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SAN FRANCISCO – The University of San Francisco’s Board of Trustees voted unanimously during a special April 8 meeting to elect the Rev. Paul J. Fitzgerald, S.J. as USF’s 28 president.
He will take office on Aug. 1.
Fr. Fitzgerald has worked in higher education for more than 20 years, and is currently the senior vice president for Academic Affairs at Fairfield University in Connecticut, where he oversees the recruitment and retention of faculty, develops curriculum, and works with deans to direct academic programs.
At Santa Clara University, Fr. Fitzgerald was associate dean and senior associate dean for the College of Arts and Sciences.
He also has served on several university boards, including the Ecclesiastical Board of the School of Theology and Ministry at Boston College, the Board of Trustees of Loyola University Chicago, and the Board of Trustees of Loyola Marymount University in Los Angeles. Through a number of teaching and leadership positions, he has gained a deep understanding of Jesuit education.
“When I received word I was selected as president, I was absolutely elated,” Fr. Fitzgerald said. “USF has an impressive legacy. The chance to contribute to this environment of learning and service is a true honor.”
For Fr. Fitzgerald, this is a homecoming. He grew up in Los Gatos after his family moved from Southern California when he was 5.
He earned a bachelor’s degree in history from Santa Clara University in 1980, and entered the Society of Jesus two years later. Fr. Fitzgerald was ordained to the priesthood at St. Ignatius Church on the USF campus in 1992.
He gained first-hand knowledge of the Silicon Valley during his 12 years at Santa Clara University, and plans to invest personal time and energy engaging the Bay Area’s burgeoning technology community. Fr. Fitzgerald understands that the Silicon Valley is moving north and that the City of San Francisco is a vibrant center for startups, venture capital, and related industries.
“We believe Fr. Fitzgerald is ideally suited to work with the entire USF community in delivering a Jesuit education to the next generations of USF students,” said Thomas E. Malloy, chair of the USF Board of Trustees. “He has a strong commitment to diversity, brings a global perspective, and is an enthusiastic supporter of intercollegiate athletics. He is excited about leading San Francisco’s first university and expanding our partnerships with the community.”
The national search for USF’s new president began in October 2013. USF’s Board of Trustees appointed a presidential search committee to conduct the search for the next president. It was led by USF Board of Trustees Vice Chair Chuck Smith, retired president and CEO of AT&T West, and guided by Isaacson Miller, a highly regarded national search firm.
“This process has been thorough, intentional, and wide in scope,” said Smith. “We proactively sought top tier candidates from across the nation, and President-elect Fitzgerald stood out among an exceptional pool of applicants. First and foremost, we know he will sustain and advance the university’s Jesuit mission and identity. He has a sound working knowledge of the mechanics of higher education and the use of technology to complement the transformative one-on-one interaction between faculty and students.”
Fr. Fitzgerald is fluent in German and French and is conversational in Spanish. He lived, taught and studied overseas, which helped shape his global understanding.
As a visiting lecturer, he taught in China during the summer of 1992 and in Kenya in 2004. Fr. Fitzgerald attended the University of Paris-La Sorbonne, where he earned a D.E.A. (diplôme des études approfondies) and a Docteur ès Lettres (PhD) in the Sociology of Religion. Concurrently, he worked toward and received an S.T.D. (Pontifical Doctorate) in ecclesiology from the Institut Catholique de Paris.
Fr. Fitzgerald succeeds Stephen A. Privett, S.J., who has served as USF’s president from 2000 to 2014 – making him the third longest serving president in university history.
Fr. Privett will ensure the president-elect’s smooth transition by staying in office until Fr. Fitzgerald is settled in San Francisco.
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CLEARLAKE, Calif. – Yuba College, in partnership with the Lake County Office of Education, was awarded a Perkins grant from the North Far North Regional Consortium.
Culinary Instructor Robert Cabreros taught a two-day workshops to certify high school and college students in ServSafe.
ServSafe is a food and beverage safety training program governed by the National Restaurant Association.
It is an industry-recognized standard in the culinary arts trade and a valuable commodity on any food service or hospitality resume.
Thirty students signed up to attended the 14-hour workshop which was offered to college student and free of charge to high school students.
The weekend workshop on March 15 and 16 included an intensive condensed curriculum, the certification exam and two-year access to the online program MyCulinaryLab.
The MyCulinaryLab program allows the students access to countless recipes, video tutorials, and other interactive activities.
For more information on this grant contact Yuba College Culinary Department Robert Cabreros at 707-995-4175 or
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LAKEPORT, Calif. – Lakeport Christian Center Preschool hosted a chili cookoff fundraiser on Friday, March 28.
Organizers said the event was a huge success.
Many local businesses and community leaders were represented, including Lakeport City Manager Margaret Silveira.
Lakeport Christian Center would like to thank the following businesses, which donated prizes: Angelina's Bakery, Graceful Swan Massage, Hillside Honda and Quail Run Fitness.
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SACRAMENTO – State Controller John Chiang has unveiled a new Web site that allows Californians to easily track every tax dollar raised by Proposition 30, a temporary tax increase approved by voters in November 2012 to stabilize the fiscal health of K-12 schools and community colleges.
“This transparency tool was built to help taxpayers monitor every dollar raised, where it was allocated, how it will be spent, and whether it was used in accordance with the law. In approving temporary tax increases, voters entrusted their elected officials to use those extra funds to stave off more than $5 billion in cuts to schools and help restore their fiscal stability,” Chiang said. “Promises of appropriate and prudent spending were made to the public and this tool intends to hold the State and its local education officials accountable for keeping them.”
The Web site was developed in partnership and based on information provided by the California Community Colleges Chancellor's Office, California Department of Education, California Department of Finance and the State Treasurer's Office.
Proposition 30, officially known as The Schools and Local Public Safety Protection Act of 2012, raises personal income taxes for seven years on taxpayers with incomes of $250,000 or more. It also increases sales taxes by a quarter-cent for four years.
The Legislative Analyst's Office estimated the measure will increase state revenues by about $6 billion annually from Fiscal Year (FY) 2012-13 through FY 2016-17, with smaller revenue amounts expected in FY 2017-18 and FY 2018-19.
Since Jan. 1, 2012, more than $13 billion have been allocated to local education agencies, such as K-12 school districts, county offices of education, charter schools and community colleges.
Those visiting www.TrackProp30.ca.gov can:
- See how much each school district, charter school, and community college receives annually from Proposition 30.
- View all revenues received by each local education agency, including not only Prop. 30 funds, but all federal and state funds and local property taxes.
- See a detailed breakdown of all expenditures made by local education agencies, including the amount spent on books and supplies, salary and benefits, and services and operations.
- View objective metrics that measure an agency’s financial health and monitor multi-year trends.
- Beginning in the summer of 2015, when they first become available, read audit reports to determine if an entity has spent Prop. 30 funds as the law requires.
- See audit findings from each local education agency's independent auditor.
- Download raw data to do comparisons.
“I want to thank the Department of Education and the California Community Colleges for sharing this important information and helping us make it available to the public,” Chiang said. “We all care about our children’s future and want to provide them with a world-class education. Being open and honest with information about our school’s finances equips the public to play a bigger role in the governance of our state.”