Francesco Cesareo
Encyclopedia
Francesco C. Cesareo, Ph.D. is an American
educator and historian
. In February 2007, he was selected to become the 16th president
of Assumption College
, and assumed the presidency on July 1, 2007. Prior to his selection, Dr. Cesareo served as dean
of the McAnulty College and Graduate School of Liberal Arts at Duquesne University
in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania
. Prior to this, he served a position as professor at John Carroll University
in Cleveland, Ohio
.
who specializes in the Renaissance
and Reformation
periods, has published widely on the Catholic Reformation, the history of 15th and 16th century Rome and on the Renaissance papacy
. His work has also focused on Renaissance education, church history and Roman Catholic higher education. He has also been a frequent commentator for local and national media on issues regarding Catholic higher education and the Catholic Church in general.
Prior to his 2004 appointment at Duquesne University
, Dr. Cesareo was a member of the history department at John Carroll University
from 1989 to 2004. In 1997 he was appointed the founding director of the Institute of Catholic Studies, a position he held until 2004. He also was the holder of the John J. and Mary Jane Breen Chair in Catholic Studies. As director of the Institute he successfully raised an endowment of $4.8 million for the work of the Institute.
In addition to being a dedicated teacher, nominated three times for the Distinguished Faculty Award at John Carroll University
, and an accomplished scholar of the Catholic intellectual tradition, Dr. Cesareo has served on many boards and received numerous fellowships. He is the author of two books, including his most recent book, A Shepherd in Their Midst: The Episcopacy of Girolamo Seripando
: 1554–1563, and of numerous articles and book reviews. He has also served as a Fulbright Scholar at both the University of Rome
and the Pontifical Gregorian University
in Italy
, and completed a year-long Faculty Fellowship for Academic Leadership supported by the Mandel Foundation.
Additionally, Dr. Cesareo has served as the managing editor of Archivum Historicum Societatis Iesu, an international scholarly journal published semi-annually by the Jesuit Historical Institute in Rome and the Institute of Catholic Studies at John Carroll University
, and completed administrative development programs at Harvard University
and Boston College
.
, the college’s 15th president, announced that he would retire at the end of the 2006-2007 academic year after nine years in the position.
an history from Fordham University
.
He and his wife, Filomena, are the parents of three young children.
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
educator and historian
Historian
A historian is a person who studies and writes about the past and is regarded as an authority on it. Historians are concerned with the continuous, methodical narrative and research of past events as relating to the human race; as well as the study of all history in time. If the individual is...
. In February 2007, he was selected to become the 16th president
President
A president is a leader of an organization, company, trade union, university, or country.Etymologically, a president is one who presides, who sits in leadership...
of Assumption College
Assumption College
Assumption College is a private, Roman Catholic, liberal arts college located on 185 acres in Worcester, Massachusetts. Assumption has an enrollment of about 2,117 undergraduates...
, and assumed the presidency on July 1, 2007. Prior to his selection, Dr. Cesareo served as dean
Dean (education)
In academic administration, a dean is a person with significant authority over a specific academic unit, or over a specific area of concern, or both...
of the McAnulty College and Graduate School of Liberal Arts at Duquesne University
Duquesne University
Duquesne University of the Holy Spirit is a private Catholic university in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, United States. Founded by members of the Congregation of the Holy Spirit, Duquesne first opened its doors as the Pittsburgh Catholic College of the Holy Ghost in October 1878 with an enrollment of...
in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania
Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania
Pittsburgh is the second-largest city in the US Commonwealth of Pennsylvania and the county seat of Allegheny County. Regionally, it anchors the largest urban area of Appalachia and the Ohio River Valley, and nationally, it is the 22nd-largest urban area in the United States...
. Prior to this, he served a position as professor at John Carroll University
John Carroll University
John Carroll University is a private, co-educational Jesuit Catholic university in University Heights, Ohio, United States, a suburb of Cleveland. The university was founded in 1886 by the Society of Jesus as Saint Ignatius College.The university was founded in 1886 by the Society of Jesus, as...
in Cleveland, Ohio
Cleveland, Ohio
Cleveland is a city in the U.S. state of Ohio and is the county seat of Cuyahoga County, the most populous county in the state. The city is located in northeastern Ohio on the southern shore of Lake Erie, approximately west of the Pennsylvania border...
.
Career
Dr. Cesareo, a historianHistorian
A historian is a person who studies and writes about the past and is regarded as an authority on it. Historians are concerned with the continuous, methodical narrative and research of past events as relating to the human race; as well as the study of all history in time. If the individual is...
who specializes in the Renaissance
Renaissance
The Renaissance was a cultural movement that spanned roughly the 14th to the 17th century, beginning in Italy in the Late Middle Ages and later spreading to the rest of Europe. The term is also used more loosely to refer to the historical era, but since the changes of the Renaissance were not...
and Reformation
Protestant Reformation
The Protestant Reformation was a 16th-century split within Western Christianity initiated by Martin Luther, John Calvin and other early Protestants. The efforts of the self-described "reformers", who objected to the doctrines, rituals and ecclesiastical structure of the Roman Catholic Church, led...
periods, has published widely on the Catholic Reformation, the history of 15th and 16th century Rome and on the Renaissance papacy
Pope
The Pope is the Bishop of Rome, a position that makes him the leader of the worldwide Catholic Church . In the Catholic Church, the Pope is regarded as the successor of Saint Peter, the Apostle...
