Dr. Eugene Cornacchia, A NEw Leader for a New Era

Reprinted from the Fall 2007 College Magazine

In his inaugural interview, Saint Peter’s new President discusses his influences, his plans and his vision for New Jersey’s Jesuit College. 

Following the untimely death of Rev. James N. Loughran, S.J., the Board of Trustees chose as the next President someone who has worked diligently for 26 years to shape and strengthen Saint Peter’s College as a leading Jesuit institution known for academic excellence and innovation.  Here, in his inaugural interview, Dr. Eugene Cornacchia, the first lay President in the history of Saint Peter’s, talks about his influences, his plans and his vision for New Jersey’s Jesuit College.

Q. You came to Saint Peter’s College 26 years ago as a lecturer in the Political Science Department. What drew you to the College?

A.  First, it was a Jesuit college and that was very appealing to me since I was at Fordham doing graduate work.  One of the things I wanted to understand as a political scientist was why some ethnic groups participated in different ways and at different rates in the American political system.  Political culture was a really powerful factor in that.What intrigued me about Saint Peter’s was that it really was a college serving the immigrant, first generation, college- bound population.  Neither of my parents went to college and since there wasn’t a large network of Italian-American faculty to draw upon when I was starting, I could definitely relate to that “fish out of water” feeling first generation students were feeling.

Q. Do you remember your first few months on campus?

A.  Oh, I can tell you what my first drive here for the interview was like.  And I remember walking into my first class and I was terrified.  But it evaporated instantly.  The kids were great.  They were enthusiastic and just drank up everything.  That’s one thing I can always say about our students here, they always seem eager to learn.

Q. So what motivated you to stay all this time?

A.  Well, it’s the community really.  You build relationships with students, but more than anything it’s all the people here — the faculty, staff and fellow administrators.  Everyone is committed to each other’s success.  A lot of colleges have a very competitive environment and it’s not really the best place to nurture people professionally all the time.  Here, everyone works together. It’s truly a family.

Q. You have the distinction of being Saint Peter’s first lay President. What will be different about the Cornacchia Presidency?

A.  Well I hope it won’t be too different because I want to continue the great traditions at the College.  As a lay person, I’m much more aware and sensitive on the need to focus on Catholic and Jesuit values.  So for example, we’ve created a Vice Presidency for Mission and Ministry and we want to expand some of our staff in that area, because we want to ensure that’s a healthy and vibrant part of the College.  The other part of the Cornacchia Presidency is that we are going to focus more on some of the things that need to be done.  We need a student center.  We need more residence halls. I also hope we will spend more time engaged in Jersey City and be a more important player in the city’s affairs.  We have a great deal of intellectual capital to contribute to this incredible renaissance.

Q. In terms of more strategic thinking, what threats do you see out there and conversely, what opportunities?

A.  One challenge we have is competition.  Quite frankly, Jersey City is no longer the best kept secret around.  As this renaissance takes place, the challenge we face is identifying how we can best serve the needs of the population of Jersey City.  But it’s also an opportunity. In many ways, Saint Peter’s has been an anchor for the city and is well positioned to serve the needs of the new populations, especially in terms of graduate education.

Q: Can you elaborate on these opportunities?

A.  Certainly one thing we’re looking to do is move more vigorously in distance education.  We have about 20 courses online and our goal is to continue growing that.  The Jesuit colleges have worked on a set of guidelines on implementing distance education and maintaining the essence of Jesuit education and we’ve adopted those guidelines to make sure we keep that.

Q. You’ve often spoken about being a product of Jesuit education. How did the Jesuits influence you?

A.  One of the things my Jesuit education at Fordham did was give me an appreciation of learning and really exploring things.  In my early course work in political theory, for example, Father Francis Canavan would lecture for an hour and a half — never looking once at his notebook — and he would walk through the class and give absolutely wonderful lectures about Locke, Rousseau and Burke.  I saw through Father Canavan a love of learning, a love of big ideas and wrestling with those big ideas.

Q. What type of relationship would you like to have with students?

A.  I want students to see me as approachable, accessible and engaged in their success.  One of the things we’ve done recently for example, is try to strengthen the communication between students and administration by making ourselves available with meetings in the Student Senate, meetings in residence halls and open forums.  The goal is not just to talk to students and tell them what we’re doing but to listen to their needs and to act upon those needs.  As President, I certainly am a bit concerned, given that most of my time is going to be spent on the road raising money for a new student center.  So I’m going to do whatever I can to make the time I have here with students as meaningful and valuable as possible.

