University of Scranton names The Rev. Joseph Marina as next president

SCRANTON — The University of Scranton announced Tuesday morning that its next president will be the Rev. Joseph Marina, coming to Scranton from Le Moyne College in Syracuse, N.Y.

Introduced in a YouTube broadcast, Marina thanked the search committee and conceded “my decision to enter the Jesuits came a bit later than most,” having joined the order that runs the University of Scranton at age 42.

The Jesuits “created in me a feeling I can best describe as a homecoming, as though the Society of Jesus was where I was meant to be,” he said. “I feel the same way about Scranton.”

Marina will assume the office as the university’s 28th president this summer, succeeding the Rev. Scott Pilarz, who announced his intent to step down last August due to progression of symptoms from Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis, or ALS.

Pilarz addressed viewers during the online media event, audio only with a photo of him on screen. “Father Marina has a special dedication to Catholic and Jesuit higher education, and a pastoral approach to leadership that is grounded in his faith, in Ignatian spirituality and in a call for justice. He will further Scranton’s commitment to provide a transformative education, rooted in the liberal arts, and will guide our students to become ‘men and women for and with others’,” Pilarz said.

University Trustee Kathleen Sprows Cummings introduced Marina with an anecdote from a preliminary interview during the search process. Asked if he wanted to give closing remarks, Marina replied “I would like to speak to you now not as a candidate but as a Jesuit. For the future of the University of Scranton and the Jesuit community, what’s most important is not that you choose me, but that you choose the most qualified candidate. I will be praying for your discernment.”

Diocese of Scranton Bishop Joseph Bambera issued a written statement immediately after the announcement congratulating Marina. “Father Marina brings a vast array of experience that will affirm the Catholic and Jesuit values upon which The University of Scranton has already been built. We are blessed that he has chosen to share his unique gifts and experiences with the students, faculty and staff of The University of Scranton.”

Marina said he had first visited the University of Scranton when he was 43, as a Jesuit novice invited to the campus to speak to a group of students who might be considering the life of a Jesuit. He said he met Pilarz at the time, and recounted a conversation in which Pilarz said “who knows, maybe after formation you may come here to serve the University.”

Marina opened a package from the University that he said he had received that morning and showed the contents on camera, including a University of Scranton baseball cap, a banner, and a sweatshirt.

Marina currently serves at Le Moyne as provost and vice president of academic affairs, and has been serving as acting president for nearly two months. He earned a doctorate in administration and supervision from Fordham University,a Master of Divinity and a Master of Theology from Boston College and a Master of Science in secondary education from St. John’s University. He earned a Bachelor of Science in physical sciences, with a theology minor, from St. John’s University.

Marina entered the Society of Jesus in 2004 and was ordained to the priesthood in 2012. He has two decades experience in education, having served as dean of the School of Continuing Education at Providence College, assistant dean for the College of Science and Mathematics at Montclair State University, and assistant dean for Metropolitan College at St. John’s University. In addition, he taught religious studies at Providence College and mathematics at St. John’s University. He served as pastor of the Church of St. Francis Xavier in New York City and as associate pastor of the Church of St. Ignatius Loyola, also in New York City.

He has sat on multiple boards. Marina is currently a trustee at St. Joseph’s Hospital in Syracuse, New York, and Canisius High School in Buffalo, New York, where he is chair of the board’s governance committee. He previously served on the boards of St. Thomas Aquinas College, Regis University, Canisius College, Xavier High School and Le Moyne College.

According to a media release, his research interests include leadership and organizational change, and, in the area of theology, scripture and the question of non-belief. His presentations include “Inner-city Healthcare and Higher Education: A Partnership in Catholic Social Teaching,” “Graduate and Continuing Education in the Jesuit Tradition” and “Educational Delivery System Options: Programs to Attract and Retain and Educate Adult Students.”