Members of the university community gathered to celebrate the 10th anniversary of University President Msgr. Robert Sheeran at 1 p.m. Wednesday in the Jubilee Hall Atrium.
“It is always an honor to serve as Seton Hall president, and I am aware of that today and every day,” Sheeran said.
Msgr. James Cafone, a member of the Board of Regents who served as Master of Ceremonies at the celebration, said Sheeran’s presidency, which marks the pinnacle of his relationship with Seton Hall, has been the most dynamic and challenging of any at the university.
Cafone highlighted many traits he said made Sheeran a successful president and leader.
“He’s hard working,” he said. “He’s almost always on campus fulfilling his responsibilities as president.”
Cafone said Sheeran was a tireless fundraiser who has been able to convince nine members of the Board of Regents to make major donations and has played a crucial role in fundraising for the Ever Forward campaign.
He also said Sheeran was devout.
“I may be one of the only people who know this, but every morning before 7 a.m., in good weather or bad, Msgr. Sheeran leaves his residency and travels to our seminary chapel for an hour of prayer and reflections,” Cafone said.
After that, he proceeds to the Immaculate Conception Chapel, where he celebrates Mass with the community.
Cafone said Sheeran was a builder, tough as nails, and generous hearted.
“He does not strive for appreciation or affection, but he makes the good of Seton Hall his primary concern,” he said.
Thomas Sharkey, vice chair of the Board of Regents and chairman of the Ever Forward campaign, said it was a challenge to speak to Sheeran’s accomplishments in the little time he was allotted.
“How does anyone condense 10 years service, 35 years service as a priest and 10 years service as university president, into four minutes?” he asked.
Sharkey spoke to many of Sheeran’s accomplishments, including an increased SAT score of over 120 points during his administration, the establishment of the Whitehead School of Diplomacy and International Relations, its relationship as the only school affiliated with the United Nations and the expansion of the university Honors Program, which has nearly doubled in size.
“People identify and recognize now that we have exceptional schools,” Sharkey said.
He congratulated Sheeran for his focus on academics and values instead of buildings.
“He hit the key points,” Sharkey said, “enlarging the faculty, bringing in better and younger faculty.”
Junior Patrick Ryan spoke both as a representative of the student body and a friend of Sheeran’s. He also said his family has a long history of becoming friends with the Seton Hall president, something his grandfather Poppy began in the 1930s
“One of the first things I did when I got here freshman year was ask Monsignor Sheeran to lunch,” he said.
Ryan said he thought he had so many good ideas to share with Sheeran on how they could work to improve the university.
“They were really bad ideas that I shared,” he said. “But Monsignor Sheeran was a trooper.”
Ryan said he and Sheeran have been friends since that day. Something that impresses him about the president is how down to earth he is.
“He eats lunch everyday in the same cafeteria that I eat mine,” he said.
Mary Kropp, chief engineer in Facilities Engineering, said he had a similar experience with Sheeran. He met Sheeran many years ago when he was going for his undergraduate degree at Seton Hall.
“Monsignor Sheeran said hello to me and asked me if I was going for my master’s degree,” he said. “I had to tell him no.”
Kropp proceeded to run into Sheeran one year later and two years after that, while he was still finishing his undergraduate degree, only to be asked the same question.
“I met him again later, when I was working on my master’s degree,” Kropp said. “Do you think he asked me if I was going for my master’s degree?”
Sharkey said the entire university has seen and felt Sheeran’s touch and work to beautify the university.
“He likes shrubs. He likes trash cans that don’t look like garbage cans,” he said.
Sheeran’s focus on beautification led to his gift, presented by Kropp.
Kropp presented Sheeran with a small potted tree.
“It’s something like Monsignor Sheeran that has taken root and grown,” he said.
Sheeran will also have the opportunity to pick a large tree from the nursery and have it permanently planted on campus.
Sheeran enrolled at Seton Hall as an undergraduate, and received his bachelor’s degree in classical language in 1967. He was ordained at Saint Peter’s Basilica in December 1970.
He served as associate pastor at Saint Michael’s Parish in Cranford. Sheeran spent four years in Rome starting in 1974, and he served for four years as director of the advising program at North American College.
In 1980, Sheeran returned to Seton Hall and served as Rector of the College Seminary. In 1987, he was appointed assistant provost. He became associate provost in 1991, and was appointed executive vice chancellor in 1993.
On Dec. 7, 1995, Sheeran was appointed university president. He has served in that post since that time.
He has worn many hats at Seton Hall, serving as a priest-in-residence in Xavier Residence Hall, a professor, an administrator and a fundraiser.
Katie Clements can be reached at clemenka@shu.edu.
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