-Busch Companies, LLC is an American brewing company headquartered in St. Louis, Missouri. Since 2008, it has been wholly owned by Anheuser-Busch InBev SA/NV (AB InBev), now the world's largest brewing company, which owns multiple glo ...
but was most noted for being vice chairman and chief executive officer of the
Joseph Schlitz Brewing Company
The Joseph Schlitz Brewing Company was an American brewery based in Milwaukee, Wisconsin, and once the largest producer of beer in the United States. Its namesake beer, Schlitz (), was known as "The beer that made Milwaukee famous" and was adve ...
from 1978 until his retirement in 1983.
He attended
St. Joseph's Preparatory School, where he graduated first in his class, before entering the
Society of Jesus
, image = Ihs-logo.svg
, image_size = 175px
, caption = ChristogramOfficial seal of the Jesuits
, abbreviation = SJ
, nickname = Jesuits
, formation =
, founders ...
in 1938. He was then sent to the seminary in
Wernersville, Pennsylvania
Wernersville is a borough in Berks County, Pennsylvania, United States. The population was 2,494 at the 2010 census.
Geography
Wernersville is located at (40.329941, -76.080701).
History
In the late 19th century and early 20th century, Wer ...
and then
Spring Hill College
Spring Hill College is a private, Jesuit college in Mobile, Alabama. It was founded in 1830 by Michael Portier, Bishop of Mobile. Along with being the oldest college or university in the state of Alabama, it was the first Catholic college in the ...
in
Alabama
(We dare defend our rights)
, anthem = "Alabama (state song), Alabama"
, image_map = Alabama in United States.svg
, seat = Montgomery, Alabama, Montgomery
, LargestCity = Huntsville, Alabama, Huntsville
, LargestCounty = Baldwin County, Al ...
in 1942.
He began teaching chemistry, philosophy, logic, and German at
Loyola College in Maryland
Loyola University Maryland is a private Jesuit university in Baltimore, Maryland. Established as Loyola College in Maryland by John Early and eight other members of the Society of Jesus in 1852, it is the ninth-oldest Jesuit college in the U ...
at the age of 24. In 1951, 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 ...
at the Facultes St. Albert de Louvain in
Belgium
Belgium, ; french: Belgique ; german: Belgien officially the Kingdom of Belgium, is a country in Northwestern Europe. The country is bordered by the Netherlands to the north, Germany to the east, Luxembourg to the southeast, France to th ...
. Following his ordination, he was made a professor of theology at
Georgetown University
Georgetown University is a private university, private research university in the Georgetown (Washington, D.C.), Georgetown neighborhood of Washington, D.C. Founded by Bishop John Carroll (archbishop of Baltimore), John Carroll in 1789 as Georg ...
in
Washington, D.C.
)
, image_skyline =
, image_caption = Clockwise from top left: the Washington Monument and Lincoln Memorial on the National Mall, United States Capitol, Logan Circle, Jefferson Memorial, White House, Adams Morgan, ...
He became the Dean of
Georgetown College
Georgetown College is a private Christian college in Georgetown, Kentucky. Chartered in 1829, Georgetown was the first Baptist college west of the Appalachian Mountains.
The college offers 38 undergraduate degrees and a Master of Arts in educat ...
at Georgetown University in 1957, and remained in the position until 1964.
Sellinger was expected to become the next
President of Georgetown University, but had a falling-out with the Jesuit hierarchy, and was sent to Loyola.
Loyola College
Sellinger was appointed president of Loyola College in Maryland in 1964. He oversaw significant changes in the school as a result of the
turmoil of the 1960s as well as the reforms of the
Second Vatican Council
The Second Ecumenical Council of the Vatican, commonly known as the , or , was the 21st Catholic ecumenical councils, ecumenical council of the Roman Catholic Church. The council met in St. Peter's Basilica in Rome for four periods (or sessions) ...
. Among these was the conversion of the college from all-male to
co-educational
Mixed-sex education, also known as mixed-gender education, co-education, or coeducation (abbreviated to co-ed or coed), is a system of education where males and females are educated together. Whereas single-sex education was more common up to t ...
(despite his initial opposition),
which occurred after the absorption of
Mount Saint Agnes College
Mount Saint Agnes College was a Catholic women's college located in the Mount Washington neighborhood of Baltimore, Maryland. It opened in 1890 and was operated by the Sisters of Mercy. In 1971, Mount Saint Agnes merged with nearby Loyola College ...
in 1971.
Over the course of his almost 30-year presidency, the school transitioned from a small commuter school to a regional college.
He acquired the school's first dormitory in 1967, Hammerman House,
and established the School of Business and Management as its own institution in 1983.
A successful fundraiser, he created the school's endowment, which totaled $42 million at the time of his death.
Likewise, the school's operating budget increased from $1.4 million in 1964 to $65 million in 1993; the number of professors increased from 100 to 400 in the same time.
The campus also grew from to .
He died on April 19, 1993, of
pancreatic cancer
Pancreatic cancer arises when cell (biology), cells in the pancreas, a glandular organ behind the stomach, begin to multiply out of control and form a Neoplasm, mass. These cancerous cells have the malignant, ability to invade other parts of t ...
in the President's House on Loyola College's campus,
and his funeral was held in the
Cathedral of Mary Our Queen
The Cathedral of Mary Our Queen is a Catholic cathedral located in northern Baltimore, Maryland. The structure, remarkable in size, was completed in 1959.
The cathedral is the seat of the Archbishop of Baltimore, joining the Basilica of the Nati ...
.
He is interred at the Jesuit Novitiate of St. Isaac Jogues in Wernersville.
His presidency was the longest of any among the
Jesuit universities in the United States.
Legacy
Sellinger Lounge in the Leavey Center at Georgetown is named in his honor.
Governor
William Donald Schaefer
William Donald Schaefer (November 2, 1921 – April 18, 2011) was an American politician who served in public office for 50 years at both the state and local level in Maryland. As a Democrat, he was the 45th mayor of Baltimore from December 1 ...
announced in 1993 that the state of
Maryland
Maryland ( ) is a state in the Mid-Atlantic region of the United States. It shares borders with Virginia, West Virginia, and the District of Columbia to its south and west; Pennsylvania to its north; and Delaware and the Atlantic Ocean to ...
's program for distributing money to private colleges would be named after him.
This fund was challenged before the
United States Supreme Court
The Supreme Court of the United States (SCOTUS) is the highest court in the federal judiciary of the United States. It has ultimate appellate jurisdiction over all U.S. federal court cases, and over state court cases that involve a point o ...
on
First Amendment
First or 1st is the ordinal form of the number one (#1).
First or 1st may also refer to:
*World record, specifically the first instance of a particular achievement
Arts and media Music
* 1$T, American rapper, singer-songwriter, DJ, and rec ...
grounds, and Sellinger partook in the program's defense along with other private colleges; the constitutionality of the fund was upheld in 1976,
in the case of ''Romer v. Board of Public Works.''
In 1984, Loyola College's business school was renamed the
Rev. Joseph A. Sellinger, S.J. School of Business and Management in honor of him,
after an anonymous donor pledged $1 million to the school contingent upon its renaming.
References
{{DEFAULTSORT:Sellinger, Joseph A.
1921 births
1993 deaths
St. Joseph's Preparatory School alumni
Spring Hill College alumni
Clergy from Philadelphia
20th-century American Jesuits
Deans of Georgetown College
Presidents of Loyola University Maryland
Deaths from cancer in Maryland
Deaths from pancreatic cancer
20th-century American academics