Q. As the former Provost for the College, how do you see your relationship with faculty and administration evolving?

A.  Well, it’s going to be different certainly and we’re still working that out a bit among ourselves.  I think the faculty appreciate that I am a faculty member — still.  I value what they do and I understand what they do and how difficult it can be at times, having done it for so long.  And I also value their input about how Saint Peter’s can be better and accomplish its goals.  We have a lot of great human capital and potential here and we haven’t always utilized the talent we have right here in front of us, so we’re going to do our best to do a better job at that.

Q. How would you describe your leadership style?

A.  My leadership style has evolved over time.  In my early years, when I was a manager at Macy’s, I learned about the importance of data-based decisions of training, developing, evaluating and rewarding employees for good performance.  I took that with me when I left for higher education.  I expect decisions to be based on data. I want to be surrounded by the best people we can find.  I want them to feel empowered to make decisions and be held accountable for their performance.  There is a tendency in higher education to overanalyze, over study, to over reflect.  That is a surefire prescription for paralysis.  We can’t be afraid to make mistakes, to take risks as long as we’re being prudent given the available information.  I strongly believe in cabinet governance — the senior administrators meet regularly, examine the critical issues facing the College and collectively, recommend a course of action.

Q. You began your presidency with a decision to eliminate the football team. What was the response?

A.  The response was surprisingly positive.  Some of my colleagues at other Jesuit colleges told me to get ready, but everyone I’ve spoken to has been very supportive of the decision.  I don’t believe in doing things if you can’t do them well and we weren’t doing football well.  I believe in collaborative decision-making and it was a cabinet decision.  We examined it over a period of months and engaged trustees in the process.  It was very clear the path to follow having gathered the data and discussed all the different issues and implications.

Q. What role do you see athletics playing at the College?

A.  Athletics has to be part of student life here at the College.  I think in the past we’ve been afraid of the potential for athletics to divert attention away from academics, or some of the abuses apparent at other institutions, but that’s not going to happen here.  This is a community that is just not going to let athletics get out of control.  Here, we need to allow athletics to be a full player; it makes a valuable contribution to college life and I think we should embrace it.

Q. You’ve met with many alumni in your travels over the summer. What did you take away from the experience?

A.   Well, I’ve learned that there is a TREMENDOUS love for Saint Peter’s College.  The loyalty of our alumni is just amazing to me.  I’ve spoken to a few colleagues from other institutions and they would love to have the loyal alumni that we do.  Some of the bigger, more prestigious institutions, believe it or not, they’re proud of their diploma but not necessarily engaged.  Anytime someone has said, “I need help with this,” our alumni are willing to help.  What I’ve found so far is that everyone is very welcoming.  Every person I’ve met so far is certainly willing to give the idea of lay leadership a chance and want to see it succeed.

Q. What would you like to say to alumni you’re not able to meet? What would you ask of them?

A.  First, I would say that Saint Peter’s College is still a liberal arts college committed to academic excellence and the Jesuit Catholic traditions and that for the institution to still be successful, it needs them.  It needs their support.  Not just dollars, but we need their talent and expertise in getting the message out and helping us identify new opportunities.  Another thing I need from alumni is to keep us honest and centered — let us know how we’re doing.  I do hear from alums from time to time, but I want to hear more.  I’ve been working with the Alumni Association to find a better vehicle for communicating.  We need to get feedback on how we’re doing and I’d like to know how successful they are.  One thing we’ve had difficulty doing is tracking our alumni to find out where they go and what they’re doing.  So, stay in touch and keep the Alumni Association informed.

Q. You and your wife Ann Marie recently moved into the President’s residence at Guarini House. What are you enjoying most about the 07306 zip code?

A.  The opportunity to be a part of this community in a way that I haven’t been able to.  There are all sorts of great things going on at the College that I’ll be able to do now.  Having explored all the nooks and crannies, the shopping, restaurants and museums the past couple of weeks, Jersey City is just an amazing place.  After living in a quiet, relaxed suburban community for 17 years, the energy and chaos is exciting.