Ateneo alumnus sworn in as head of century-old NY university

Dr. Conrado “Bobby” Gempesaw, Ph.D., an alumnus of the Ateneo de Davao University, was formally installed as the 17th president and first lay president of St. John’s University in Queens, N.Y., in an investiture held Oct. 24.

“St. John’s is blessed to have as president an individual who can preserve the Catholic and Vincentian traditions of our great institution while invigorating our academic landscape and challenging us to reach greater heights in our teaching, scholarship and research,” said Peter P. D’Angelo, chair of the board of trustees, who presided over the investiture.
 
St. John’s University president Dr. Conrado Gempesaw (right) with Peter P. D’Angelo, chair of the board of trustees. Filipino Reporter photo
Gempesaw was presented with the presidential regalia, a distinctive red robe representing the academics of the university; the presidential medallion, which bears the university crest and symbolizes the high office of the university; and the university mace, a representation of faculty and students that signifies leadership and the power of higher learning.

The transfer of the university’s symbols of authority represents St. John’s proud history, and celebrates its formal change in leadership.

The university was founded in 1870.

The occasion began with a 1 p.m. mass officiated by Bishop Nicholas DiMarzio at Taffner Field House, followed by the formal investiture ceremony at Carnesecca Arena.

In his message to the St. John’s community, Gempesaw said he will “bear in mind the Catholic and Vincentian core values that have long guided this University.”

“I look forward to meeting many of you in the coming months and to the opportunity of working together to enhance our academic and research programs, broaden our community and global partnerships, and promote the Vincentian tradition of service to those most in need,” he said.

“I ask for your prayers and support as we work together with a renewed commitment to sustain St. John’s outstanding reputation as one of the nation’s premier Catholic universities,” he added.

Presidents and delegates from universities around the country, as well as local elected officials, church leaders, students, faculty, administrators and other members of the St. John’s community witnessed the historic transition.

St. John’s has campuses in Queens, Staten Island, Long Island and Manhattan, as well as in Rome and in Paris.

“Although the challenges in higher education may seem daunting, St. John’s University can overcome them and continue to thrive as one of the country’s premier Catholic universities. We will face these challenges with a dynamic entrepreneurial and strategic mindset. We must be bold and decisive in meeting these challenges.”

The university describes Gempesaw as “an accomplished scholar, teacher and administrator who comes to St. John’s with almost three decades of academic and administrative experience.”

Before assuming the presidency at St. John’s, Gempesaw served as provost and executive vice president for academic affairs at Miami University in Oxford, Ohio.

He also served as dean of the University of Delaware (UD) Alfred Lerner College of Business and Economics, vice-provost for academic and international programs, interim dean of UD’s College of Arts and Sciences, and chair of the Department of Food and Resource Economics.

He joined UD as an assistant professor in 1985, was awarded tenure and promoted to associate professor in 1989, and promoted to full professor in 1993.

Gempesaw was among 10 persons named by Crain’s New York Business in September to its list of “People to Watch in Higher Education.”

The list includes presidents and other senior administrators who are “successfully leading their New York-based institutions during a time of unprecedented change in the higher education landscape.”

Gempesaw obtained his B.A. in economics from the Ateneo de Davao University, his MS in agricultural economics from West Virginia University, and Ph.D. in agricultural economics from Pennsylvania State University.

He is married to the former Clavel Albay Gempesaw, a 1975 Mutya ng Dabaw, who earned her M.A. and Ph.D. in urban affairs and public policy, also at UD.

They have two sons, Daniel and David.

Daniel has a double degree (magna cum laude) in mathematics and mechanical engineering (minor in physics) from UD, and an M.S. in mechanical engineering from Georgia Institute of Technology.

David has a double major (summa cum laude) in accounting and finance and a double minor in economics and jazz studies from UD.

He is a certified public accountant and completed his M.A. in economics from Miami University. —Filipino Reporter

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