Dr. Petillo Inaugurated President at Sacred Heart University

FAIRFIELD, Conn., Sept. 21, 2011 /PRNewswire/ -- Veteran educator, corporate chief executive and leader John J. Petillo, Ph.D., has been inaugurated as the sixth president of Sacred Heart University, listed by Princeton Review and U.S. News & World Report as one of the country's best colleges.

(Photo: http://photos.prnewswire.com/prnh/20110921/NY72897 )

Dr. Petillo, former dean of the John F. Welch College of Business and past chancellor and CEO of Seton Hall University, served as interim president before he was named the new president of SHU in March after an extensive national search.

"Dr. Petillo was the strongest candidate for the job. No one could equal his expertise and vision," said James T. Morley, University trustee and chairman of the search committee. "Dr. Petillo will articulate, develop and implement a clear strategic plan and vision for Sacred Heart University and build on our tradition of excellence."

He hopes, Dr. Petillo told incoming freshman at a Sept. 21 Inaugural Installation and Convocation under the banner "A Time for New Beginnings," that his tenure will be hallmarked by "servant leadership, stewardship, and presence. All three of these must be understood and lived within the context of our students."

Dr. Petillo will oversee an era of exciting changes at the University, many part of a strategic plan focusing on academic excellence and distinctiveness, learning and living outside the classroom, facilities and infrastructure, and financial strength.

"Sacred Heart is blessed with a remarkable and hopeful energy. I look forward to continuing my work with the faculty, staff and students as we move into the 21st century with a vision that is founded on our Catholic intellectual tradition," Dr. Petillo said. "I believe we must be student-centered, results-driven and firmly focused on the quality of education we provide."

Along with SHU and Seton Hall, Dr. Petillo was president of the University of Medicine and Dentistry of New Jersey; president and CEO of the Newark Alliance; regional president of First Union Insurance Services; CEO of The Tribus Companies; chairman, president and CEO of CareAdvantage, Inc.; president and CEO of Blue Cross Blue Shield of New Jersey; and chancellor for Administration for the Archdiocese of Newark.

He holds a bachelor's degree in classical languages and a master's in counseling from Seton Hall; a professional diploma in counselor education from Fordham University; an MPA from Rutgers; a Master of Divinity degree in pastoral theology from the Darlington School of Theology; and a Ph.D. in counseling and personnel services from Fordham. He received honorary doctor of humane letters degrees from St. Peter's College, Universidad Apec in the Dominican Republic and South Korea's Kyoung-Gi University.

Dr. Petillo chairs the finance committee of the Wells Fargo Regional Foundation and is on the board of Christ the King High School in New York.

Sacred Heart, the second-largest Catholic university in New England, offers more than 50 undergraduate, graduate and doctoral programs on its main campus in Fairfield, Connecticut, and satellites in Connecticut, Luxembourg and Ireland.

Contact:
Funda Alp
Executive Director of Public Relations
203-396-8241
[email protected]

SOURCE Sacred Heart University

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