Citing his innovative leadership during a challenging period for higher education, the expansion of academic programs and facilities, and successful fundraising, the University’s Board of Trustees unanimously voted to renew the contract of President Francesco C. Cesareo, Ph.D., during their February board meeting. This is President Cesareo’s third five-year contract extension.
“Recognizing this as a challenging period for higher education, Assumption has thrived under Francesco’s steadfast leadership as the institution continues to form individuals who use their knowledge and gifts to impact the world in a profound and meaningful way,” said Board of Trustees Chairman Francis J. Bedard, Esq., CPA ’81. “The Trustees are impressed by the vision created and realized by Francesco, such as the expansion of in-demand academic programs, the addition of new academic facilities, and his commitment to, and embracing of, Assumption’s Catholic identity and the importance of the liberal arts.”
President Cesareo began serving as president on July 1, 2007. Under his leadership, more than $68 million has been raised through annual giving, which has provided funds for student scholarships; faculty chairs and research; and the construction of the Tinsley Campus Ministry Center, state-of-the-art Tsotsis Family Academic Center, and the new Health Sciences Building. President Cesareo has also overseen the creation of the Rome Campus, the SOPHIA program, and the introduction of more than a dozen new majors; and he has encouraged faculty to forge academic partnerships, leading to the signing of articulation agreements with a number of prestigious academic institutions across the country. In 2018, President Cesareo signed an agreement with the Worcester Red Sox to become one of the team’s 21 Founding Partners, and he spearheaded Assumption’s recent transition from College to University, as well as the new school structure instituted in 2019.
“Assumption is a special community dedicated to instilling in students both knowledge and a sense of purpose,” said President Cesareo. “I am thankful to the Board of Trustees for their continued confidence in our ambitious vision for the institution and to the faculty and staff who work tirelessly to educate and serve our students. It is an honor to lead this institution – a leading Catholic institution of higher learning that integrates the liberal arts with professional education.”
Under President Cesareo, the diversity of the student body has significantly improved. Since 2007, the number of African American, Latino American, Asian American, and Native American (ALANA) students has increased from eight to 20 percent. He also established a Presidential Task Force on Racial and Ethnic Diversity with an ardent belief that cultural and racial diversity contributes to a higher quality of campus life as “the intellectual enterprise is enhanced by the dialogue of varied and diverse viewpoints, providing the promise of new energy and new ways of thinking.”
Through his service on a number of high-profile and influential boards, President Cesareo has enhanced the reputation and awareness of Assumption throughout the country. Some of the many boards he serves on include commissioner of the New England Commission of Higher Education; trustee of St. John’s Seminary; a member of the steering committee for the Diocese of Worcester‘s Adopt-a-Student program; and corporator for the Greater Worcester Community Foundation. He serves or has served as chair of a number of boards including the Northeast-10 Athletic Conference President’s Council; Higher Education Consortium of Central Massachusetts; Sr. Thea Bowman Black Catholic Educational Foundation Board; and the National Review Board, United States Conference of Catholic Bishops.
President Cesareo graduated from Cathedral College of the Immaculate Conception and earned a master’s degree and doctorate from Fordham University. A Fulbright Scholar who studied at the University of Rome and the Pontifical Gregorian University, he has written two books and a number of scholarly articles on Catholic Reformation, 15th and 16th century Roman history, and the Renaissance Papacy.”
