Tag: Father Leahy

I understand why you might feel this way, but remember that people show care and affection in different ways. While Fr. Leahy may not display his care for BC and others in the way you want, his years of service and his work to grow BC in terms of reputation, endowment and improved infrastructure are evidence that he does care. Also, regarding the blacked out text, please see my policy (above) regarding posts: “Derogatory or potentially hurtful language … will be removed.”

Doubtful. Where would he hide it? Some of my assistants have a good view of the back of St. Mary’s and the garage roof behind it. There is no Maserati there. Nor have they seen the secret door on the back of St. Mary’s open in years.

Try calling or emailing him? His contact information is available in the campus directory (under William Leahy) on the Agora Portal if you’re signed in.

If your question arises from his silence following recent racist incidents, he probably believes that the appropriate people are addressing the issue. Such an approach does not reflect hate but a different way of thinking about how to respond to campus incidents. As with any communications issue, it’s always better to speak directly with the other person, so I’d suggest also asking Fr. Leahy your question.

Everyone has a role at BC, and Fr. Leahy is ultimately responsible for everyone doing their jobs well. I can’t be certain why Fr. Leahy speaks about some issues and not about others, but I am certain that he makes sure the Provost addresses academic issues, the VP for Student Affairs addresses student issues, the VP for Human Resources addresses staff issues, and so on.

A university president must be many things- fund raiser, cheerleader, lightning rod, planner, money manager and thought leader to name a few. Nobody can do it all well, so the best presidents surround themselves with talented experts. The management team at BC seems to be doing well in their various areas (endowment is strong, admissions remains selective, reputation is excellent), so I believe Fr Leahy is doing an overall good job. Can he do a better job? Sure, like everyone else.

University presidents have many different styles: some insert themselves into student life with awkward gusto, some are more faculty-focused, some concentrate attention on capital campaigns and fundraising, and some administrate by delegating. Father Leahy is mostly a combination of the latter two, it seems, and judging by the remarkable expansion, pace of construction & plans for more, that’s where his priorities lie. He rarely comments on political issues, though did sign a letter strongly disagreeing with the Trump administration on DACA: bit.ly/BC-DACA. If you’re curious about his history among students, explore articles in The Heights that mention him: bit.ly/BC-Heights-Leahy.