John L. Lahey (born 1946) is an American academic administrator who served as the 8th President of

Quinnipiac University Quinnipiac University () is a private university in Hamden, Connecticut. The university grants undergraduate, graduate, and professional degrees through its College of Arts and Sciences, School of Business, School of Engineering, School of C ...

from 1987 to 2018.

Early life and education

Lahey was born and raised in the Riverdale section of

The Bronx The Bronx () is a borough of New York City, coextensive with Bronx County, in the state of New York. It is south of Westchester County; north and east of the New York City borough of Manhattan, across the Harlem River; and north of the New Y ...

, where he graduated from

Fordham Preparatory School Fordham Preparatory School (also known as Fordham Prep) is an American private, Jesuit, boys' college-preparatory school located on the Rose Hill campus of Fordham University in the Bronx, New York City. From its founding in 1841 until 1970, the ...

in 1964. bachelor's and master's degrees in Philosophy from the

University of Dayton The University of Dayton (UD) is a private, Catholic research university in Dayton, Ohio. Founded in 1850 by the Society of Mary, it is one of three Marianist universities in the nation and the second-largest private university in Ohio. The univ ...

and a second master's degree in Higher Education Administration from

Columbia University Columbia University (also known as Columbia, and officially as Columbia University in the City of New York) is a private research university in New York City. Established in 1754 as King's College on the grounds of Trinity Church in Manhatt ...

. He then earned his Ph.D in Philosophy from the

University of Miami The University of Miami (UM, UMiami, Miami, U of M, and The U) is a private research university in Coral Gables, Florida. , the university enrolled 19,096 students in 12 colleges and schools across nearly 350 academic majors and programs, incl ...

Career

Lahey was executive vice president of

Marist College Marist College is a private university in Poughkeepsie, New York. Founded in 1905, Marist was formed by the Marist Brothers, a Catholic religious institute, to prepare brothers for their vocations as educators. In 2003, it became a secular in ...

, where he served as chief operating officer. He became Quinnipiac’s president in 1987. Upon his arrival, Lahey initiated a strategic planning process, leading to the University’s unprecedented growth over the past two decades in enrollment, academic programs, reputation and physical plant. Lahey is a director of the United Illuminating Company, the Aristotle Corporation, the

Yale New Haven Hospital Yale New Haven Hospital (YNHH) is a 1,541-bed hospital located in New Haven, Connecticut. It is owned and operated by the Yale New Haven Health System. YNHH includes the 168-bed Smilow Cancer Hospital at Yale New Haven, the 201-bed Yale New Haven ...

, and the Alliance for Gene Cancer Therapy. He is a member of the Council of the

American Bar Association The American Bar Association (ABA) is a voluntary bar association of lawyers and law students, which is not specific to any jurisdiction in the United States. Founded in 1878, the ABA's most important stated activities are the setting of acad ...

Section of Legal Education and Admissions to the Bar. As vice-chairman of the New York City St. Patrick’s Day Parade Committee, he has devoted much of his time to educating the public about the historic implications of Ireland’s Great Hunger. In 1997, Lahey served as Grand Marshal of the Saint Patrick's Day Parade in New York City.McCarthy, Peggy
"A New York Irishman, and Flaunting It"
''

The New York Times ''The New York Times'' (''the Times'', ''NYT'', or the Gray Lady) is a daily newspaper based in New York City with a worldwide readership reported in 2020 to comprise a declining 840,000 paid print subscribers, and a growing 6 million paid ...

'', March 16, 1997. Accessed May 4, 2008. "WHEN John L. Lahey was growing up in St. Margaret's parish in the Riverdale section of the Bronx, he thought the world was Irish." In 2011, Lahey was named Irish American of the Year by

Irish America magazine ''Irish America'' is a bi-monthly periodical that aims to cover topics relevant to the Irish in North America including a range of political, economic, social, and cultural themes. The magazine’s inaugural issue was published in October 1985. ' ...

.Langan, Sheila
"Irish American of the Year: Dr. John L. Lahey"
''

'', March 10, 2011. Accessed March 22, 2011. "When John L. Lahey was a boy, he once accompanied his father, a hard-working bricklayer, to a worksite." Lahey announced his retirement at the end of the 2017–2018 fiscal year at Quinnipiac University. At the time of his retirement, he had served Quinnipiac as president for 31 years and 3 months, watching the student body grow from 1,902 students to roughly 10,000. He was succeeded on July 1, 2018 by

Judy Olian Judy D. Olian is an Australian-American academic administrator serving as the 9th president of Quinnipiac University in Hamden, Connecticut. Early life and education Olian was born and raised in Australia, the daughter of Holocaust survivors. Duri ...

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Lahey, John L. 1946 births Living people Fordham Preparatory School alumni Teachers College, Columbia University alumni Marist College people People from the Bronx American people of Irish descent Quinnipiac University people People from Riverdale, Bronx University of Dayton alumni University of Miami alumni Heads of universities and colleges in the United States