. His work has also focused on Renaissance education, church history and Roman Catholic higher education. He has also been a frequent commentator for local and national media on issues regarding Catholic higher education and the Catholic Church in general.
Prior to his 2004 appointment at Duquesne University
Duquesne University
Duquesne University of the Holy Spirit is a private Catholic university in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, United States. Founded by members of the Congregation of the Holy Spirit, Duquesne first opened its doors as the Pittsburgh Catholic College of the Holy Ghost in October 1878 with an enrollment of...
, Dr. Cesareo was a member of the history department at John Carroll University
John Carroll University
John Carroll University is a private, co-educational Jesuit Catholic university in University Heights, Ohio, United States, a suburb of Cleveland. The university was founded in 1886 by the Society of Jesus as Saint Ignatius College.The university was founded in 1886 by the Society of Jesus, as...
from 1989 to 2004. In 1997 he was appointed the founding director of the Institute of Catholic Studies, a position he held until 2004. He also was the holder of the John J. and Mary Jane Breen Chair in Catholic Studies. As director of the Institute he successfully raised an endowment of $4.8 million for the work of the Institute.
In addition to being a dedicated teacher, nominated three times for the Distinguished Faculty Award at John Carroll University
John Carroll University
John Carroll University is a private, co-educational Jesuit Catholic university in University Heights, Ohio, United States, a suburb of Cleveland. The university was founded in 1886 by the Society of Jesus as Saint Ignatius College.The university was founded in 1886 by the Society of Jesus, as...
, and an accomplished scholar of the Catholic intellectual tradition, Dr. Cesareo has served on many boards and received numerous fellowships. He is the author of two books, including his most recent book, A Shepherd in Their Midst: The Episcopacy of Girolamo Seripando
Girolamo Seripando
Girolamo Seripando was an Augustinian friar, Italian theologian and cardinal.- Life :He was of noble birth, and intended by his parents for the legal profession...
: 1554–1563, and of numerous articles and book reviews. He has also served as a Fulbright Scholar at both the University of Rome
University of Rome La Sapienza
The Sapienza University of Rome, officially Sapienza – Università di Roma, formerly known as Università degli studi di Roma "La Sapienza", is a coeducational, autonomous state university in Rome, Italy...
and the Pontifical Gregorian University
Pontifical Gregorian University
The Pontifical Gregorian University is a pontifical university located in Rome, Italy.Heir of the Roman College founded by Saint Ignatius of Loyola over 460 years ago, the Gregorian University was the first university founded by the Jesuits...
in Italy
Italy
Italy , officially the Italian Republic languages]] under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages. In each of these, Italy's official name is as follows:;;;;;;;;), is a unitary parliamentary republic in South-Central Europe. To the north it borders France, Switzerland, Austria and...
, and completed a year-long Faculty Fellowship for Academic Leadership supported by the Mandel Foundation.
Additionally, Dr. Cesareo has served as the managing editor of Archivum Historicum Societatis Iesu, an international scholarly journal published semi-annually by the Jesuit Historical Institute in Rome and the Institute of Catholic Studies at John Carroll University
John Carroll University
John Carroll University is a private, co-educational Jesuit Catholic university in University Heights, Ohio, United States, a suburb of Cleveland. The university was founded in 1886 by the Society of Jesus as Saint Ignatius College.The university was founded in 1886 by the Society of Jesus, as...
, and completed administrative development programs at Harvard University
Harvard University
Harvard University is a private Ivy League university located in Cambridge, Massachusetts, United States, established in 1636 by the Massachusetts legislature. Harvard is the oldest institution of higher learning in the United States and the first corporation chartered in the country...
and Boston College
Boston College
Boston College is a private Jesuit research university located in the village of Chestnut Hill, Massachusetts, USA. The main campus is bisected by the border between the cities of Boston and Newton. It has 9,200 full-time undergraduates and 4,000 graduate students. Its name reflects its early...
.
Election to college presidency
Dr. Cesareo was among 55 applicants for the presidency. The presidential search process began last September when Dr. Thomas R. PloughThomas R. Plough
Thomas R. Plough is an American sociologist most notable for having served as president of North Dakota State University and Assumption College....
, the college’s 15th president, announced that he would retire at the end of the 2006-2007 academic year after nine years in the position.
Educational and personal background
Dr. Cesareo graduated summa cum laude from Cathedral College of the Immaculate Conception in Douglaston, New York, and earned his M.A. and Ph.D. in Late Medieval/Early Modern EuropeEurope
Europe is, by convention, one of the world's seven continents. Comprising the westernmost peninsula of Eurasia, Europe is generally 'divided' from Asia to its east by the watershed divides of the Ural and Caucasus Mountains, the Ural River, the Caspian and Black Seas, and the waterways connecting...
an history from Fordham University
Fordham University
Fordham University is a private, nonprofit, coeducational research university in the United States, with three campuses in and around New York City. It was founded by the Roman Catholic Diocese of New York in 1841 as St...
.
He and his wife, Filomena, are the parents of three young children.