Greetings from the Alumni

Welcome Mr. President.

Welcome, Gene Cornacchia.

On behalf of the tens of thousands of men and women who have passed through the doors of this wonderful institution. On behalf of the more than 3,000 current students of Saint Peter’s college who come from 70 countries around the world. On behalf of Jersey City, Hudson County, the New York Metropolitan area, and the broader global community.

It may sound odd, but welcome to the place that you have called your professional home for more than 26 years.

A place where you have enriched the lives of thousands of students with your skills as a teacher, with your dedication, with wit, with caring, with your attention to their personal needs.

A place where you have been a vital member of the senior administration for nearly a decade.

A community that welcomes you with hearts and minds open.

We first met nearly 20 years ago. We’ve spent hundreds of hours together in the classroom, in at least five different courses. As my teacher, you challenged me. Perhaps at times I challenged you.

As Chair of the Political Science department you became my mentor.

Gene, we called you “the Chief.” We being the core group of political science majors in the late 80’s to early 90’s. We called you the Chief with the same high level of respect and love that a Supreme Court clerk has for the Chief Justice. To this day I am asked how “the Chief” is doing at Saint Peter’s College.

You continued to advise me through law school and beyond. You didn’t have to do that. But you cared, and you couldn’t help it. That’s who you are.

One of my fondest memories of law school was meeting you and the some of the members of your model United Nations team for dinner in Cambridge, where we first shared a couple of glasses of wine as friends.

Gene. Your family is proud of you. Your lovely wife AnnMarie. Your daughters. And of course they should be.

Your Saint Peter’s College family is also proud of you. And hopeful. Optimistic about the future of the College.

Looking around at the flags of 70 nations, and thinking back on our history, the history of Saint Peter’s College, of serving young men and women, many of whom were, like me, the first person in their families to enter the world of higher education, I am particularly happy that it is you, Gene, who has been chosen to lead us into the future.

For the College, the last year has been one of tremendous upheaval. The shock that we all felt last Christmas. The losses that we have shared as a community. Father Loughran. Father Degnan. We carry that with us. And yet through that period, while we mourned our losses, I never worried about the future of the College. I knew that you were there, with a steady hand, and that you would rise to the occasion. Because that’s what you do.

There are challenges ahead as well. This is a dynamic time for Jersey City, for higher education, for universities in the Jesuit tradition. It is our shared duty to ensure that Saint Peter’s College remains financially sound, has the resources it needs to grow and to serve the broader community, attracts and retains the best faculty, and thrives in a changing world.

Gene - you are breaking new ground.

And you are ready for those challenges.

There are few who could match your combination of intelligence, wit, keen insight into how organizations work, and forward thinking. There are fewer still who have those attributes and your dedication and commitment to the personal care of others in the community. There is no one I would rather have in your seat of honor today.

So again, on behalf of the community at large, this wonderful location where peoples of the world meet, live and learn, and on behalf of the tens of thousands of us who keep a Saint Peter’s College diploma in a place of honor in our homes and offices …

President Cornacchia, my friend and mentor, welcome to our Saint Peter’s College.